Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes first appeared as a literary character in 1887, and the character leapt to movie screens all the way back in 1900. The beloved detective’s most successful run probably came when Basil Rathbone took on the part for a 14-film franchise that launched with 1939’s Hound of the Baskervilles.

Immediately prior to that iconic series, Arthur Wontner starred as Holmes in five British produced films. For the fourth of these, we go to 1935’s The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes.

Now retired from sleuthing, Sherlock Holmes (Wontner) lives in the country south of London. Despite his desire to stay idle, he finds himself drawn back to his old job due to a murder.

An American gang kills local man John Douglas (Leslie Perrins). When this crime appears connected to Holmes’ old rival Professor Moriarty (Lyn Harding), the detective feels compelled to take on the case.

What if they gave a murder mystery and no one cared? Triumph would feel like the result, as it provides a surprisingly dull affair.

Too much of Triumph comes across more like “who cares?” than “whodunnit”. Some of the issues stem from the film’s awkward structure.

Although most of the movie’s first half focuses on Holmes’ attempts to find clues, it then suddenly launches into flashback mode. This allows us to see what actually occurred.

This feels like a bad choice for a mix of reasons, in particular because it leaves our lead character on the sidelines for a long time period. A Sherlock Holmes movie that loses Sherlock Holmes for an extended stretch seems misguided.

The flashbacks also flop because the actors involved fail to connect to their characters. Granted, no one in Triumph excels, but the supporting cast we find in these expository sequences seems especially inept.

Even without these issues, Triumph sputters. Wontner doesn’t make a bad Holmes, but he seems wholly underwhelming in the role.

Wontner comes across more as a fussy academic than a shrewd detective. He fails to give Holmes much charisma and seems detached from the role’s strengths.

Even with a more dynamic lead, I suspect Triumph would sputter due to its indifferent direction from Leslie S. Hiscott. The filmmaker tells the tale in a sluggish manner that seems slow and aimless.

All of this leads to a mystery with little suspense or drama. Triumph becomes a flat and forgettable Sherlock Holmes effort.

The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Don’t expect much from this problematic presentation.

In particular, sharpness became consistently bland and mushy. Most of the flick looked tentative and fuzzy, as even close-ups lacked much definition.

At least no issues related to jagged edges or shimmering, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain seemed minor and I suspect the print got some scrubbing, part of the reason it looked so soft. No source defects materialized beyond a few awkward frame jumps.

Blacks came across as bland and on the gray side, while the movie tended to look a bit too bright. Given the film’s advanced age, I thought the image deserved a “D+“, but it delivered subpar visuals.

In addition, the movie’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack didn’t hold up much better. Speech came across as muffled and flat.

Music and effects delivered similarly thin tones, as those components seemed dull and bland. While the track lacked source defects, I suspect some of that stemmed from overly aggressive noise reduction.

That factor likely damaged the rest of the track. The track tended to sound like someone threw a blanket over the speakers and remained consistently lifeless even by 1935 standards.

Though Film Masters releases usually include commentaries and other extras, Triumph comes with nothing. However, the disc pairs Triumph with another Holmes movie: 1937’s Silver Blaze.

If one expects a rousing detective story from The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes, one will encounter disappointment. The project suffers from sluggish pacing and lacks suspense. The Blu-ray provides weak picture and audio and it lacks film-specific supplements, though it does come paired with another movie. Triumph will be of interest to Holmes completists and that’s about it.