| Sherlock Holmes |
| William Sherlock Scott Holmes, Esq. |
| "The Great Detective" |
| There are two schools of thought with regard to the mythical personage of Sherlock Holmes. One set acknowledges the obvious fact that Sherlock Holmes, the Great Detective, is the fictional creation of an unemployeed doctor called Arthur Conan Doyle. The second set, though nominally espousing the views of the first, carry in the back of thier subconscious an unshakable belief that Sherlock Holmes must have been a real and historical figure, living and breathing as we do, though thinking and hypothisyzing on an entirely different plane. The evidence is vast in support of each differing view, yet it is the latter who somehow cannot shake the bone-deep feeling that Sherlock Holmes was all too palpably real to be anything but himself. He can only have deduced and detected in the land of the living, running both ordinary and phenomenal criminals to ground with the ease of a child reciting his alphabet. At the back of it, there is really no alternative for these Holmes Admirers. |
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| Conjectures made from Conan Doyle's writings place Sherlock Holmes' birth somewhere between 1856 and 1861, thus putting him between 20 and 25 years of age at the time he made the acquaintance of Dr. John H. Watson. Holmes was an enthusiast in eccentric knowledge applicable to his chosen profession as a consulting detective. He studied chemistry voraciously, anatomy dispassionately, tobacco ash varieties meticulously; poisons, shoe prints, firearms, handwriting, tracking, and perfumes were no match for his agile brain. When Sherlock Holmes bent his powers of perception upon any "pretty problem," even the cleverest and most slippery criminal stood no chance. In fact, among all of his recorded cases, only once was Holmes ever fully outsmarted, by a woman, no less (A Scandal in Bohemia). Irene Adler saw through Holmes' clever disguise and carefully executed ruse, guessed his intentions, and slipped out of his grasp so easily that Holmes forever smarted at the memory of "The Woman." The recorded chronicle of Sherlock Holmes can be found in 56 stories and four novels, their publishing spanning 39 years and countless world upheavals. But to this day, Sherlock Holmes himself remains the same: he of the lightening-quick intellect, aloof elegance, implacable detachment, and faultless courage; now turning to the needle in the depths of depressed boredom, now turning to his faithful Watson in the exultant excitement of the chase. And Sherlock Holmes shall live on as long as there are those to read and remember. |
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| Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes |
| Before taking on the role of Holmes, Basil Rathbone had distinguished himself in his 18 years in Hollywood, by and large, as a sinisterly swashbuckling villan, often opposite Errol Flynn. In 1939, he starred with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson in The Hound of the Baskervilles, which was an instant success and ended up being the only one of the Holmes films to be based entirely on a Cannon story, as well as the only period film. The outbreak of World War II affected the movie industry just as much as any other, and Holmes was abruptly jerked into the present, sporting a fedora and massive tweed overcoat. Several of the films portrayed Holmes using his keen deductive reason to battle Nazi schemes and plots. Professor Moriarty is killed and resurected several times. Watson is bumbling, burbling, and a bit silly, but marvelously acted by Nigel Bruce. Basil Rathbone is the embodiment of Sherlock Holmes (except in those films when the studio decided to comb all his hair forward in an attempt to make him look like Caesar, I suppose), and is especially good in the later films, though it is obvious to the viewer that he is growing tired of the recurring role. His last film was released in 1946, and Rathbone, sadly, could never escape being type cast as Sherlock Holmes and was never offered another good role in film. |
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| Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes |
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| Jeremy Brett was a classically trained British actor who had previously appeared in My Fair Lady and numerous television productions before taking on the role of Sherlock Holmes. Brett leant a certain vivacity to the role that had been absent in many previous incarnations. It was obvious to the viewer that this Sherlock Holmes enjoyed this life's work immensely and followed the trail of the criminal like an eager bloodhound. Brett also brought to life many of the discriptions of Holmesian behaviour from the Cannon: he threw himself upon the floor to investigate some clue; he prowled about his study in a haze of pipe smoke; he lept from his chair and sprang into action. He was the perfect, energetic Sherlock Holmes. |
| Jeremy Brett starred in 45 different Sherlock Holmes stories, all taken from the Cannon, produced by Granada Television. During the first 12 episodes, David Burke played the young Dr. Watson with aplomb (pictured on right). Throughout the remaining episodes, Edward Hardwick (pictured below) made for a soft spoken, more venerable Watson. In 1994, after 10 years in production, Jeremy Brett's failing health prevented the completion of the Cannon stories. He died in 1995 after battling depression and heart problems after his wife's death. |