|
Post by dem bones on Sept 6, 2020 16:40:33 GMT
Peter Haining [ed.] Arthur Conan Doyle: The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Star, 1981; W. H. Allen, 1981) Introduction
The Truth About Sherlock Holmes The Mystery of Uncle Jeremy's Household The Field Bazaar The Story of the Man with the Watches The story of the Lost Special The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes The Case of the Man who was Wanted Some Personalia About Mr Sherlock Holmes The Case of the Inferior Sleuth The Crown Diamond How Watson Learned the Trick
Appendix:
A Gaudy Death The Mystery of Sasassa Valley My Favorite Sherlock Holmes AdventureBlurb: Until this book was published the complete adventures of Sherlock Holmes were thought to consist of sixty cases. But Peter Haining’s scrupulous research and literary detective work have led to the discovery of twelve more items essential to a full understanding of the genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Great Detective.This book contains all twelve of these rare works, forming an essential addition to the sixty original stories. Now, at last, the Sherlock Holmes story is complete."
‘Welcome this book, in which Peter Haining has scraped barrels to unearth items that haven‘t previously been published in book form’ - DAILY MAIL
‘Haining unearths fresh stories and includes a one-act play also, as well as personal statements by Doyle about his heroes and how he came to write about them’ - PUNCH
‘Most of these pieces have been the subject of controversy while being very difficult to find, so this volume will be quite invaluable to the dedicated Sherlockian’ - THE TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT This turned up on friend back-of-the-van man's stall at market this morning. Haining's introduction confirms initial suspicion that this book may not be quite what title suggests though, if it is anything like A Sherlock Holmes Compendium it will have its moments.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 7, 2020 13:17:34 GMT
Peter Haining [ed.] Arthur Conan Doyle: The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
I have always thought the cover illustration by Frank Wiles the best of those for the original short stories. However, it is for "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman", which could be the worst of the original stories.
|
|
|
Post by helrunar on Sept 8, 2020 3:58:39 GMT
I like the drawing but the caption is an absurdity.
H.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 8, 2020 11:30:07 GMT
I like the drawing but the caption is an absurdity. H. It's on the original illustration and it quotes what Holmes says to Watson about his descriptive style.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 9, 2020 11:57:28 GMT
Is this any better? The caption did not originate with me. "As you can see Watson, I believe that I have the finest and most comprehensive collection of pubic hairs from three continents."
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Sept 9, 2020 16:43:12 GMT
Heh, a good one.
But somehow out of character, I think. Still, the boys are looking awfully young and in their prime. Always imagined Watson a bit more rugged.
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 11, 2020 14:08:24 GMT
Peter Haining [ed.] Arthur Conan Doyle: The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
I have always thought the cover illustration by Frank Wiles the best of those for the original short stories. However, it is for "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman", which could be the worst of the original stories. I've just found this cigarette card from the 1930s:
|
|
|
Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Sept 12, 2020 14:54:29 GMT
The recent revival of this thread makes it a reasonable place to post this, I perceive...
It's hard to believe it's been 25 years to the day since Jeremy Brett died. He had a varied and fascinating career, of course - with some notable horror highlights such as his stage appearance as 'Dracula', 'The Lost Stradivarius' for 'Mystery and Imagination', two versions of Dorian Gray, 'Mr Nightingale', 'The Ferryman', and an appearance in 'The Medusa Touch' - but it was Granada's 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' that first brought him to my notice as a teenager who was already a fan of the character through the Basil Rathbone films that played on a Friday evening on BBC2 and the Hammer 'Hound of the Baskervilles' with Peter Cushing that aired as part of a Horror Double Bill. The Granada series with Brett and David Burke and then Edward Hardwicke as impeccable Dr Watsons gripped me. Dramatic, mysterious, often frightening, frequently funny, elegantly adapted, beautiful to look at, superbly cast and performed, brilliantly scored. It still grips me and I still return to it regularly.
I don't think there is or will be a 'definitive' Sherlock Holmes performance - so many actors have brought so many aspects to their interpretations of a character that even Conan Doyle was never entirely consistent with. But there are some interpretations that can influence the way we perceive a character when we return to its literary roots. Some echo of a voice or tone, some flicker of movement in the mind's eye. And when I re-read the original stories Jeremy Brett's voice is the one that echoes most frequently, and his silhouette that rapidly leaps or languidly reposes most often in my thoughts. Imperious, arrogant, dangerous, dynamic, touched with more than genius, difficult, unpredictable, courageous, amusing, amused, humorous, human, vulnerable behind his disguise of cold rationality, chivalrous, ruthless, contradictory, and brilliant! All facets of Sherlock Holmes that Jeremy Brett put under the magnifying glass... and under the spotlight.
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Sept 12, 2020 16:45:06 GMT
Nicely put, Lurker. I happened to get the complete Brett run on DVD recently and watch a story from time to time. It is still a lot of fun. If you compare it with other stories dramatising the Victorian age like Penny Dreadful or some Dr. Who, it may look a bit simple and aenemic today, but this doesn't matter a lot.
