Guy Ritchie & Sherlock Holmes ~ Disaster Movie ?
The idea of Guy Ritchie directing a new Sherlock Holmes film strikes me as having Disaster Movie written all over it.
I have to declare an interest: I am a Sherlockian so that may influence me, but never-the-less …
I should not prejudge of course, but some of the quotes coming from Warner Brothers and Variety magazine already have me shuddering.
For the record, as well as being a fan of the resident of 221b Baker Street, I also think Guy Ritchie’s Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels was a good movie and Snatch was fantastic, though Revolver was garbage. I’ve bought these DVDs so I’ve paid for the right to criticize !
Do we need another go at Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective ? Of course we don’t but when did that ever stop Hollywood.
If you appreciate Sherlock Holmes or know anything about the books do some of these statements sound like good ideas:
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The script will be based on a comic book series which will be published in the US shortly.
They intend to concentrate more on Holmes’ boxing and fencing skills than his analytical expertise.
Even the studio are calling it a ‘riskier’ version !
It seems to be the vogue in America to recreate every comic book into a movie but here they movie is scheduled before the comic book is even released ! Why not read the original books instead of wasting all that time and effort drawing comic books ?
The Greatest Detective in the World has been done to death.
Sometimes well, usually badly.
Basil Rathbone was excellent in the first two 1939 films, by Twentieth Century Fox, though when Universal got their hands on the productions they suffered badly with wartime propaganda etc.
Jeremy Brett - that’s all you need to know !
Jeremy Brett gave us the perfect portrayal and anybody unfamiliar with it should buy the complete remastered box set of DVDs.
I was fortunate enough to see Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwick on stage in the play called The Secret of Sherlock Holmes - it was a wonderful evening and one I shall never forget.
Sadly he died of a heart attack so was unable to complete the full canon or work. A crying shame but a kind and wonderful man who’ll now, like the man he portrayed so brilliantly, live forever.
Let’s leave it there please, perfection in all things Sherlockian is easily, and cheaply, found.
Buy the collected works by Arthur Conan Doyle. Hours of reading for less than £15 or even less at your local secondhand bookshop or booksellers
Or buy the complete DVD box set of all the Jeremy Brett Granada TV productions, they are utterly sublime and incredible value, hours of top class viewing !
Does it sound like a good idea to you or is it just me ranting ?
Regards
Rod
WoE said,
June 9, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Rod,
Suppose you’d never accept a woman in the role? The Witches have been approached (happens all the time!) naturally but have insisted on wearing the famous deerstalker on top of our usual pointy millinery in order to give a unique performance
Comic strip eh….. who ever heard of such a thing, it’s a disgrace
WoE
Rod said,
June 9, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
WoE
Suppose you’d never accept a woman in the role?
I cannot imagine it would be any worse than what they already have planned
Rod
the dinosaur said,
June 9, 2008 @ 8:04 pm
Rod, I share your misgivings about the new version of Sherlock Holmes, unfortunately the film world seems to be a slave now to the computer games industry, which probably generates more money than the film itself and the comic book is all part of the package. Holmes and Watson will probably never be the same again but I’m sure you will be first to buy the DVD if Pamela Anderson is cast as Mrs. Hudson which wouldn’t surprise me
Rod said,
June 10, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Dino
I know whta you mean !
I understand it must be difficult to find new material for films but with things lik this I just don’t see the point.
Why bother taking well established characters completely out of their original ‘character’ ?
It makes the film difficult for those aware of the character to watch and accept and those unfamiliar don’t care what name you’ve used anyway - the point escapes me completely
Cheers
Rod
eric1973 said,
August 27, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Totally agreed. Jeremy Brett will ALWAYS be THE ONLY Sherlock Holmes. That said, I admit I did enjoy the ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ adaptation version done by Basil Rathbone. Otherwise, still I recommend to anyone to purchase the full Jeremy Brett series that was origninally hosted by Vincent Price on Mystery! PBS back in the 80’s–it’s a true work of art–and a worthy thank you to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for giving us if not the greatest character and (non!)fictional series of all time.
Rod said,
August 27, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Eric,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site.
You could say Jeremy Brett has made this sort of adaptation the only option - after all what would be the point in trying to follow him with a ‘faithful’ version.
My only disappointment is that he never finished the whole cannon - as he intended to do.
As to Basil Rathbone, the 2 movies he made with Twentieth Century Fox, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hound of the Baskervilles, are cracking films - absolutely soaked in atmosphere - a must on DVD.
The others, sadly, suffered from Universal’s take on it and the timing which seemed to require a certain amount of wartime propaganda - a missed opportunity as some were still pretty good and could have been excellent
All the best
Rod
TNT said,
September 9, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
I first got to know Holmes through old USSR series (The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson) where he was played by Livanov.
This image of the character is now burned in my memory. Things I liked about story was the old-times atmosphere, analitics and some, but not exaggerated action scenes.
What I have heard about this movie it’ll be an action movie. I assume it will look something like “The league of extraordinary gentlemen” or “Van Helsing”.
And people who will meet Sherlock for the first time through this movie will never understand what was he all about.
Little Brother said,
August 3, 2010 @ 11:41 pm
Rod,
Just watched Sherlock Holmes play Robert Downey Jnr..in that order.
LB
Rod said,
August 4, 2010 @ 8:22 am
LB,
unlucky !
I suspect it looked and sounded spectacular though
Cheers
Rod