The Best Basil Rathbone Movies

Updated October 10, 2019 2.1k votes 145 voters 8.1k views81 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

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?"

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Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Released: 1945
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear is a 1945 crime film directed by Roy William Neill. It... more on Wikipedia
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The Pearl of Death
Basil Rathbone, Rondo Hatton
Released: 1944
Directed by: Roy William Neill
The Pearl of Death is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel... more on Wikipedia
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The Spider Woman
Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard
Released: 1944
Directed by: Roy William Neill, Victor Fleming
The Spider Woman is a 1944 mystery film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel... more on Wikipedia
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Terror by Night
Basil Rathbone, Billy Bevan
Released: 1946
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Terror by Night is a 1946 Sherlock Holmes film, the thirteenth to star Basil Rathbone and... more on Wikipedia
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Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
Basil Rathbone, Milburn Stone
Released: 1943
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the sixth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of... more on Wikipedia
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A Tale of Two Cities
Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman
Released: 1935
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard, Jack Conway
A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale... more on Wikipedia
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Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Basil Rathbone, Reginald Denny
Released: 1942
Directed by: John Rawlins
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror is the third film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce... more on Wikipedia

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Dressed to Kill
Basil Rathbone, Patricia Morison
Released: 1946
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Dressed to Kill, also known as Prelude to Murder and Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code, is... more on Wikipedia
More Dressed to Kill
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Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Basil Rathbone, Marjorie Lord
Released: 1943
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Sherlock Holmes in Washington is the fifth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of... more on Wikipedia
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David Copperfield
Basil Rathbone, W. C. Fields
Released: 1935
Directed by: George Cukor
David Copperfield is a 1935 American film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer based upon the... more on Wikipedia
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Pursuit to Algiers
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Released: 1945
Directed by: Roy William Neill
Pursuit to Algiers is the twelfth entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film... more on Wikipedia
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Basil Rathbone, Ida Lupino
Released: 1939
Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a 1939 mystery-adventure film. It is a pastiche featuring... more on Wikipedia
More The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn
Released: 1938
Directed by: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz... more on Wikipedia
More The Adventures of Robin Hood
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Captain Blood
Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn
Released: 1935
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Captain Blood is a 1935 American swashbuckling film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring... more on Wikipedia
More Captain Blood
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
Basil Rathbone, John Carradine
Released: 1939
Directed by: Sidney Lanfield
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1939 mystery film based on the novel The Hound of the... more on Wikipedia
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The Last Hurrah
Spencer Tracy, Basil Rathbone
Released: 1958
Directed by: John Ford
The Last Hurrah is a 1958 film adaptation of the novel The Last Hurrah by Edwin O'Connor. The... more on Wikipedia
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Son of Frankenstein
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Released: 1939
Directed by: Rowland V. Lee
Son of Frankenstein is a horror monster film and is the third film in Universal Studios'... more on Wikipedia
More Son of Frankenstein
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If I Were King
Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman
Released: 1938
Directed by: Frank Lloyd
If I Were King is a 1938 American biographical historical drama film starring Ronald Colman as... more on Wikipedia
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The Scarlet Claw
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Released: 1944
Directed by: Roy William Neill
The Scarlet Claw is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes movie directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil... more on Wikipedia
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The Mark of Zorro
Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone
Released: 1940
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced... more on Wikipedia
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Casanova's Big Night
Bob Hope, Vincent Price
Released: 1954
Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod
Casanova's Big Night is a comedy film starring Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine, which is a spoof of... more on Wikipedia
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Love from a Stranger
Basil Rathbone, Joan Hickson
Released: 1937
Directed by: Rowland V. Lee
Love from a Stranger is a 1937 British drama film film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring... more on Wikipedia
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Above Suspicion
Joan Crawford, Basil Rathbone
Released: 1943
Directed by: Richard Thorpe
Above Suspicion is an American spy film distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Joan... more on Wikipedia
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The Bishop Murder Case
Basil Rathbone, Roland Young
Released: 1930
Directed by: Nick Grinde, David Burton
The Bishop Murder Case is a 1930 mystery film directed by Nick Grinde, starring Basil... more on Wikipedia
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The Magic Sword
Basil Rathbone, Marlene Callahan
Released: 1962
Directed by: Bert I. Gordon
The Magic Sword is a 1962 live action fantasy film, mainly aimed at children, based loosely on... more on Wikipedia