I kid you not: back in the days of my high school literature class, I actually scoffed at the mysteries involving Sherlock Holmes.
Realizing that the readership might think less of me, let me clarify that even at that point in my youth I was a long-established fan of written mysteries. While I didn’t exactly have access to a vast library of such literary puzzles, I was still hungry for adventures predicated on locked boxes, whodunnits, and the like. My issue with Holmes as his investigations were orchestrated by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rather fabulously in print was that these enigmas weren’t exactly solvable by those partaking the tales. In most cases, the clues were entirely hidden from readers, meaning that the only one aware of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth was only captured in Holmes’ brilliantly deductive mind. While, hey, it was somewhat fascinating to watch him work, I – as a reader – couldn’t match wits with the master detective because Doyle’s presentation concealed details required … and I felt somewhat cheated in the process.
When my tastes in entertainment transformed from the written page to the silver or television screens, I did invest some time in a great many adaptations of the various adventures Holmes and his reliable sidekick – Dr. John Watson – and, yes, many were quite good. Some of them followed the Doyle construction – that is, they cloaked some elements and left them solely the province of the chief investigator – but I think I found greater enjoyment with those that allowed me to follow closely, absorb the right bits and pieces, and maybe relish in reaching the proper conclusion alongside the big lead. Though I realize this isn’t how most brains are wired, I assure you that I know what I like, and I do tend to stick with what I know.
Regardless, I leapt at the chance to check out Severin Films’ latest Baker Street product: the distributor has released the surviving episodes of the BBC’s second season of Sherlock Holmes – properly titled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes – on home video. I’d been aware of the serial chiefly owed to Peter Cushing’s involvement – he took over the center seat vacated by actor Douglas Wilmer (who allegedly struggled with the program’s written script quality and bowed out for other pursuits). Over the next few days, I’ll be reviewing several episodes for posterity’s sake, giving you some of the highs and lows of these various whodunits.
First up: “A Study In Scarlet,” the third episode of the show’s second season.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a man is found poisoned in an abandoned building with the word "RACHE" written in blood on the wall. LaStrade confidently declares, ‘Cherchez la femme!’”
Aye begorrah …
One of the problems with relying on plot synopses as I do from IMDB.com to kinda/sorta ‘set the stage’ for my own reviews is that, occasionally, the database either gets the premise stunningly wrong or reveals a bit too many specifics, thus spoiling a surprise or two. Such is the case with their summary of “A Study In Scarlet” wherein not one but two elements that don’t get unearthed until somewhat late in the action come front-and-center a bit too soon.
Allow me …
Realizing that the readership might think less of me, let me clarify that even at that point in my youth I was a long-established fan of written mysteries. While I didn’t exactly have access to a vast library of such literary puzzles, I was still hungry for adventures predicated on locked boxes, whodunnits, and the like. My issue with Holmes as his investigations were orchestrated by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rather fabulously in print was that these enigmas weren’t exactly solvable by those partaking the tales. In most cases, the clues were entirely hidden from readers, meaning that the only one aware of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth was only captured in Holmes’ brilliantly deductive mind. While, hey, it was somewhat fascinating to watch him work, I – as a reader – couldn’t match wits with the master detective because Doyle’s presentation concealed details required … and I felt somewhat cheated in the process.
When my tastes in entertainment transformed from the written page to the silver or television screens, I did invest some time in a great many adaptations of the various adventures Holmes and his reliable sidekick – Dr. John Watson – and, yes, many were quite good. Some of them followed the Doyle construction – that is, they cloaked some elements and left them solely the province of the chief investigator – but I think I found greater enjoyment with those that allowed me to follow closely, absorb the right bits and pieces, and maybe relish in reaching the proper conclusion alongside the big lead. Though I realize this isn’t how most brains are wired, I assure you that I know what I like, and I do tend to stick with what I know.
