This is the first of several DVD collections featuring the Grenada TV production of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett, which accurately portray Victorian England.
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2002).
This 2002 DVD includes all 13 stories originally aired on ITV in the early 80s, Starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke. They originally came as a five DVD set, with the first DVD being double sided, in an unusual 5-DVD plastic box. I heard that this set was re-mastered in 2005 from a digitally enhanced version of the original films. Unfortunately, I have not seen or handled the new edition.
It includes:
1. A Scandal in Bohemia
2. The Dancing Men
3. The Naval Treaty
4. The Solitary Cyclist
5. The Crooked Man
6. The Speckled Band
7. The Blue Carbuncle
8. The Copper Beeches
9. The Greek Interpreter
10. The Norwood Builder
11. The Resident Patient
12. The Red-Headed League
13. The Final Problem.
This is a brilliant production and Jeremy Brett is widely considered to be the definitive Sherlock Holmes. Five stars.
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A Scandal in Bohemia
A masked man, whom Holmes recognizes as the King of Bohemia, asks for his help to recover a compromising photograph from his former mistress, Irene Adler, an American lady who can charm even Holmes.
Writer: Alexander Baron
Director: Paul Annett
Guest Stars: Gayle Hunnicutt (Irene Adler), Wolf Kahler (King of Bohemia), Michael Carter (Godfrey Norton), Max Faulkner (John), Tessa Worsley (Mrs. Willard), Will Tacey (Clergyman), Tim Pearce (Cab Driver), Tom Watt (First Loafer), Paul Elsam (Second Loafer), David Bauckham (First Big Man), Edward York (Second Big Man), John Graham Davies (First Young Man), John Carr (First Burglar)
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The Dancing Men
Hilton Cubitt, a man from Derbyshire, consults Holmes about a series of dancing men messages send to his wife. Holmes must decipher the code of the matchstick men to solve a murder.
Writer: Anthony Skene
Director: John Bruce
Guest Stars: Eugene Lipinski (Abe Slaney), Betsey Brantley (Elsie Cubitt), Tenniel Evans (Hilton Cubitt), Wendy Jane Walker (Saunders), Lorraine Peters (Mrs. King), David Ross (Inspector Martin), Paul Jaynes (Walker), Bernard Atha (Dr. Carthew)
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The Naval Treaty
Percy Phelps, of the Foreign Office, asks Holmes to help recover a stolen document before it can cause an international scandal.
Writer: Jeremy Paul
Director: Alan Grint
Guest Stars: David Gwillim (Percy Phelps), Alison Skilbeck (Annie Harrison), Gareth Thomas (Joseph Harrison), Ronald Russell (Lord Holdhurst), Nicholas Geake (Charles Gorot), Pamela Pitchford (Mrs. Tangey), John Malcolm (Tangey), David Rodigan (Inspector Forbes), Eve Matheson (Miss Tangey)
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The Solitary Cyclist
Once a week, Violet Smith travels to the home of Robert Carruthers, where she works as a music teacher. She consults Holmes because she believes she is being followed by a man on a bicycle.
Writer: Alan Plater
Director: Paul Annett
Guest Stars: Barbara Wilshere (Violet Smith), John Castle (Carruthers), Michael Siberry (Woodley), Ellis Dale (Williamson), Sara Aitchison (Sarah Carruthers), Stafford Gordon (Landlord), Simon Bleakley (Peter), Penny Gowling (Mrs. Dixon)
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The Crooked Man
When Nancy Barclay learns that her husband, Colonel Barclay, has cheated her earlier fiance, a fierce argument ensues. When the Colonel's dead body is found next to his unconscious wife in a locked room, Holmes finds a mystery worthy of his powers.
Writer: Alfred Shaughnessy
Director: Alan Grint
Guest Stars: Norman Jones (Henry Wood), Michael Lumsden (Young Henry Wood), Denys Hawthorne (Colonel James Barclay), James Wilby (Young James Barclay), Lisa Daniely (Nancy Barclay), Catherine Rabett (Young Nancy Barclay), Paul Chapman (Major Murphy), Fiona Shaw (Miss Morrison), Shelagh Stephenson (Jane), Colin Campbell (Bates), Maggie Holland (Mrs. Fenning)
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The Speckled Band
Helen Stoner is afraid of her step-father, Dr Grimesby Roylott. When she hears a strange whistle and recognizes it as the same one she heard the night before his sister's mysterious death, she goes to Holmes for help.
