Holmes Sweet Holmes

Well, thanks a lot, "friends." Here I spent hours upon hours searching for a decent Sherlock Holmes tale on BVD, watching a Holmes who was a buffoon, a Watson who was a buffoon, a Holmes brother who was a buffoon and a Holmes and Watson who weren't buffoons at all...they were mice. And not a single one of you took mercy on me and typed out the two little words that would've finally led me to a Holmes worthy of my brother's respect and my time.

Those words: Jeremy Brett.

No, it was a danged Compooter that finally led me to Mr. Brett. I've been getting my BVDs via Netflix these days, you see, and the Web Site noticed my interest in Holmes and recommended something called The Sign of Four. (If you're curious as to how the U.S. Postal Service can deliver BVDs to me back here in the 1890s, the answer's simple: The same way I'm able to post messages to a "Blog.")

Old Red and I hadn't run across it yet, but it turns out The Sign of Four is one of Doc Watson's novels about his pal Holmes. And I assume it's a right dandy one, too, for the adaptation is truly something special. For the first time, I saw a Holmes BVD that actually felt like it was "shot" in the London of my time. The costumes, the sets, the props, even the fog -- all perfect, far as I could tell.

And better than perfect was this Brett fellow as Sherlock Holmes. He was magnetic, mercurial and masterful in the way I always assumed the real Holmes was. And I liked his Watson, too -- a cool, collected gent by the name of Edward Hardwicke -- though he was a tad more grandfatherly than I'd pictured Johnny Watson being.

Now, The Sign of Four isn't perfect. It takes a pretty steep dive when the murderous pygmy-cave-troll shows up (don't ask) and the story shifts to a flashback in India that looks like it was slapped together on someone's back porch in Fort Worth. But whenever Brett and Hardwicke are on screen -- and, fortunately, that's most of the time -- this is a very good Sign indeed. And one that bodes well for the future, too: My Netflix "queue" is now jam-packed with Holmes tales starring my favorite Holmes and Watson.

No thanks to you.

So now that you've been properly chastised, care to tell me about any other fine Holmeses I might be overlooking? Netflix is telling me I ought to give this "Basil Rathbhone" fellow a look-see, but I'm not so sure I can take anyone named after a seasoning seriously....

Otto "Big Red" Amlingmeyer
September 4, 1893

Comments

[Adam McFarlane]

To many, Basil Rathbone is the signature screen portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. But it's Jeremy Brett for me.

Which of Brett's Watsons do you prefer, Edward Hardwicke or David Burke?

[Big Red]

Looks like I'll have to check out this "Basil" fellow, after all.

So ol' Jeremy B. had more than one Watson? I sure hope my brother doesn't find out about that. He might just get it in his head to replace *me* one of these days....

-Big Red

[Steve Hockensmith]

I love Rathbone's Holmes, but the scripts for those old Universal flicks didn't always give him a lot to work with. Brett's Holmes is much darker and quirkier, which I love, yet I can't help thinking (ATTENTION, SHERLOCKIANS: SACRILEGE ALERT!) that the Granada adaptations went seriously off the rails in the last couple seasons (or "series," as our Brit friends would say). The early episodes were great, and Brett's performances were theatrical in a *good* way. But by the end (when, to be fair, Brett was in poor health), it was Ham City, with Holmes becoming more and more...how can I say this nicely?

The character turned into a preening, over-the-top old Victoria, if you follow me. Not that there's anything wrong with preening, over-the-top old Victorias! Oh, no! But that's not going to be most people's vision of Holmes.

Plus, by the end there, the scripts blew.

Let the hate mail commence!

As for the Watsons, it's funny: When I was a kid, I liked David Burke more, maybe because he was young and energetic. Now that I'm an old fogey of 39, I like Hardwicke's more sedate take better. Both are preferable to Nigel Bruce's Watson, of course. Bruce was great playing idiots, but Watson was no idiot.

Anyone else got an opinion?

-Steve

[Jennifer McKenzie]

Having grown up on Basil Rathbone as Holmes, I remember sitting down to watch the new version on PBS's Mystery with trepidation.
But Jeremy Britt was brilliant and his death has ended a fabulous series.
But Watson has always eluded television screens in my opinion. They didn't capture his youth and vigor in the early cases.
Of course, I'm a heathen. I think it's better to read them than watch them. LOL.

[Steve Hockensmith]

I'm with you on the Watsons, though I liked both David Burke and Edward Hardwicke. Usually, filmmakers go for the crusty old Nigel Bruce-type when Watson should be a younger guy who's no pushover. I mean, you've gotta have some steel in you to be a regimental surgeon during a war in Afghanistan.

Ian Hart was closer to the right age in the recent "Hound of the Baskervilles" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking." But though Hart's a talented actor, I didn't find his Watson very memorable. Whether that was him or the scripts, though, I don't know.

-Steve

[Cap'n Bob]

You want more? Try Roger Moore. He captured the male model look of Holmes like no one else.

[Steve Hockensmith]

Unfortunately -- or perhaps fortunately -- "Sherlock Holmes in New York" isn't available on DVD.

The tannest 007 as Holmes definitely seems like a stretch...to the breaking point.

-Steve

[Melody]

Well Brett is a hands down best of the Holmes and Edward Hardwicke is my fav for Watson in the later ones. Also don't be too hard on the mice since they started me on my Holmes kick. ;) Try the Seven percent solution in your Holmes DVD Netflex. I think Roger Moore was in that badly done version but it's been a while since I've seen it so don't count me on it. Also out on DVD are some shows called Young Sherlock Holmes which are nice for kids but make true Holmes fans cringe also here is the link that the Bakerstreet Dozen put out for all the Holmes
DVDs Have fun and Happy viewing *HUGS* Melody

http://www.bakerstreetdozen.com/DVD.html

[Big Red]

Thanks for the recommendations, Melody! I don't know who this "Roger Moore" fellow is, but I can only assume he's related to the "Dudley Moore" who so sullied the good name of "Watson" in "The Hound of the Baskervilles." So my new watch-words for Holmes adaptations: Moore is less.

Oooh, ouch. Sorry about that....

-Big Red

[lewis]

If you noticed in the "Sign of the Four" the antagonist was portrayed by the detective that was "Lewis, I am not afraid of depths". Morse was a superlative character. Jeremy "My Fair Lady" Britt was good but the ultimate Holmes is Basil Rathbone.

[Steve Hockensmith]

Wow -- so funny that I never even noticed the "villain" (he was actually sorta sympathetic) in "Four" was played by John "Inspector Morse" Thaw. I knew he looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. Maybe it was the big Santa beard and the pegleg....

I've come to see Rathbone and Brett almost as apples and oranges: They're both wonderful, but they're not playing the same character -- Rathbone's Holmes and Brett's are very different guys. I like both the Brett Holmes's intensity and the Rathbone Holmes's more genial vibe, and if pressed I can't really choose one over the other.

-Steve

[ninora]

I've found complete collection of films about Holmes with Jeremy Brett starring - http://file.sh/Jeremy+Brett+torrent.html