Regardless, I leapt at the chance to check out Severin Films’ latest Baker Street product: the distributor has released the surviving episodes of the BBC’s second season of Sherlock Holmes – properly titled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes – on home video. I’d been aware of the serial chiefly owed to Peter Cushing’s involvement – he took over the center seat vacated by actor Douglas Wilmer (who allegedly struggled with the program’s written script quality and bowed out for other pursuits). Over the next few days, I’ll be reviewing several episodes for posterity’s sake, giving you some of the highs and lows of these various whodunits.
First up: “A Study In Scarlet,” the third episode of the show’s second season.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the episode’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a man is found poisoned in an abandoned building with the word "RACHE" written in blood on the wall. LaStrade confidently declares, ‘Cherchez la femme!’”
Aye begorrah …
One of the problems with relying on plot synopses as I do from IMDB.com to kinda/sorta ‘set the stage’ for my own reviews is that, occasionally, the database either gets the premise stunningly wrong or reveals a bit too many specifics, thus spoiling a surprise or two. Such is the case with their summary of “A Study In Scarlet” wherein not one but two elements that don’t get unearthed until somewhat late in the action come front-and-center a bit too soon.
Allow me …
The body of travelling American capitalist Enoch Drebber (played by Craig Hunter) is discovered in an abandoned building – true – but there really is no significant indication initially as to what caused his demise; and this is the chief reason why inspectors Gregson (George A. Cooper) and Lestrade (William Lucas) call upon the renowned Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Stock). Despite the fact that Holmes provides them with information sufficient to put them onto a new course of action, the inspectors instead proceed on their original assumptions, neither of which bear fruit except to say that Drebber’s activity over his final days brings new information to light. Still, only Holmes’ ability to stay the course and follow his keen intellectual insights unmasks the true culprit … a man with the unique ability to both be well within sight but equally above suspicion due to his unquestionable anonymity.
Now, what I liked about “A Study In Scarlet” was that those of us watching closely were delivered an all-too-brief vignette involving a deceased woman. The hand of an unseen person – most likely a male – reaches into the frame to remove a ring from her cold fingers, only then to clutch it tightly in his own grasp. A quick dissolve to the program’s opening credits might very well have left most in the audience to forget this impressionable little nugget of information, mostly because it never gets explained and resolved until the final reel. But my being a fan of mysteries served me well as I kept wondering how this quick snippet might possibly have figured into the whole affair: even though the script by Hugh Leonard (adapted on Doyle’s original yarn) provides plenty of redirects, I encourage watchers to keep it in mind throughout Scarlet’s 50-minute run-time, and you might stay one step ahead … just like Holmes does.
And the nature of just how these procedurals unfold provides plenty of room for misdirects, which are consistently spread throughout the case. This has always been my chief bugaboo with Doyle’s prose – far too many clues are hidden away where only the detective sees them – and, yes, it reduces some aspects of the entertainment factor here. However, Cushing’s portrayal of this epic solver of problems is interesting enough to set aside some modest quibbles with the script as he rather effortlessly dismantles competing theories while equally vexing those around him to try a bit harder (especially Watson). Not every twist and turn makes perfect sense in the moment, but by the time the caper is suitably wrapped up by the lead it all adds up in only the way that Sherlock could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve seen it coming.
That said, production details are fairly solid. Scarlet includes some exterior shooting as well as studio sequences; and, yes, it’s quite obvious when the narrative is shifting between the film stock choices. Because some of the developments are a bit elusive, I’d argue that what matters more is that the screen talents all hit their marks effectively, and I’m pleased to conclude that’s the case here. Cushing makes for a winning lead, and even a few small(ish) bits with supporting players – Edina Ronay as a kinda/sorta romantic interest, Joe Melia as a stage actor exploring his male and female appeal, and Dorothy Edwards as a domineering house madame – are given something to do and make the most of it … all of it accomplished in under 50 minutes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: Season 02 was produced by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Severin Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure you that the provided sights-and-sounds are occasionally very underwhelming here: as I understand it, these surviving masters are the best available – some episodes are even completely lost to history – and there’s an incredible amount of grain and decided loss of clarity in sections apparently switching between film stocks. Yes, it’s often somewhat distracting, but I suspect fans of either Cushing or Holmes aficionados will celebrate either way. Lastly, as for the special features? Authors Kim Newman and David Stuart Davies provide a lively commentary track, but they do irregularly drift into minutiae that’s a bit ancillary for my tastes, being what it is. It’s good, but I found some of it a bit irrelevant.
