A study in celluloid: A producer's account of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

by Michael Cox

Written by Michael Cox, producer of the Granada series, suggested his idea for a definitive version of the Sherlock Holmes stories to Granada Television in 1981 and the first film reached the screen three years later. Since then, the series has been seen all over the world and Jeremy Brett's portrayal of the great detective has been widely acclaimed. But this book is not only about one man's acting achievement. It is a tribute to the other actors around him and the contribution of writers, directors, designers, and the whole production team which supported them, and about the controversial process of adapting classic literary fiction from the page to the screen. Each of the forty-one films in the series is analysed in relation to the Conan Doyle story on which it is based.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

235 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

This is Michael^Cox, where ^=space. (default profile)

About the Author:
Michael Andrew Cox was an English biographer, novelist and musician.
He also held the position of Senior Commissioning Editor of reference books for Oxford University Press.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before there was Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey, Jr or that guy in Elementary there was Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. He is considered by many to have been the best Sherlock Holmes ever (although Brett thought Basil Rathbone was better.) It was a special series Brett starred in and there aren't many behind-the-scenes look.

Michael Cox was the first producer of the landmark Granada series and so naturally he much prefers the episodes where he was producer over to those of when June Wyndam-Davies took over. His opinions grated on my nerves sometimes while reading this (am I the only person in the world who actually LIKED "The Eligible Bachelor" episode?) but he does give an interesting read for any fan of Brett, the Granada series or both.

My main quibble is that the book is so short. Cox does not go into the depth of Brett's performance as David Stuart Davies does in Bending the Willow. However, Bending the Willow is a much more expensive book than this one. For a Jeremy Brett fan, this will tide you over nicely until you can get your hands on Bending the Willow.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I was a little let down. As grand as the other reviews are of this book I was hoping for some really fun facts about the making of the show or Cox's interactions with Brett. To my great disappointment most of the book is simply plot synopsis of each episode. There's also a lot of Cox lamenting how this episode didn't have enough money to shoot in a preferred location and how the executives that took over Granada were money grubbing yuppies. Sometimes there were little jewels of personal narrative, but I wanted a whole lot more. Looking forward to reading some of the other books on Brett. With I could get Dancing in the Moonlight but that appears to be a Sherlockian unicorn.

[Joe Brummell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful look into the making of the legendary Granada series. Staring the late great Jeremy Brett! If you can find a copy a must read!