I still prefer Burke as Watson, Hardwicke is a bit too much the kind uncle for my taste. But it is Brett who is the show. And it is still a good thing that the producers refrained from meddling too much with the material.
|
|
|
Post by Shrink Proof on Sept 12, 2020 19:42:08 GMT
Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Holmes is masterly. He paid a terrible price for it though.
|
|
|
Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Sept 12, 2020 20:01:07 GMT
Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Holmes is masterly. He paid a terrible price for it though. His health problems certainly became very apparent while playing Holmes, and the scheduling may have impacted him, but there were various other factors. Childhood rheumatic fever had scarred his heart tissue, the death of his wife from cancer may have triggered his increasing bouts of manic depression, and the lithium used to treat that had side effects with his heart and the fluid retention that caused his physical deterioration. It is alarming to see the change in him as the series progresses, though he was improving physically and mentally by the closing episodes - his mental health seemingly helped by him being able to open up about his manic depression and to encourage other sufferers to seek help.
|
|
|
Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Sept 12, 2020 20:07:46 GMT
I still prefer Burke as Watson I've long had a fondness for this '90s documentary where David Burke returned to the role to reminisce about his fellow Baker Street lodger: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LWCto4Fs8A(I still have it on VHS somewhere, taped of a cable channel where the introduction is replaced by BBC and Sky News presenter Bob Friend reciting the same script.)
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 14, 2020 10:46:52 GMT
What in hell is going on in this original illustration for "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" by Howard K. Elcock(!)? Are the rumours true?
|
|
|
Post by Michael Connolly on Sept 14, 2020 10:52:45 GMT
The recent revival of this thread makes it a reasonable place to post this, I perceive... It's hard to believe it's been 25 years to the day since Jeremy Brett died. He had a varied and fascinating career, of course - with some notable horror highlights such as his stage appearance as 'Dracula', 'The Lost Stradivarius' for 'Mystery and Imagination', two versions of Dorian Gray, 'Mr Nightingale', 'The Ferryman', and an appearance in 'The Medusa Touch' - but it was Granada's 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' that first brought him to my notice as a teenager who was already a fan of the character through the Basil Rathbone films that played on a Friday evening on BBC2 and the Hammer 'Hound of the Baskervilles' with Peter Cushing that aired as part of a Horror Double Bill. The Granada series with Brett and David Burke and then Edward Hardwicke as impeccable Dr Watsons gripped me. Dramatic, mysterious, often frightening, frequently funny, elegantly adapted, beautiful to look at, superbly cast and performed, brilliantly scored. It still grips me and I still return to it regularly. I don't think there is or will be a 'definitive' Sherlock Holmes performance - so many actors have brought so many aspects to their interpretations of a character that even Conan Doyle was never entirely consistent with. But there are some interpretations that can influence the way we perceive a character when we return to its literary roots. Some echo of a voice or tone, some flicker of movement in the mind's eye. And when I re-read the original stories Jeremy Brett's voice is the one that echoes most frequently, and his silhouette that rapidly leaps or languidly reposes most often in my thoughts. Imperious, arrogant, dangerous, dynamic, touched with more than genius, difficult, unpredictable, courageous, amusing, amused, humorous, human, vulnerable behind his disguise of cold rationality, chivalrous, ruthless, contradictory, and brilliant! All facets of Sherlock Holmes that Jeremy Brett put under the magnifying glass... and under the spotlight. I admit that I lurked with intent when I first met and spoke to Jeremy Brett. When he saw me again a couple of days later he must have thought he had a stalker. I've never done this again. At one time I had the perfect opportunity to speak to Tom Baker. I regret not having done so. I also regret the following. I once passed Jason Donovan in the street. If I'd pushed him into the traffic, I'd have been out of jail long before now.
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Oct 11, 2022 18:42:41 GMT
Recently I watched a few episodes of the Peter Cushing tv adaption, the German version. They only bought the second season with Cushing, not the first one with Douglas Wilmer as Holmes.
I just watched A Study in Scarlet, Boscombe Valley Mystery and of course the two part The Hound of Baskerville. The last one was of particular interest as I wanted to see how if differed from Cushing's Hammer version.The BBC adaption followed the source pretty close. But I wasn't exactly thrilled by the stiff and stage like photography and direction. It is not that the budget was small, they just didn't put it on the screen. Even the moor scenes in Hound looked so small. On the whole it gave the impression that the BBC took much effort to avoid anything Gothic.
Naturally Cushing was much more restrained in this version. I can understand the reasoning for this, but somehow his Holmes lacked energy.
Nigel Stock as Watson was okay, maybe better than okay. The part of Watson must be hard to cast. This is of course a matter of taste, but I still have to see a Watson I find truly convincing. (Except Lucy Liu, but this is a different topic.)
|
|