The pearl of the Borgia

Movie
German title	The pearl of the Borgia
Original title	The Pearl of Death
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1944
length	69 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Roy William Neill
script	Bertram Millhauser
production	Roy William Neill
music	Paul Sawtell
camera	Virgil Miller
cut	Ray Snyder
occupation
	Basil Rathbone : Sherlock Holmes; Nigel Bruce : Dr. Watson; Dennis Hoey : Inspector Lestrade; Miles Mander : Giles Conover; Evelyn Ankers : Naomi Drake; Ian Wolfe : Amos Hodder; Charles Francis : Museum Director Digby; Holmes Herbert : James Goodram; Richard Aherne : Officer Bates; Harry Cording : George Gelder; Mary Gordon : Mrs. Hudson; Rondo Hatton : The terrible one;
chronology
← Predecessor ; The Claw	Successor → ; The House of Horror

The Pearl of the Borgia is an American film adaptation of one of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes , based on a crime story by Arthur Conan Doyle . Here his story The Six Napoleons served as a template.

action

The famous pearl of the Borgia, for which twenty people lost their lives in the course of history, is to be brought to a London museum. On a ship to Dover, the pearl travels in the luggage of Commissioner James Goodran and is stolen despite the most massive security precautions. However, Sherlock Holmes is clever enough and can steal the pearl from the thief Naomi Drake without her realizing it.

The new attempted theft of the precious piece by the master thief Giles Conover in the museum can Sherlock Holmes with Dr. Watson didn't prevent it. It happens when Holmes tries to demonstrate the inadequate security measures in the museum. Conover reacts with presence of mind and escapes from the museum with the pearl. But when he is arrested, the pearl cannot be found and Inspector Lestrade has to let Conover go again.

Shortly afterwards, three mysterious murders happen in London, each time with broken pieces of china and plaster lying around the victims. The cause of death for all victims was a broken spine from pressure rather than blow. Holmes' talent for combination leads him to a plaster factory that had made six identical Napoleon busts at the time the pearl was stolen. Conover must have hidden his stolen property in one of the busts and is now looking for the sold busts. In order to get to the pearl, Conover does not shy away from murder, whereby he uses the terrible as a murder tool. Two of the busts are broken, three destroyed after murder, and there is still no trace of the pearl. Now the hunt for the last bust and the pearl begins.

In the house of the owner of the last bust, Holmes waits for Conover, who appears with the terrible. Holmes succeeds in creating the terrible belief that Conover has tricked him with the beloved Naomi Drake. He then kills Conover, Holmes shoots the terrible man and the pearl is recovered from the bust of Napoleon.

German synchronization

The German dubbed version was created in 1969 on German television broadcasting in the GDR and was first broadcast on July 17, 1969. The main roles were spoken by Walter Niklaus (Sherlock Holmes) and Alfred Bohl (Dr. Watson).

Reviews

"Thriller from the series of Universal productions offers the exciting and bizarre entertainment."

- Lexicon of international film

DVD

The film was released in 2007 together with the films Die Kralle and Das Haus des Schreckens on Koch Media Home Entertainment in a 3-DVD set. It contains both dubbed versions of the film and an audio commentary by a Sherlock Holmes expert.

Web links

The pearl of the Borgias in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Comparison of the cut versions Old TV version - restored version of Die Perle der Borgia at Schnittberichte.com

Individual evidence

↑ The Pearl of the Borgia. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .

[1] The Pearl of the Borgia. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .