Original subtitles

Like this it was the night he died.

With the cold freezing your blood and the wind cussing every move you made.

Joseph Bleak said he wouldn't leave this world easy.

By thunder, the world was filled with noise and corruption when he did.

Do you know Mr. Bleak well?

Nobody knew him well.

Being his business partner, I suppose I knew him better than anyone else.

He used to sit out there in that island.

his money, his diamonds, and his art treasures like Croesus himself.

You expect to get your hands on some of that wealth tonight when you read the

will? No, sir, I don't.

This is a bad night for just a pleasure trip, Mr. West.

There's the signal.

We all have our reasons for coming here.

You must have one, too, I'm sure.

Uncle left something of great value to the National Museum.

Washington has sent me here to get it, Mr. Chambers.

Joe Bleak had no right giving that stuff away.

Belong to us.

You're going to find it hard to argue with the dead man, sir.

Like arguing with a ghost.

This problem's begun already. No good will come of it.

Your rod asked me to welcome you and the rest of the guests to Bleak Island.

Is that you, Johnson?

Yes, sir.

You've changed in the last few years.

That's a hound.

Outside of the caretaker's place and Joe's old greenhouse, that's all there

Who else would want to live on this godforsaken island?

Aren't you coming ashore?

Ain't budging a mite, mister.

Nothing to get me ashore on this kind of night.

He'll be abroad with them green eyes of his and them long teeth big enough to

tear a man to pieces.

Shut up, you old fool!

Nobody believes those stories about the...

Renaud? You're looking fine, Celia.

The only woman I know who could thrive on a sea -bitten island.

It's good to see you, Aunt Sue.

Mark, you've grown up.

Suddenly you're a man.

Is Alicia here?

You're here for the reading of the will, Mark, not to make eyes at Alicia.

You introduce me to this gentleman?

Uh, this is Mr.

James West.

Mr. West, this is my Aunt Celia Rydell.

How do you do, Mrs. Rydell? You're Joseph Bleak's sister.

I'm sorry Joseph couldn't donate a better night to the United States

Do you let your dogs run loose on the island?

I've lived in this house 35 years, Mr. West.

We've never owned a pet.

Well, I thought I heard a hound out there.

You heard something.

Mr. West?

This is my husband, Stephen.

How do you do, sir? How do you do? My late brother's ward, Alicia.

Alicia. How do you do?

His attorney, Mordecai Crone.

Mr. West. Mr. Crown, how do you do?

And Helen Merritt, my brother's housekeeper.

It isn't every man that can have two women to run his life.

I was very fortunate to have served such a man.

You won't know if it was fortunate, Helen, until the will is read.

Celia, I can think of no heat that could warm us as much as some of Joseph's

fine sherry.

The Donuts lasted 61.

A really spectacular year. True nectar.

But then Joseph collected only wines that were good enough for the gods.

Collects, sir?

Joseph Bleak collected everything, Mr. West.

Including people.

Well, I myself am very grateful for his habit.

He was the perfect guardian.

A wonderful man.

The Sherry Jarvis.

It'll take Jarvis some time, Helen.

Meanwhile, if you will show our new arrivals to their rooms.

That was lovely, Alicia. Why don't you play it again?

Miss Merritt, am I wrong or did you deliberately show me to my room last?

You're not wrong.

Would you mind shutting the door, please?

Listen to it, Mr. West.

What does it mean to you?

It sounds like a loose shut and I think a hammer and nail could fix it.

It's the soul of Joseph Bleak, demanding to be let into his own house.

But they'll keep him out, just as they managed to keep the rest of the outside

world from reaching him while he lived.

I was the only person that was able to penetrate that wall that Celia and her

husband built around her brother.

The only outsider.

You see, I was more than a housekeeper to Joseph Bleak.

That's why Celia Rydell hates me. She always has.

She never could share her brother with anyone.

Now I think Celia would rather kill me than let me get a penny of Joseph's

estate. Don't you think accusing someone of wanting to murder you is a rather

strong statement, Miss Merritt? I only know what I feel.

First time it's ever been that close.

We found a plow horse one morning.

It had been ripped open by some beast.

No one had ever even seen or heard of that creature until after Joseph died.

The Hound of Bleak Island was a legend that he created to keep people off.

Now Celia's brought a real beast here to kill me.

I'm asking for your help.

If I die, my blood will be on your hands.

Ah,

first a superlative Pouligny Montaché, and now a brilliant Chambert there.

Joseph said that a nation speaks for itself in its wines, and immediately

dinner, Joseph's will shall speak for him.

And tell us all what he thought of us.

Aunt Celia?