Writer: Jeremy Paul
Director: John Bruce
Guest Stars: Jeremy Kemp (Dr Grimesby Roylott), Denise Armon (Julia Stoner), John Gill (Driver), Tim Condren (Thorne), Stephen Mallatratt (Percy Armitage), Rosalyn Landor (Helen Stoner)
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The Blue Carbuncle
A plumber, John Horner, is arrested for stealing the Blue Carbuncle, a famous jewel, but when the Carbuncle shows up in a Christmas goose, Holmes has other ideas.
Writer: Paul Finney
Director: David Carson
Guest Stars: Brian Miller (Inspector Bradstreet), Rosalind Knight (Countess of Morcar), Desmond McNamara (John Horner), Ros Simmons (Catherine Cusack), Frank Middlemass (Henry Baker), Don McCorkindale (Windigate), Amelda Brown (Jennie Horner), Frank Mills (Peterson), Eric Allan (Breckenridge), Maggie Jones (Mrs. Oakshott), Ken Campbell (James Ryder)
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The Copper Beeches
Edward Rucastle's offers Violet Hunter a job as a governess, but he wants her to cut off her hair first. The request makes her uneasy, so she asks Holmes to investigate.
Writer: Bill Craig
Director: Paul Annett
Guest Stars: Joss Ackland (Jephro Rucastle), Natasha Richardson (Violet Hunter), Lottie Ward (Mrs. Rucastle), Stuart Shinberg (Edward Rucastle), Michael Loney (Fowler), Peter Jonfield (Toller), Angela Browne (Mrs. Toller), Patience Collier (Miss Stoper), Rachel Ambler (Alice)
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The Greek Interpreter
A man claims he was kidnapped and forced to translate for an injured Greek. Holmes' brother, Mycroft, seeks his help in deciphering this mystery.
Writer: Derek Marlowe
Director: Alan Grint
Guest Stars: Alkis Kritikos (Melas), George Costigan (Wilson Kemp), Nick Field (Harold Latimer), Anton Alexander (Paul Kratides), Victoria Harwood (Sophy Kratides), Oliver Maguire (Inspector Gregson), Rita Howard (Mrs. Stern), Peter MacKriel (Ticket Inspector)
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The Norwood Builder
A retired builder, Jonas Oldacre, dies in a fire. A young solicitor, John Hector McFarlane, who benefits from Oldacre's will, is suspected of murder and asks Holmes to clear his name.
Writer: Richard Harris
Director: Ken Grieve
Guest Stars: Jonathan Adams (Jonas Oldacre), Matthew Solon (John Hector McFarlane), Helen Ryan (Mrs. McFarlane), Andy Rashleigh (Bearded Constable), Anthony Langdon (Tramp), Ted Carroll (Seafaring Tramp), Rosalie Crutchley (Mrs. Lexington
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The Resident Patient
Dr Trevelyan calls on Holmes about his friend Blessington, after a strange Russian father and son vanish during a consultation. When Blessington is found hanged the next day, Holmes investigates.
Writer: Derek Marlowe
Director: David Carson
Guest Stars: Patrick Newell (Blessington), Tim Barlow (Biddle), Brett Forrest (Hayward), Charles Cork (Cartwright), John Ringham (Inspector Lanner), Lucy Ann Wilson (Nora), Norman Mills (Detective), Dusty Young (Carpenter), Nicholas Clay (Dr Percy Trevelyan)
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The Red-Headed League
A newspaper ad seeks red-headed men, inviting them to join a league which will pay them well. Jabez Wilson gets the job and is paid generously for spending four hours a day of copying an encyclopedia. When the league and job suddenly vanish, Holmes is asked to investigate. He suspects the involvement of his arch-nemesis Moriarty.
Writer: John Hawkesworth
Director: John Bruce
Guest Stars: John Woodnutt (Merryweather), Roger Hammond (Jabez Wilson), Tim McInnerny (Vincent Spaulding/Clay), Reginald Stewart (Doorman), Richard Wilson (Duncan Ross), Ian Bleasdale (Accountant), John Labanowski (Athelney Jones), Harry Goodier (Policeman)
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The Final Problem.
Holmes is called in by The French government when the Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre. Holmes recognizes the work of a criminal genius, none other than Professor Moriarty himself. Holmes fans will know that this story ends at the famous waterfall at Reichenbach.
