Tag: Sherlock Holmes

Enola Holmes (2020)

Enola Holmes

dir. Harry Bradbeer (2020)

Film poster: “Enola Holmes” dir. Harry Bradbeer (2020)

Bradbeer’s lively direction notwithstanding, the story is too slight to sustain a two-hour film treatment. The best scenes by far are those pairing Millie Bobby Brown (Enola) and Louis Partridge (Tewkesbury), who together could productively be retro-scripted into Attack of the Clones.

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

ed. Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger (Pegasus, 2016); audiobook read by various narrators (Blackstone, 2016)

Book cover: “Echoes of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon” ed. Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger (Pegasus, 2016); audiobook read by various narrators (Blackstone, 2016)

A solid selection of stories either set in Conan Doyle’s world or featuring his much-loved characters (or spiritual successors based thereon). Some imaginative takes, with few duds but also few standouts. Jonathan Maberry’s ‘The Adventure of the Empty Grave’ has canonical appeal.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat; dir. Douglas Mackinnon (BBC, 2016)

TV poster: “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride” by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat; dir. Douglas Mackinnon (BBC, 2016)

Cleverly executed, presenting initially as a standalone special then morphing into a bridge between series. Gatiss and Moffat indulge in some social commentary while poking gentle fun at the original Sherlock Holmes canon. Cumberbatch and Freeman (especially) revel in the old-fashioned characterisation.

Sherlock: The Sign of Three

Sherlock: The Sign of Three

by Stephen Thompson, Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Colm McCarthy (BBC, 2014)

TV poster: “Sherlock: The Sign of Three” by Stephen Thompson, Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Colm McCarthy (BBC, 2014)

Possibly the funniest of all Sherlock episodes, albeit skewed beyond the pale towards character development and adapting little of its plot from Conan Doyle’s stories. While Benedict Cumberbatch brings Sherlock’s misanthropy painfully centre-stage, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington are more humanly sublime.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles

adapted by Alexander Baron; dir. Peter Duguid (BBC, 1982)

DVD cover: “The Hound of the Baskervilles” adapted by Alexander Baron; dir. Peter Duguid (BBC, 1982)

A watchable if unadventurous four-part adaptation. Tom Baker’s search for Holmes’s mastery has him deliver lines with commanding eloquence but often a fraction of a second early. Terence Rigby makes for an unsteady Watson, balancing things out with delays of corresponding magnitude.

The Baker Street Four, Vol. 1

The Baker Street Four, Vol. 1

by J. B. Djian & Olivier Legrand; ill. David Etien; trans. Mark Bence (Insight, 2017

first published as “Les Quatre de Baker Street vol. 1” (Editions Glénat, 2009)

Book cover: “The Baker Street Four, Vol. 1” by J. B. Djian & Olivier Legrand; ill. David Etien; trans. Mark Bence (Insight, 2017); first published as “Les Quatre de Baker Street vol. 1” (Editions Glénat, 2009)

A thick volume containing two adventures of Sherlockian street kids Billy, Charlie, Tom (and cat). The stories are nothing special but the art is rather splendid, foregrounding the characters and rendering London’s East End with a grimy palette and considerable background detail.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

by Nancy Springer (Penguin, 2007); audiobook read by Katherine Kellgren (Recorded Books, 2007)

Book cover: “The Case of the Left-Handed Lady” by Nancy Springer

Again, the mystery element is slight, but 14-year-old Enola Holmes proves intelligent, quick-witted and resourceful… and more than a match for her famous older brother! Both Sherlock himself and Victorian London reveal different facets of themselves when encountered by a female protagonist.

The Valley of Fear

The Valley of Fear

by Arthur Conan Doyle (George H. Doran, 1915); audiobook read by Stephen Fry (ABC/Audible, 2018)

SONY DSC

In essence, two largely unconnected novellas. The first sees Holmes in fine form, his aura only enhanced by Inspector MacDonald’s shining a lesser light of uncommon strength. The second is an engaging enough story of Freemason gang activity in lawless north-east America.

 

 

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

dir. Guy Ritchie (2009)

Ritchie_Sherlock Holmes

Ritchie’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes works on several levels—as a dark and detailed period piece, as character comedy, and as a buddy film. Jude Law (Watson) and Robert Downey Jr (Holmes) have an edgy dynamic. Rachel McAdams scintillates as Irene Adler.

 

 

Derelict Space Sheep