Yes, my dear?

Who's the empty place for?

Oh, well, it's for a friend.

Someone who must have been detained.

Mr. West, tell me, why does a man seek danger as a career?

I prefer the kind of hunting where you don't put the trophies on the wall,

that's all.

But hunting's more than a game, sir. It's a science.

Well, certainly you should know that.

After all, you track down human beings, a known quantity, more or less.

However, I prefer to meet my quarry on his savage terms and let him know who's

master. Have you ever tried meeting the thing that howls out there on its terms?

Stephen has tried to find it, Renaud, but it's a shadow, a ghost.

All this talk about ghosts, it's nonsense.

I've lived on Bleak Island ever since I was a little girl.

And I've never seen one.

Only the old are close enough to the grave to know about that, my dear.

I think the matter of the will is getting on everybody's nerves.

What we need is some more wine.

Jarvis?

Jarvis, what in blue blazes is the matter with you?

Sir Nigel Scott, what an unexpected pleasure under these circumstances.

James West, I certainly never expected to find you here. Nor did I expect to

find you, sir.

Pure luck.

If it hadn't been for that boatman letting me off on the North Shore and

trudging through that beastly muck in the middle of the night, then hearing

commotion between you and those men.

One of them at least has taste in clothes.

A very good piece of Scotch wool.

Who were they?

I don't know, sir.

But they had something to do with the murder up at the Bleak Mansion.

Murder?

Well, that means I'm too late.

Too late for what, sir?

For what?

The question is, too late for whom, James, dear boy?

I venture that your victim... His name was Jarvis, sir. He was the butler and

the employer of the late Joseph Bleak. Well, then I venture that Jarvis...

was murdered by blowgun.

Beautiful piece of work.

Very old, very valuable.

You said blowgun?

Yes.

Examine the deceased, and you will probably find a small puncture about one

beneath the right ear.

If a hunter like Sir Nigel Scott makes that kind of a guess, then he knows whom

he's hunting.

Whom, indeed?

You know very well I'm talking about... Dr. Jacob Callender.

Callender's dead.

Reported dead, James.

Assumed to be dead by Scotland Yard.

Who wouldn't know a dead man from a live one without a thermometer or a

stethoscope?

He will not be my undoing.

Callender is supposed to have died, of course.

And yet suddenly in this past year, there erupts a positive spate of major

crimes. All of them perfect.

All of them with the trademark of my very old.

And very familiar friend.

Sir Nigel, you're telling me that Callender isn't dead.

He is very much alive.

When we worked together in London five years ago, no one knew what the man

looked like.

Quite. And he's still faceless to me. A master of disguise and impersonation.

But I can sense, I can feel, I know him by his touch, James.

I know that Dr.

Jacob Callender is on Bleak Island.

Who are you?

This is Sir Nigel Scott, everyone.

He was our empty place at dinner.

I asked him here to rid us of that beast outside.

Celia, don't be ridiculous.

You're that English detective who's been touring America.

Crime knows no boundaries, sir.

We've all read about you in the paper, Sir Nigel. When I heard that he was in

America, I wrote to him. He came here to rid us of that, uh... that thing

howling out there.

You're all in more danger than you realize.

In the meantime, we only have your word that you are Sir Nigel. I can vouch for

the gentleman.

We worked on a case together in London.

Well, thank you, James.

Has the will been read?

No, not yet.

Then I suggest that you proceed immediately.

I'll get my briefcase.

Where is the deceased?

Right this way, sir.

You're right, sir. Nigel, just under the right ear.

Fiorare.

Calendar's favorite. Quick and silent.

The other question is, where did it come from?

By thunder, if someone tries to get at the rest of us...

You'll have to get past me first.

Oh, darling.

It's been so long.

I never heard from...

But I wrote to you every week.

You wrote?

Yes. I wrote.

I bet Aunt Celia tore up all our letters.

Why?

Because she doesn't want me to get too attached to you.

Or maybe it's because she's afraid I'll inherit more than she.

That's it, James. The blowgun.

Observe how small it is, almost like a whistle.

The murderer could have fired the dart seated next to you at the dinner table,

yet never have been detected.

Sir, why would a man like Callender come to Plague Island?

For the same reason as you did, James, dear boy.

What else?

Other than for one of the most priceless treasures in the world, the moon

diamond. A thousand carats of perfection.

A gem so pure... It is said to glow in the night.

It's going to do all its glowing from now on, sir. The National Museum in

Washington. I'm here to see that it doesn't glow anyplace else. Yes, I

that was your mission.

The stone is worthy of Washington's finest agent.

Well, thank you.

Gentlemen, Mr. Crone is ready.

