Sherlock Holmes

[BillyE]

A few words from me about the films featuring Sherlock Holmes.

My personal favorite is the Jeremy Brett production. I loved him as Holmes. Even when he was sick, and they started to stray from the canon.

Call me crazy, but I've never seen the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies, nor have I seen the Peter Cushing Holmes films.

Tom Wescott, I have the same collection of Christopher Lee/Patrick MacNee playing our favorite detective team, along with the Peter Ustinov 1988 documentary featuring the FBI profilers. The documentary was the main reason I picked up the collection. Got it for $15 at a Target, and it even came in a tin case. Not a bad deal.

In a strange bit of casting, Matt Frewer (of Max Headroom fame) played Holmes in four movies: "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Royal Scandal" (a version of "Scandal in Bohemia"), "The Sign of Four", and interestingly enough "The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire." I've seen parts of two of them, and they're not horrible, but Frewer is probably not as good a Holmes as Basil Rathbone.

As for the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law movie goes I'm not interested. I love Downey. He's a great actor, but the stuff the filmmakers are trying to pull of in this movie just doesn't interest me. And all they had to do was say "Directed by Guy Ritchie" and I was done.

[Graham]

Hi Supe,

yes, this was discussed some time back - I said it's "ongoing" because I don't think anyone's come up with a plausible scenario. C Martin Dakin came up with the same 3 possibilities as Benj. Clark, but to me they don't really add up. Can't remember who came up with it, but someone suggested that Stapleton/Rodger should've hired a helper to live on the Moor and use the Hound to bump off Sir Charles and Sir Henry. Once accomplished, the helper could disappear to leave Rodger to appear on the scene and claim what he felt was his.

And yes, Tom, how DID Sir Hugo cop his lot in 1647 if it wasn't a hound from hell? And were there reports of any of his descendants prior to Sir Charles being licked to death by a phantom hound?

But does it really matter, any of this? Nah, 'course not!

Graham

[belinda]

Yep! I saw this version of "Hound." It was a British production, meaning much of the indoors screen was filmed on video...before they finally went to film on all of their production.

I also seem to recall the Jeremy played on extra dancer in "My Fair Lady," and for your ladies out there, he played "Dracula" on the West Coast "broadway" play.

I knew somebody else had to have seen it He was good as Holmes.


The film version of that play with Frank Langella in it is my favourite version of Dracula
I can imagine Jeremy Brett as Dracula.I wish I could have seen that

[Steven Russell]

Dear all,
There was much I disliked about the Ritchie film but, having been expecting to hate it, I actually came away from the cinema pleasantly surprised. I especially liked the way Watson was given a sense of humour and I felt that the scenes where Holmes and Watson bickered showed some good insight into their relationship - a deep friendship with a hint of co-dependancy and a hefty helping of mutual irritation.

I agree that Matt Frewer was miscast but felt he did the best he could; he managed the quirkiness pretty well.

Rupert Everett did well but in my opinion was let down by the plot - the eventual solution has to be the next step up from that old school essay stalwart: "And then I woke up".

On screen, Brett and Rathbone stand head and shoulders above the rest but I would urge all Holmes fans to try the BBC audio recordings featuring Clive Merrison (SH) and Michael Williams (JHW). I know I've mentioned these before but they really are worth a listen. They recorded the entire canon (the ony actors ever to do so) and remained pretty faithful to Doyle throughout.

Best wishes,

Steve.

[caz]

I also seem to recall the Jeremy played on extra dancer in "My Fair Lady,"...

Hi Gman,

He was Freddy!

And he had often walked on her street before, but the pavement had always stayed beneath his feet before...

Bliss.

Love,

Caz
X

[Archaic]

Jeremy Brett Singing With Twiggy

Hi guys.

Thought you might enjoy this clip of Jeremy Brett singing on Twiggy's tv show. He has a wonderful voice and looks like a ''matinee idol''.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrMBdQm9P10&feature=related

I'm not sure what year this was recorded; maybe someone else will know.

There's also a couple of videos on YouTube that are montages of Jeremy Brett's singing & dancing if anyone is interested.

Enjoy!
Archaic

[caz]

Thanks Archy. Blimey, Jeremy looks like our own Sir Robert Anderson here!

The clip says 1975 by the way.

(Sigh, I was 21. )

Love,

Caz
X

[Red Zeppelin]

Okay, a Holmes birthday party was never mentioned in the Canon, but the consensus of the many learned Holmesians who have established chronologies is that both Sherlock and Watson were in their very early 30s when the partnership began, something that is never reflected in the many stage, film and TV presentations.

Keep in mind it was the late 19th century. People aged quicker and died earlier than today. Holmes and Watson in their early 30s would probably have looked like they were in their 40s to us. I am still amazed when I see old photos of people in their 20s from those days. Some of them look 40 or so.

I agree with the consensus regarding Brett as Holmes. He was head and shoulders above everyone and I can't take seeing any other new portrayals. Nobody will ever come close. Of course I can still enjoy those who came before Brett such as Rathbone, Cushing and Richardson. But since Brett I'm afraid anybody else in the role is going to be onto a loser.

[belinda]

Here's a rather nice interview with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ElqcgNrukc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SigzLoepaJ0

[Gman992]

Hi Gman,

He was Freddy!

And he had often walked on her street before, but the pavement had always stayed beneath his feet before...

Bliss.

Love,

Caz
X

"Marry Freddy? Ha!"

[Atrain]

I agree Brett was holmes!

[Bob Hinton]

New film

I saw the Downey film last night and thoroughly enjoyed it, not the Sherlock we have come to love and admire but a rollicking good film for all that. As for this new Sherlock being a bit of a Bruce Lee, Doyle mentions his prowess in a ruck in a couple of his stories.

"Now Watson you know I am quite an able quarter stick man but it was the fourth rogue that proved too much for me". Or something like that.

There also that scene in a country pub where Holmes defeats the local bully in a few moves.

One thing that did have me cheering from the rafters in this new film is that they have given Holmes back his real pipe - a clay- and not the calabash that is seen as his trademark today!

Although I regularly smoke a calabash - Holmes didn't!

PS Paget based his famous portayal of Holmes on his (Pagets) brother!

[The Grave Maurice]

For my birthday, I received the DVDs of the mid-60's BBC production of some of the SH stories starring Douglas Wilmer. This show was, as far as I know, never broadcast in Canada and the DVDs were released just last year, so this is the first time I've seen them.

The producers do very well on what was obviously a limited budget. The plots are reasonably close to the source and Wilmer is extremely good in the part. Despite some of the pro-Brett comments above, I'd say Wilmer is better as SH. Far better.

[Archaic]

Hi Ken, how are you?

I didn't know it was your birthday recently, so i just wanted to say "Happy Birthday!" to you.

Your pal,
Archaic

[The Grave Maurice]

Ta, Bunny. That's very kind of you.