Holmes Anonymous, Final Meeting

A bit late, but I finally managed to get around to watching one of the Rathbone films—specifically, The Hound of the Baskervilles, released in 1939.

image from amazon.ca

In hindsight this was not the best decision on my part, mostly because Baskervilles is very much Watson’s case, and Holmes isn’t in the story for long. He sends Watson off at the beginning of the story to investigate the case Doctor Mortimer brings to him, and Watson corresponds with him through-out by writing letters detailing his findings. Little does Watson know (spoilers!) that Holmes actually follows him to Dartmoor incognito, claiming that if he had come as himself, he surely would have been tracked and therefore been unable to work the case.

The first thing I noticed about Rathbone is that he's a much warmer, human Holmes than any of the other adaptations I’ve seen. He seems less like an inhuman entity and instead just your typical, albeit incredibly smart gentlemen. He looks how I imagine Holmes to look, but feels almost more tangible than in other adaptations, which I felt detracted from the character. Although he still had a flair for dramatics, I always imagined Holmes to be more than human, and a bit more obvious in his uniqueness compared to his peers. Despite that, Rathbone’s acting was superb, and had I not already been familiar with the story, I would have been taken by Holmes's disguise as Watson was (though I probably would have been able to guess it was him).

I think what was most surprising to me was Watson, played by Nigel Bruce. Perhaps it was because Bruce was younger than Rathbone, but his Watson also seemed younger than Holmes. I found it a bit unusual, since many of the adaptations I’ve seen had a younger Holmes. Despite that, he fit the usual characteristics for Watson: portly and mustachioed, eager to help, and although not necessarily dim-witted, definitely nowhere near Holmes’s intellectual equal.

Altogether, I found the film enjoyable, charming, and spooky at times, which fits in to the original story well. I haven’t seen many older films, so it was interesting to see a difference in filming, acting, and effects (or lack thereof.) While I’m not sure if Rathbone will be able to win the spot in my heart currently occupied by Brett’s Holmes, I am looking forward to seeing more of his work.

Kora Burnham 

Kora is a self-proclaimed paper and book hoarder. She enjoys horseback riding and farm work. She was saved by a llama once. She likes to read, write, drink tea, listen to music, play video games, and watch television. Occasionally, she takes naps.  

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Holmes is Where the Heart Is: Old-School Adaptations

Last entry, I discussed the more “modern” Sherlock Holmes adaptations: Sherlock Holmes (2010), BBC’s Sherlock (2010) and CBS’s Elementary (2012.) Now, I’m going to discuss three older adaptations: The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and Granada Television's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series (1984.)

#3. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Image from Amazon.ca

Private Life is essentially a parody, featuring an idiotic, bumbling Watson (Colin Blakely) and a slightly more sensitive Holmes (Robert Stephens).

Holmes is given a case when a delirious woman named Gabrielle is brought to Baker Street. Together, Holmes, Watson, and Gabrielle work on her case, running into a cast of colourful characters–including  the Loch Ness monster.
It’s one of my favourite adaptations because of the dry humour, and I like that Gabrielle is not Holmes’s love-interest. Holmes doesn’t necessarily “win” in the end. As a Holmes adaptation, it shares some similarities to “The Bruce-Partington Plans” though it’s still rather removed  from the story, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

#2. The Great Mouse Detective

Don’t let the cartoon mice fool you. The Great Mouse Detective is, in fact, heavily based on Sherlock Holmes , though it started as a series of children’s novels by Eve Titus called Basil of Baker Street, which first came out in 1958.

Although the film isn’t exactly based on a Holmes story, there are several clever nods to the canon series: including Basil’s housekeeper, Mrs Judson; (originally Mrs Hudson) Basil’s canine companion, Toby; (Holmes often made use of a hound named Toby) and Basil’s upstairs neighbours, (who share an uncanny resemblance to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson ).

The Great Mouse Detective was my first introduction to Holmes, and although I didn’t understand the references, I enjoyed it. Now that I’m older, I’m still able to enjoy the movie–maybe even moreso now that I understand the references. It’s cute, clever, and great  if you have children and don’t want to be subject to typical Disney-style musical numbers.

#1. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

If you’re looking for a television series that is the Sherlock Holmes stories come to life, Granada Television's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as Watson, and Jeremy Brett as Holmes) fits the bill. To me, Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes; he’s who I picture when I read the original stories. He’s sharp, a little bit weird, a little bit grumpy, but has a sense of humour and is capable of expressing sympathy for others. The episodes are straight-up adaptions of the original stories, the first being A Scandal in Bohemia and, in my opinion, the best version of Irene Adler to date.

In my opinion, Granada is the best adaptation currently available. Jeremy Brett was a brilliant actor. He made Holmes his own while still staying committed to the original stories, and it shows.

Kora Burnham 

Kora is a self-proclaimed paper and book hoarder. She enjoys horseback riding and doing farm work. She was saved by a llama once. She likes to read, write, drink tea, listen to music, play video games, and watch television. Occasionally, she takes naps.  

Links: Twitter || Blog || GoodReads

Holmes Anonymous, First Meeting

My name is Kora, and I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan.

I remember being little, watching The Great Mouse Detective over and over again and being terrified when Ratigan and Basil fought inside Big Ben. I remember watching a 10 minute cartoon featuring Holmes as a dog, bending forward with his magnifying glass to inspect the ground. I might not have understood the references, but even back then, I loved the character. That was just the beginning.

Fast-forward several years later. My friend Alex recommended that I check out the Sherlock Holmes movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. It took some convincing but I eventually relented. I loved it, and immediately hit the bookstore to see if I could find the original stories.

Image from wikipedia.org

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published the first Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887. Despite his distaste for Holmes, and even a failed attempt to kill him off, Doyle continued writing Holmes adventures until he retired him permanently in 1927.

Except it's now 2013. One hundred and twenty-six years since Holmes' first appearance, and he is still everywhere. I've explored several adaptations, ranging from radio shows, to movies, to canon and non-canon (work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and works written by other authors) stories. There is an alarming amount of material to sift through. However, I have yet to see, any Basil Rathbone adaptatipon, and many Holmes fans would consider this blasphemy.

A brief explanation: The Sherlock Holmes series began in 1939. It is hailed by many Holmes fans as the quintessential adaptation. They believe that if you're going to indulge in any version of Sherlock Holmes that is not canon, it should be Rathbone's Holmes.

What I'm saying is that I've committed a horrible sin as a Sherlock Holmes fan.

So my plan over the course of the next few months is to watch Basil Rathbone's adaptations, and check out some other Holmes – or Holmes-inspired – material, and discuss those here, along with the ones I've already seen. At the end I will see if what I think is the best Holmes adaptation changes once I've seen Rathbone in action.

Dig out your tobacco pipes and don your deerstalkers: The game is afoot.

Kora Burnham  

Kora is a self-proclaimed paper and book hoarder. She enjoys horseback riding and farm work. She was saved by a llama once. She likes to read, write, drink tea, listen to music, play video games, and watch television. Occasionally, she takes naps.  

Links: Twitter || Blog || GoodReads