To my beloved sister Celia and her devoted husband Stephen, I hereby

leave my home.

my island and $200 ,000 cash.

To my talented nephew, Mark Chambers, whom I am sure will one day be a great

artist, I leave my collection of paintings, each a masterpiece.

To my business partner, Ronald McCavity, I do hereby bequeath the one thing

he so richly deserves.

A hell on earth.

He cheated me whenever he could and thought I was too stupid to know it.

a lie!

Jail would not have been enough punishment for him, but now I have my

Enjoy the fires of perdition, Ronald.

To my loving ward, Alicia.

whose sweetness has brought light into my life, I leave $300 ,000 as a

gift to be given her on her wedding day.

Though the National Museum in Washington was informed some time ago of my

bequest, this will serve as official notification to turn over to a properly

designated representative of the government one of my most valued

the priceless...

Moon Diamond.

Well, officially, it's yours now.

But Calendar doesn't believe in anything official.

You will need all the help I can give you to get that stone off Bleak Island.

You can have Calendar. All I want is that stone off Bleak Island.

Fair enough. And now, my final bequest to a woman who endured the anger

and scorn of my family for many years.

Out of her concern and affection for me, despite her great pride, and because I

think she is endowed with the ability to carry on for me, I hereby leave my 60 %

of the Joseph Bleak Company to Miss Helen Merritt.

Well, that's preposterous. He was out of his mind. She isn't even in the family.

I'll contest that will.

I'll take it to court.

That woman had him trapped.

I should have gotten that share.

I'll stop you, Joe Bleak.

You're not going to ruin me.

I'll stop you. You mark my words.

I'll stop you.

yet there isn't a track on the ground.

This wind could have blown away any tracks.

Logic is always reassuring. I hope you're right.

Yes, you have an admirable quality, James.

You never panic.

I want to see the moon diamond and make some very tight security arrangements.

Joseph Blake took some excellent security measures himself.

He called this room his room of treasure.

He was no fool.

hardly for the eyes of mortals, is it, James?

I wonder if the National Museum will appreciate it.

The security men have already been chosen to guard it in Washington.

The calendar will sure try to get it before it reaches them.

It appears there are only two ways in here.

That window.

And the door.

And since Mrs. Rydell claims that this is the only key...

valves and lock me inside.

All right, chap.

That's better. You had me worried.

Someone threw gas in here.

That smacks of Dr. Callender all right.

The moon diamond has gone, James.

Stolen as easily as you please.

Dimming the lights was indeed a ruse.

Must have come in through that window.

They want me dead.

He tried to shoot me.

Who?

You shot at Helen Barrett.

Helen?

She's afraid of you and your wife.

She thinks you're trying to kill her.

That's preposterous.

What was she doing out here?

Why was she down here near the dock?

I'll tell you what I was doing, Stephen.

I was trying to get away from here.

Because I knew you'd do just what you tried to do.

Try to murder me.

She's out of our minds. Am I?

Then why did you make sure I couldn't leave here?

Why is the boat gone?

I took a walk just before dinner.

It was gone then.

That means the boat left before the diamond was stolen.

So the stone is still on the island.

But if one of us didn't take the boat, who did?

Who else is on this island?

This is an outrage.

Just because your diamond is missing, you're accusing us all of being thieves.

In your case, Mr. McCavity, someone else has already done that this evening.

Celia, this is your home.

Are you going to allow this meddler to intimidate us?

Be quiet, Renaud. Mr. West is right and you know it.

Thank you.

I'd like all of you to return to your rooms. Sir Nigel's going to conduct a

search. Ladies and gentlemen, if you please.

Be careful, James.

Sir Nigel?

Oh, you gave me quite a turn for a moment.

He didn't come from the window.

There's broken glass on the outside of the sill, which means it was broken from

the inside.

Well, then there must be another entrance to the room.

It would seem so.

Hardly be what we're looking for.

Ah, that's it, James.

This room is full of surprises.

Fancy Joseph Bleak building a secret entrance to his own treasure room.

Mr. Crone. Who is it?

What brings you down here?

I couldn't sleep.

And tried counting sheep.

And I started counting all the bottles that I knew were down here.

And then one thing led to another, and all that counting made me thirsty.

Mr. Crone, weren't you afraid of the hound or the murderer?

I certainly didn't expect to encounter him down here.

Please don't tell Celia.

You needn't look at me that way because four of those kegs are mine.

Jarvis told me it's Celia's surprise.

Why don't we...

bygones be bygones, and have a little brandy night.

Put it there.

I didn't steal it. If you did, you're undoubtedly our murderer as well.

