The Complete Sherlock Holmes discussion

I just finished A STUDY IN SCARLET and have started THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. Lots of fun. And I'm watching Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes thanks to Netflix.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is one of my favorites, and it will be coming up in my book. Can't wait.

If you are a big Sherlock Holmes fan read the new book The Unauthorized Biography of Sherlock Holmes.

Sandy wrote: "I just finished A STUDY IN SCARLET and have started THE SIGN OF THE FOUR. Lots of fun. And I'm watching Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes thanks to Netflix.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is one ..."

Jeremy Brett is the best!!

Jeremy Brett's Sherlock is by far my favorite!

I also LOVE The Sign of Four, probably my favorite of the novels.

I also picked up some of the newer types of fiction like "The Sherlockian", but I just didn't like it very much. It just wasn't in the spirit of Sherlock I felt.

This book (these books) are among my absolute favorites. Sherlock Holmes is the real detective, without any high-tech means. He has to use (only) his logical thinking. And a footprint is about the most advanced trace he can use.
Magnificently portrayed by Jeremy Brett for t6v in the 70s 80s of tne last century. The modern version (2010) "Sherlock" is one of the worst mistakes ever made by the BBC ever made. Sherlock Holmes with sms, computer, dna? Impossible! Sherlock Holmes uses his brains!

I love the current BBC Sherlock. Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job in his performances. I can hardly wait for the next installment. I thought that Jeremy Brett was very uninteresting and bland. The earlier versions with Nigel Rathbone were wonderful. I didn't like Nigel Bruce's Dr.Watson. I never thought Dr. Watson was a clown after reading the books/stories.

Fundamellie wrote: "Am I the only one who likes both Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and the new Sherlock serial with Benedict cumberbatch and Martin Freeman? Lol...
I think both have their charms..."

I'm a fan of every adaptation, myself. The Russian series with Vitaly Solomin and Vasily Livanov is among my favourites, along with BBC's Sherlock and a handful of others. :) I've just started the 1954 series with Ronald Howard and I'm finding that to be particularly enjoyable as well, so far.

I read the introduction to The House of Silk and found that it just didn't grab me, although I seem to have difficulty enjoying pastiche stories that try to fill in an "ending" to the original canon (which The House of Silk begins with, to set the tone before getting to its own story). Can't say much other than that; it seemed competent from what little I read, but I hadn't intended on going back to it just yet, if that counts for anything.

Fundamellie wrote: "Am I the only one who likes both Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and the new Sherlock serial with Benedict cumberbatch and Martin Freeman? Lol...
I think both have their charms and I find the idea..."

I got a few of the Jeremy Brett shows from the library. Dh watched them, but after watching the first episode, I didn't pay much attention to the next few, because I didn't like the actor's portrayal of Holmes. After a few of them, I started getting interested since I've always liked mysteries. I then decided to read the entire Sherlock Holmes collection. It didn't take me long to realize what a great actor Jeremy Brett was, as he did a near-perfect portrayal of Holmes as written by Doyle. I became a big fan of that series then, and I watched all the rest of the episodes.

Since I love old movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood and I really like Basil Rathbone as an actor, I had seen some of his Sherlock movies. I like Sherlock in it; however, that Sherlock is not much like the Sherlock in the books. I've never liked Watson in those movies, since he's a bumbling idiot, and I disliked him more after reading the stories.

I didn't like the movie with Robert Downey, Jr., and I doubt I'll watch the next one.

I watched the new BBC Sherlock series, and I was surprised that I actually liked it. I'll be watching the newest episodes soon, since Netflix now has them. I wish BBC would make a bunch more next season. I also find the modern Holmes to be interesting.

I have the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes that I bought when I was in high school. From time to time I read the whole series, and individual stories as they appear on TV. I have seen many of the old series starring Basil Rathbone. For the classic setting, Jeremy Brett's Holmes is unbeatable. I approached the new series with Cummerbach with apprehension, but once you accept it as a new detective series, it works very well.
We have only seen the first Downey film, but could not consider it a real Holmes film. In the current one, I think that Noomi Rapace is a member of the cast. I have to see it just for that fact. She was Lisbet Salandar in the 'Dragon Tattoo' Series.

