The Woman in Green (1945) in Color — Starring Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce

The Woman in Green (1945) – Buy This Classic Mystery in Color

Experience the chilling The Woman in Green (1945) in stunning colorized HD. Directed by Roy William Neill, this darkly atmospheric mystery stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson in a case that leads the great detective into a web of hypnosis, murder, and the machinations of his archnemesis Professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell). A series of gruesome murders has terrorised London — women are being found dead with their right forefingers surgically removed. Scotland Yard is baffled, the public is panicked, and only Sherlock Holmes can see the sinister pattern behind the mutilations. When the investigation leads to Moriarty and a beautiful hypnotist (Hillary Brooke) who uses her powers to create unwitting accomplices to murder, Holmes must risk his own mind to unravel the deadliest conspiracy he has ever faced. Now available as a premium digital download for just €15.00 — DRM-free and yours to keep forever.

Plot Summary

London is gripped by fear. Over a period of weeks, a series of women have been found murdered in different parts of the city, each with one horrifying detail in common — their right forefinger has been surgically removed post-mortem. The precision of the mutilation suggests a killer with medical knowledge, but the seemingly random selection of victims provides no discernible motive. Scotland Yard, represented by the capable but overwhelmed Inspector Gregson, is completely at a loss.

Sherlock Holmes immediately recognises what the police have missed: the finger amputations are not the motive for the murders — they are the tool of a larger, more sinister scheme. Someone is using the severed fingers to frame innocent men for the killings, creating false evidence that places unsuspecting victims at the crime scenes. The blackmail potential is enormous — pay, or be arrested for murder on the strength of your own fingerprints found on the body.

The trail leads Holmes to the beautiful and mysterious Lydia Marlowe (Hillary Brooke), a woman of extraordinary charm whose talent for hypnosis is far more dangerous than it first appears. Lydia has the ability to place men under hypnotic control so complete that they commit acts — even murder — with no subsequent memory of what they have done. She is the perfect weapon: a means of creating killers who do not know they have killed.

Behind Lydia stands the shadow of Professor Moriarty — the Napoleon of Crime, Holmes’s intellectual equal and moral antithesis. Moriarty has conceived the entire scheme with characteristic brilliance, using hypnosis, surgical precision, and psychological manipulation to create an almost undetectable criminal enterprise. When Holmes gets too close to the truth, Moriarty turns his weapon directly on the detective himself — placing Holmes under hypnotic suggestion and directing him toward self-destruction from a high window ledge in one of the series’ most suspenseful sequences.

Cast & Crew

Director: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell, Paul Cavanagh, Matthew Boulton

Basil Rathbone delivers a performance of exceptional range — the brilliant detective who must fight not only an external enemy but the manipulation of his own mind. Henry Daniell is superb as Moriarty — refined, intellectual, and utterly lethal. Hillary Brooke brings icy beauty and genuine menace to the hypnotist whose power over men is both seductive and terrifying.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

The shadowy London of the film — gaslit streets where danger waits in every alley, the elegant drawing rooms where hypnotic traps are set, the terrifying ledge where Holmes fights for control of his own mind, and the warm sanctuary of Baker Street — is magnificently enhanced through expert colorization. The visual contrast between the warmth of Holmes’s world and the cold elegance of Moriarty’s creates a richly atmospheric experience in full colour. Now also available in colour. Own this dark masterpiece of mystery for just €15.00 — where Holmes faces his deadliest trap.

Historical Significance

The Woman in Green draws on elements from Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Empty House” and represents one of the most psychologically complex entries in the Universal Holmes series. Henry Daniell’s portrayal of Moriarty is widely considered the finest in the series — his cultured, intellectual menace creating a villain who truly seems Holmes’s equal. The film’s use of hypnosis as a murder weapon was unusually sophisticated for 1940s mystery cinema, and the sequence where Holmes himself falls under hypnotic control creates genuine suspense by making the detective vulnerable in a way that physical danger rarely could. Through colorization, this psychologically rich and atmospherically dark mystery has been preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes – professionally colorized from the original black-and-white
• Audio: Original English mono soundtrack
• Runtime: Approximately 68 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes – no restrictions on playback
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is Henry Daniell a good Moriarty?
A: Outstanding — many fans consider him the best Moriarty of the entire series. His refined, intellectual villainy creates a genuinely frightening adversary who seems perfectly capable of matching Holmes move for move in a battle of wits.

Q: Is the hypnosis plot believable?
A: The film handles it with surprising sophistication. Rather than treating hypnosis as a magical power, the story presents it as a psychologically plausible tool of manipulation, and the scenes where Holmes is targeted create genuine tension and unease.

Q: How scary is this Holmes film?
A: The darkest in the series. The combination of serial murder, psychological manipulation, and the terrifying sequence where Holmes is hypnotised into nearly walking off a ledge creates a level of genuine horror unusual for the Holmes films.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4 file in 720p HD resolution, compatible with all major devices and media players.

Q: Is there DRM on this download?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free, meaning you can watch it on any device without restrictions or expiration dates.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchasing?
A: Your download link is available immediately after payment. You can start watching within minutes of completing your purchase.

Related Colorized Classics

• Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
• Terror by Night (1946)
• The Pearl of Death (1944)
• Dressed to Kill (1946)