Oh, no, no.

No, I couldn't kill anybody.

You gentlemen are my jury. I'm pleading my case. Is this the face of a murderer?

Can't be, Callan.

If it is, I've led a lot of wasted years chasing him.

But he could be a Confederate.

Keep an eye on him.

There may be something very interesting in these passages.

There's one thing I can't stand, Mr. Crone.

Incompetence in a criminal.

Oh, Mark.

You shouldn't have come up here, Alicia.

It was the only way we could be alone, and I wanted to see you so much.

I see you keep such a close watch on me.

Soon you'll be an age that no one will be able to imagine.

Then we can go away together. I'll take you off this island.

Then we can go away to Europe, the continent, anywhere. Just say you love

Alicia. Say you love me. I love you.

I do. I love you.

She's good.

Mr. West, we haven't harmed anyone.

Your uncle had a very valuable wine cellar. How come he didn't leave it to

anyone?

I guess he left it to Aunt Celia.

No one else?

Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but she did set some aside for you, Sir

Nigel, and Mr.

Crone. It was no surprise to Crone.

Oh?

Well, only Jarvis and I selected the cast which would be sent out as gifts.

Jarvis?

I'll meet you back at the house.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

I suppose I could have run, James, but your legs would be so much stronger.

And really, I couldn't pull myself away from your expertise in dealing with some

of my best men.

Poor chaps.

Just as a matter of curiosity, was it in the wine cellar that you began to have

your doubts about me?

It was a succession of things.

I couldn't help wonder how you knew Jarvis had been hit with that dart under

right ear.

Yes, perhaps that was a mistake.

But Crone was an accident.

I hadn't counted on that idiot breaking into one of the casks which Celia was

giving to me.

The one you had hidden the diamond in.

Sir Nigel, you seem to think this is some kind of a game.

Oh, but it is, James.

Your intellect against mine.

What better game is there for man to enjoy?

There you see, you get no points for Crone.

Now the game comes to an end.

Sir Nigel, why did you start this game?

Calendar is really dead, isn't he?

Dead? Oh, yes, for some time. And when he died, something in me changed.

I hadn't realized what a large part of my life Calendar had become.

He provided all the excitement and challenge of the hunt.

I couldn't do without it.

So you became the hound and the hare, and the moon diamond was just one of

trophies.

Surely you, of all people, must appreciate my plan.

You killed Jarvis because he knew about the wine.

I had planned to take care of the girl later, but I would have felt rather

guilty about her.

But I knew it was just a matter of time.

A trained mind such as yours would have put the pieces together before I had

time to get off the island.

Sometimes murder is a very necessary part of the game.

Let's go back to the mainland, Sir Nigel. I'm still ahead.

Oh, but you're not, James.

A good player always has a few moves left.

Oh, really, James.

You shouldn't have given your gun to those two youngsters.

James, you must believe me. It is with considerable regret that I must dispose

of him.

You were such a noble adversary.

I really believe that hound hates me.

It took so many stern measures to train him to my every command.

So it is your dog.

Imagine my delight when Celia invited me here to rid the island of the very dog

I had brought with me.

And now, my friend, I must leave you. I have the boat on the other side of the

island.

I wish I could say good luck, dear boy, but the rules of the game forbid it.

Goodbye, James.

Thank you.

And as of 3 p .m. March 29th, the moon diamond was officially turned over to

National Museum.

Well, so much for that. Would you care for more wine before dinner? No, this is

fine.

I don't see how a detective like Sir Nagio could do such a thing.

How did you ever see through him?

Well...

Hello. Hello.

Mr. West, I hope you don't mind us dropping in on you. Not at all.

Oh, I'm sorry. This is Nancy Conrad. This is Alicia Crane and Mark Chambers.

Hello. It's Alicia Chambers now.

Oh, we were married two weeks ago.

Congratulations. Why don't you join us in the toast?

We'd like to, but we're late. We're in a rush.

We just stopped by to deliver something to you.

When we were in Washington on our honeymoon, we met a friend of yours, a

Gordon. And when he found out that we were coming back this way, he asked us

deliver this to you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Bye.

Bye.

Would you mind reading that for me, please?

To Zim.

You'll be glad to know that things are pretty much...

wrapped up back here.

Don't be too long till... Oh, it won't be too long till I'm on my way.

In the meantime, I know how dull it gets looking at the same old things every

day, so I sent something along to brighten up your day.

See you soon, Artie.

Well, this really is what I've always wanted.

Would you please sit over there on the table?

Thank you.

So that's your friend, Artemis? Mm -hmm.

Kind of cute.

But then so are you.

Thank you.