It's hard not to like the Conan Doyle stories, there's something for everyone because he wrote so many. I also find that they don't age at all, a bit like Agatha Christie's books.

Jeremy Brett's Holmes was on tele when I was a kid so to me he is Sherlock Holmes. When I return to the books it si him I see and his voice I hear as I read. While I enjoyed the recent films with Downey Junior I felt they merely referenced the Holmes from the books and were essentially stand-alone movies using the Holmes brand.

I was excited when the BBC announced it was adapting Hollmes and I honestly feel they are superb. The way they have updated Holmes methods is great i.e. embracing technology to highlight elements of his character. PLus the relationship with Watson is very strong in the BBC version.

I suspect they'll be making Holmes films and series for decades to come like they do with Poirot, Marple etc, because they appeal to such a broad audience.

Jeremy Brett's Holmes was probably the most accurate adaptation of Doyle's Holmes, but I enjoy many of the film and TV versions, including those featuring Rathbone, Cumberbatch (for a different take that still gets the characters' personalities right), Peter Cushing, and the 50s TV series with Ronald Howard. There's also one who seems to have been largely fogotten: Arthur Wontner, who played Holmes in 5 movies in the 1930s (one of which, unfortunately,is a lost film) and was excellent.

Fundamellie wrote: "Am I the only one who likes both Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and the new Sherlock serial with Benedict cumberbatch and Martin Freeman? ...Has anyone read "The House of silk"? Any thoughts? "

No and yes. I love both the Brett and the Cumberbatch versions -- probably because both show such great respect for the Canon (that's the original Conan Doyle work, for newbies). I love the way the BBC (new) "Sherlock" rings changes on and/or makes references to the odd little things in Doyle's stories. (Was Watson wounded in the leg or the shoulder? Why is everyone obsessed with the deerstalker when Holmes only wore it once?) And not only was Jeremy Brett the spitting image of Holmes in the Paget illustrations from the Strand, many scenes in that series are carefully copied in detail from the illustrations, down to Brett's pose!

So, yes, I read "House of Silk" and it's not bad. It's straight up imitation Conan Doyle, and it's a good enough substitute if you're jonesing.

I love Sherlock Holmes :) I finished all of the stories, and it was so sad to finally read the last word! Has anyone read The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes? It's by Doyle's son and a great mystery writer, and apparently a lot of trouble was taken to make sure the tone and style of the original stories stayed the same. I wondered if it was any good.

Nan wrote: "Fundamellie wrote: "Am I the only one who likes both Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and the new Sherlock serial with Benedict cumberbatch and Martin Freeman? ...Has anyone read "The House of silk"..."

I know! It's so strange that Holmes' stereotype outfit is the hat he only wore once. Funny :D

Talitha wrote: "It's so strange that Holmes' stereotype outfit is the hat he only wore once. Funny :D"

Just like the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson", which he never really said. Maybe it comes from one of the movie adaptations?

Laura wrote: "Talitha wrote: "It's so strange that Holmes' stereotype outfit is the hat he only wore once. Funny :D"

Just like the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson", which he never really said. Maybe it comes..."

The Deerstalker hat was/is part of a Victorian hunting costume. The type of hat is never mentioned in the original stories, but the deerstalker was used twice in the congenial illustrations made by Sidney Paget for The Strand Magazine. The Deerstalker was (literary) picked up by William Gillette, who made quite an impression with his depiction of Sherlock Holmes on stage. Frederic Dorr Steele, who made the illustrations for the American Collier's Magazine, used Gillette as his model for Holmes, thus making the Deerstalker known to the public overseas. Ellie Noorwood used it in his series of silent films, and so on and so on.....

It should also be mentioned that an English Gentleman would never wear hunting garb while in town (London)- so having Sherlock Holmes donning his Deerstalker and Inverness Cape, and chasing criminals through the streets of London, is completely fictional.......

Yes, it's a funny thing that we seem to want our heroes to wear instantly identifiable costumes like Spiderman or Superman. But in the books Holmes seems to spend far more time in disguise than he does wearing his deerstalker.

Perhaps it's a natural human instinct to want to simplify anything which is complicated?