Writer: John Hawkesworth
Director: Alan Grint
Guest Stars: Olivier Pierre (Director of the Louvre), Claude Le Saché (Minister of the Interior), Michael Goldie (Artist), Paul Sirr (Young Expert), Robert Henderson (American Millionaire), Jim Dunk (Porter), Paul Humpoletz (Steiler), Simon Adams (Swiss Youth)
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Brett vs. Rathbone:
Two actors, Jeremy Brett in the 1980s and Basil Rathbone in the 1940s, have played notable versions of Sherlock Holmes. However, the series that starred Jeremy Brett was set in the original period, with a fine cast, faithful adaptations and an excellent Watson.
Unfortunately, the Rathbone movies were rewritten into modern venues, some even set in the USA. In addition to losing the period setting, the original plots were horrible, twisted, and sometimes lost entirely. For some inexplicable reason, Hollywood felt that Holmes would appear even brighter if Watson was a total blithering idiot, a part which Nigel Bruce portrayed all too well.
So, although I do like Rathbone's Holmes, both owning and enjoying his movies, I do not feel that his performances can be compared to those of Brett. This is no reflection on Basil Rathbone himself, a fine actor, only on the quality of the scripts he portrayed.
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The Grenada Series.
Do I need to tell you who Sherlock Holmes is? No, I don't think so. Very few people have made it to adulthood without seeing at least one version of Sherlock Holmes, or reading a story, article or book. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes is simply the most famous and most widely played detective in all of fiction. While my spellchecker gleefully underlines such notables as Poirot, Marple and Wimsey, it happily allows Holmes. Such is true fame.
Every now and again and actor and a role seem perfectly matched for each other, and their performance becomes the definitive performance, the one by which all others are judged. For some reason, a large number of these defining performances occurred in British TV series of the 70s and 80s. Perhaps it was the high quality production values, or perhaps the large pool of veteran actors in Repertory Theater, or perhaps just exceptional casting, who can say?
I recently reviewed the 1972-1975 series of BBC Mysteries based on Dorothy L. Sayers'
Lord Peter Wimsey which starred Ian Carmichael who was brilliant in the role, though perhaps fell just a tad short of being definitive but only because he was slightly too old.. A few months earlier, I reviewed the 1984-1992 BBC series based on Agatha Christie's
Miss Marple starring Joan Hickson, who will be the definitive Jane Marple for many, many years. And who can forget David Suchet's performance of Poirot.
Now as many un the USA know, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) or Beeb as we call it in Britain, is the state run TV station and is funded by TV Licenses, a form of taxation. However, we also have commercial television funded by advertising, which is made up of a number of regional and cable companies, known collectively as ITV (Independent Television). Now the BBC is usually considered the more intellectual of the two networks, but when it turns its hand to it, ITV has the same pool of resources available and is capable of producing shows of remarkable quality.
In 1984, Granada TV, the independent TV station that serves the Manchester area, embarked on an ambitious attempt to televise every Sherlock Holmes story ever written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the lead, they cast veteran actor Jeremy Brett, who captured Holmes perfectly. He conveyed not only Holmes brilliance, but also his arrogance, his frequent bouts of boredom and depression, and even his struggle with cocaine addiction. Brett is indeed the definitive Holmes, and we are not likely to see the like in my lifetime.
In the role of Watson, they cast David Burke. Gone was the feeble-minded buffoon of Hollywood. Burke played Watson as a capable, bright, brave man, Holmes friend and assistant. Burke played Watson through two fine series.
However, when David Burke decided to pursue his stage career further which included the Tony Winning play Copenhagen), he suggested that his friend, Edward Hardwicke, take over the role. The show's fans held their breath. They need not have worried. Hardwicke in make up appears as a slightly older Watson, matching perfectly Brett's slightly older Holmes. He too plays Dr. John Watson and a friend and collaborator, one who is of considerable assistance to Holmes. Frequently his good manners and compassion will compensate for Holmes impatience and rudeness. Watson too, on occasion, becomes annoyed by Holmes selfishness and inconsiderate behavior, and takes his friend firmly to task. While both men played Watson extremely well, it is probably Hardwicke that will be known as the definitive Watson.
With Brett and Hardwicke firmly ensconced in their roles, Grenada made five more series, using the names of the original Doyle collections, although not, I think, their organizations. However, in 1994 with many Holmes stories as yet un-filmed, Jeremy Brett's failing health made him unable to work. Alas, on September 12, 1995, Jeremy Brett's remarkable run as Holmes came to an end, when at the age of 61 he died in London of a heart attack. Grenada wisely decided not to continue without him.