Recommended.
Though the truth is – in typical Doyle fashion – audiences may not see the ending coming, “A Study In Scarlet” is still a surprisingly engaging event. There’s this hidden vastness to the central story – again, it gets revealed mostly in the final monologue, so it’s equally elusive – that gives watchers more to chew on than contemporary C.S.I. puzzles, all of which harkens back to a time when characters and motivations were crafted with a scale occasionally bigger than life. Though modern audiences might remain a bit hard-pressed to stick with something requiring greater cognitive participation, I find this one amiable enough to give it a recommendation.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: Season 02 by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Now, what I liked about “A Study In Scarlet” was that those of us watching closely were delivered an all-too-brief vignette involving a deceased woman. The hand of an unseen person – most likely a male – reaches into the frame to remove a ring from her cold fingers, only then to clutch it tightly in his own grasp. A quick dissolve to the program’s opening credits might very well have left most in the audience to forget this impressionable little nugget of information, mostly because it never gets explained and resolved until the final reel. But my being a fan of mysteries served me well as I kept wondering how this quick snippet might possibly have figured into the whole affair: even though the script by Hugh Leonard (adapted on Doyle’s original yarn) provides plenty of redirects, I encourage watchers to keep it in mind throughout Scarlet’s 50-minute run-time, and you might stay one step ahead … just like Holmes does.
And the nature of just how these procedurals unfold provides plenty of room for misdirects, which are consistently spread throughout the case. This has always been my chief bugaboo with Doyle’s prose – far too many clues are hidden away where only the detective sees them – and, yes, it reduces some aspects of the entertainment factor here. However, Cushing’s portrayal of this epic solver of problems is interesting enough to set aside some modest quibbles with the script as he rather effortlessly dismantles competing theories while equally vexing those around him to try a bit harder (especially Watson). Not every twist and turn makes perfect sense in the moment, but by the time the caper is suitably wrapped up by the lead it all adds up in only the way that Sherlock could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve seen it coming.
That said, production details are fairly solid. Scarlet includes some exterior shooting as well as studio sequences; and, yes, it’s quite obvious when the narrative is shifting between the film stock choices. Because some of the developments are a bit elusive, I’d argue that what matters more is that the screen talents all hit their marks effectively, and I’m pleased to conclude that’s the case here. Cushing makes for a winning lead, and even a few small(ish) bits with supporting players – Edina Ronay as a kinda/sorta romantic interest, Joe Melia as a stage actor exploring his male and female appeal, and Dorothy Edwards as a domineering house madame – are given something to do and make the most of it … all of it accomplished in under 50 minutes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: Season 02 was produced by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Severin Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure you that the provided sights-and-sounds are occasionally very underwhelming here: as I understand it, these surviving masters are the best available – some episodes are even completely lost to history – and there’s an incredible amount of grain and decided loss of clarity in sections apparently switching between film stocks. Yes, it’s often somewhat distracting, but I suspect fans of either Cushing or Holmes aficionados will celebrate either way. Lastly, as for the special features? Authors Kim Newman and David Stuart Davies provide a lively commentary track, but they do irregularly drift into minutiae that’s a bit ancillary for my tastes, being what it is. It’s good, but I found some of it a bit irrelevant.
Recommended.
Though the truth is – in typical Doyle fashion – audiences may not see the ending coming, “A Study In Scarlet” is still a surprisingly engaging event. There’s this hidden vastness to the central story – again, it gets revealed mostly in the final monologue, so it’s equally elusive – that gives watchers more to chew on than contemporary C.S.I. puzzles, all of which harkens back to a time when characters and motivations were crafted with a scale occasionally bigger than life. Though modern audiences might remain a bit hard-pressed to stick with something requiring greater cognitive participation, I find this one amiable enough to give it a recommendation.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: Season 02 by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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