The Best Basil Rathbone Movies

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Updated August 11, 2023 1.6K votes 179 voters
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List of the best Basil Rathbone movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Basil Rathbone's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Basil Rathbone movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Basil Rathbone movies will be at the top of the list. Basil Rathbone has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Basil Rathbone movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Basil Rathbone films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Basil Rathbone role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Basil Rathbone performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Items include everything from The Hound of the Baskervilles to A Lady Surrenders.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Basil Rathbone movies?" and "What are the greatest Basil Rathbone roles of all time?"
Most divisive: Confession
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  • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    1

    The Hound of the Baskervilles

    Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene
    54 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Sidney Lanfield
    Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is intrigued by a centuries-old legend in which every generation of the wealthy Baskerville family is eventually killed by a monstrous hound. Suspecting there is more to the story than meets the eye, he sends Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to the estate to investigate. Sir Henry (Richard Greene), the only Baskerville left, is grateful for his help. But when a crazed convict escapes and footprints from a beast are found, Baskerville wonders if Watson will be enough.

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  • The Scarlet Claw
    2

    The Scarlet Claw

    Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gerald Hamer
    38 votes
    • Released: 1944
    • Directed by: Roy William Neill
    Detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his trusty partner Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) travel to Quebec, Canada, where a small village has been terrorized by a series of grisly murders. Members of the Royal Canadian Occult Society, led by Lord William Penrose (Paul Cavanagh), believe that paranormal forces are to blame, but when Sherlock pinpoints the real culprit -- a vengeful actor -- he must track him down before he commits his next brutal act.
  • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
    3

    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

    Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino
    46 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
    Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) square off against their archenemy, Professor Moriarty (George Zucco), who has designs on the Tower of London's Crown Jewels. As a perfect distraction from Moriarty's schemes, Holmes and Watson are contacted by a woman (Ida Lupino) who claims that her family is in danger after her brother receives the same warning message her father got 10 years ago -- just before he was brutally murdered.

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  • The Adventures of Robin Hood
    4

    The Adventures of Robin Hood

    Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
    44 votes
    • Released: 1938
    • Directed by: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
    When King Richard the Lionheart is captured, his scheming brother Prince John (Claude Rains) plots to reach the throne, to the outrage of Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn), the bandit king of Sherwood Forest. Rounding up his band of men and eventually winning the support of the lovely Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), Robin accuses Prince John of treachery and, when the escaped Richard returns covertly to England, joins forces with the king to prevent Prince John from taking the crown.

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  • The Mark of Zorro
    5

    The Mark of Zorro

    Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone
    38 votes
    • Released: 1940
    • Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
    Tired of Governor Quintero's (J. Edward Bromberg) exploitation of poor Californians, Don Diego (Tyrone Power) decides to fight back and assumes the identity of Zorro. A masked hero with a sword, Zorro fights on behalf of the people against the corrupt Quintero and his wicked assistant, Captain Pasquale (Basil Rathbone). At the same time, Diego falls for Lolita (Linda Darnell), the governor's niece, and he pursues her while constantly battling to oust Quintero from power.

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  • Son of Frankenstein
    6

    Son of Frankenstein

    Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
    33 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Rowland V. Lee
    Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father's scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster (Boris Karloff) his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit in order to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible.

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