In the ten years of the series, Grenada had made 41 of Doyle's 60 Holmes stories into TV shows, 36 50-minute episodes and 5 100-minute specials. Even had he lived, it is unlikely that Brett could have continued the series. His ill-health had caused him considerable problems during the last rounds of filming, and he had even collapsed on the set. Writing around his health issues caused one or two rather creative episodes late in the run, although, for the most part, the series remained very true to Doyle's originals.
Throughout the series, Granada maintained high production values, and attention to period details rivaling anything produced by BBC. In fact, the BBC even aired the series on BBC2, from 2003-2005, making it one of the very, very few ITV productions ever to make the jump to BBC, a feat rivaling jumping a motorcycle over the Grand Canyon.. To aid production, a full scale replica of Baker Street was built in Grenada Studios back lot on Quay Street, Manchester. (Yes, this is the same back lot referred to in my eerie review,
Do angels wear mini-skirts?) This set became a tourist attraction for many years, until it closed to the public in 1999.
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The Regular Cast:
Jeremy Brett - Sherlock Holmes
David Burke - Dr. Watson (Series 1 & 2)
Edward Hardwicke - Dr. Watson (Series 3-7)
Colin Jeavons - Inspector Lestrade
Rosalie Williams - Mrs. Hudson
Charles Gray - Mycroft Holmes
Eric Porter - Professor Moriarty
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Series Filmography
1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Series 1 (1984)
- 1. A Scandal in Bohemia -- April 24 1984.
- 2. The Dancing Men — May 1 1984.
- 3. The Naval Treaty — May 8 1984.
- 4. The Solitary Cyclist — May 15 1984.
- 5. The Crooked Man — May 22 1984.
- 6. The Speckled Band — May 29 1984.
- 7. The Blue Carbuncle — June 5 1984.
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Series 2 (1985)
- 1. The Copper Beeches — August 25 1985.
- 2. The Greek Interpreter — September 1 1985.
- 3. The Norwood Builder — September 8 1985.
- 4. The Resident Patient — September 15 1985.
- 5. The Red-Headed League — September 22 1985.
- 6. The Final Problem — September 29 1985.
3. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Series 1 (1986)
- 1. The Empty House — July 9 1986.
- 2. The Abbey Grange — July 16 1986.
- 3. The Musgrave Ritual — July 23 1986.
- 4. The Second Stain — July 30 1986.
- 5. The Man with the Twisted Lip — August 6 1986.
- 6. The Priory School — August 13 1986.
- 7. The Six Napoleons — August 20 1986.
4. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Series 2 (1987)
- 1. The Sign of Four — December 29 1987. (Feature-length episode)
- 2. The Devil's Foot — April 6 1988.
- 3. Silver Blaze — April 13 1988.
- 4. Wisteria Lodge — April 20 1988.
- 5. The Bruce-Partington Plans — April 27 1988.
- 6. The Hound of the Baskervilles — August 31 1988. (Feature-length episode).
5. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Series 1 (1991)
- 1. The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax — February 21 1991.
- 2. Thor Bridge — February 28 1991.
- 3. Shoscombe Old Place — March 7 1991.
- 4. The Boscombe Valley Mystery — March 14 1991.
- 5. The Illustrious Client — March 21 1991.
- 6. The Creeping Man — March 28 1991.
6. The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Series 2 (1992)
- 1. The Master Blackmailer — January 2 1992. (Feature-length episode)
........ Based on The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton).
- 2. The Last Vampyre — January 27 1993. (Feature-length episode)
........ Based on The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire).
- 3. The Eligible Bachelor — February 10 & February 17 1993. (Two-part episode)
........ Based on The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor).
7. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. (1994)
- 1. The Three Gables — March 7 1994.
- 2. The Dying Detective — March 14 1994.
- 3. The Golden Pince-Nez — March 21 1994.
- 4. The Red Circle — March 28 1994.
- 5. The Mazarin Stone — April 4 1994.
- 6. The Cardboard Box — April 11 1994.
The Golden Pince-Nez doesn't have Edward Hardwicke in it. He was busy completing work on the film Shadowlands. The story was rewritten with Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes, filling what should have been Watson's role. One wonders if they would not have simply waited, if it were not for Brett's fast-failing health.
The Mazarin Stone, which also includes material from The Adventure of the Three Garridebs, has Mycroft Holmes in the primary role. Because of his health, Jeremy Brett, who looks absolutely awful, only appears as a cameo.
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