Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series

Granada did a great job of putting together these series of Sherlock Holmes stories. The picture quality is very good as is the sound, especially since this is a DVD package and not BD. There is a BD version available on Amazon, it is from Spain and on Amazon.es it comes with a cheaper price. (you would think England would be first with the BD versions). Jeremy Brett makes a GREAT Sherlock, he really makes the role his own. He whoops and laughs and jumps up in the air when a normal person would do so rather than play the entire time as a reserved semi-human. He also has the famous Sherlock black moods. David Burke plays an intelligent Watson, Edward Hardwicke takes up the part when Burke could not return for the second series and is equally as good and stays for the rest of the series. The stage sets and location work are very good, costumes and set decorations are great (the Brits really do a good job on these period pieces with proper research, when they spend the money). All in all a really nice collection of Holmes. The scripts do not stay with the original stories but rather make some changes but not TOO drastic, mostly for cinematic effect or to fill out the full time allotted for the episode. They are still set in Victorian (and Edwardian) Britain which is why I enjoy them. When they bring Holmes "up to date" the stories lose their punch (in my opinion). Holmes is doing forensic science in the 1890s when it was almost unheard of anywhere in the world and that is what interests me in Conan Doyle's stories. When updated to the 1930s or 40s it is not too bad but for present day they just don't make it. Everybody has their own favorite actor portraying Holmes, to many it is Rathbone (as he was the first one they saw). I enjoy watching them all, but Basil is among the best. I consider Rathbone, Brett and Cushing to be the best in looks and manners. Cushing did an earlier BBC series in the 1960s which would have been excellent but the production was rushed and the cost were kept low, as was the case for Douglas Wilmer (as Holmes) who did the even earlier series for BBC, being replaced by Cushing when he refused to do a second one for the stated reasons. Granada did right by Holmes spending some bucks on these series and it shows. I did a Holmes marathon when I received this set, every evening I was watching episodes of Sherlock until I ran out of discs. Recommended.

Great show in the 1980s. It's nice to watch the entire series at my leisure.

I was just thinking Jeremy Brett would be rolling in his grave (cliche) if he knew what a deeply satisfying laugh I get from the various plot twists, especially when the classic throwaway line "The game is afoot!" comes along, almost as historic as "Elementary, my dear Watson" (used by Basil Rathbone, perhaps not so much by Jeremy Brett). When I'm feeling particularly good, I almost get tearful at the pleasure I feel in seeing certain aspects of these dramas, how Holmes literally leaps into action (in "The Redheaded League" he leaps over a couch to answer the door, saving the time - 2 seconds - it would take to walk around the couch), and perhaps it is the thrill I get out of seeing certain character actors use their utmost professional talents to fill their various roles. I think especially of Eric Porter as Moriarty (not Moriarity - the classic villain) with the baleful gazes the camera is set up to catch, and the texture of his face with the makeup that's been applied. It's a most thrilling comparison to the way he filled the role of Count Bronowski in "The Jewel in the Crown". Another favorite is Robert Hardy (Charles Augustus Milverton), of Siegfried Farnon fame ("All Creatures Great and Small") who has had such a prolific career playing such roles as Winston Churchill (and even a small role in the John Le Carre classic "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold", from 55 years ago), who just passed away a few days over a year ago, at the venerable age of 91. I mustn't give the impression that I get the greatest pleasure from the BBC stable of actors, but more from the fascinating character of Holmes, played by Jeremy Brett. He finished the series and then promptly passed away at the tender young age of 61. Wonderful to think of how he could hardly ever be shown walking, much less at a leisurely pace, but always about to burst in to an all out run to get on with the problem he is currently facing, all at an age that would prohibit such action in another actor. Even his slicked down hair-do somehow fits with the age he represents, somewhere in the years leading up to The Great War. I had the first series (with David Burke) 25 years ago and somehow lost track and discovered that the whole set of Sherlock Holmes contains not just 3-4 disks, but a full 12 disks, including "The Hound of the Baskervilles", and "The Sign of Four", and out of 40-some odd episodes, all but about 3 can be found in the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle under the same title (the others under a slight variation). Inevitably this brings back a reminiscence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and the long life he led, through all the cataclysmic progressions of British history, World War I, the Depression, the Industrial Age, including an episode of his life seeking communication with his dead son, a casualty of The Great War, through a medium. With all the regulars, (David Burke/Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson, Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson, and the rest of the cast) - this will stand as one of the finest mini-series ever created, and other creations of Sherlock Holmes will be measured against this yardstick.

Some of the episodes are more enjoyable than others, but it's worth buying the series because the good ones are soooo good. Wonderful acting and character!

Fantastic set

前々からコンプリート・ボックスが欲しかったのだけど、高かったので躊躇。 円高になった時に早速、購入しました。 イギリス英語はやはり聞き取りにくい部分があり、字幕が入ってるのはとても便利。リージョンフリーのプレーヤーもこのＤＶＤを見るために購入しておいたのだけど、問題なく再生されて年末はたっぷりホームズの世界を堪能しました。 ドラマ版のホームズの話は原作とちょっと違うというか、独特の演出、脚色、改変をしています。時には陰気臭くなりすぎることもあるぐらい。ただ反対に視聴者サービス？みたいな部分も追加されてて、ホームズのワトソンへの友情を原作よりはっきりと前面に押し出してたりもします。 買って大満足のボックスでした。

The best TV series about the brilliant detective. The ambiance, the actors performance, the photography, the adaptation, everything is perfect!

The reviews posted to date accurately describe the brilliance of this series - the superb performance of Jeremy Brett; the excellent Burke/Hardwicke Watson, faithful to Conan Doyle's original character, unlike almost all earlier portrayals; and the marvelous visual depiction of Victorian England. But nowhere has anyone commented on the piece de resistance of this series - the incredibly clever and evocative music composed by Patrick Gowers. He takes his beautiful opening credits theme, and in every episode adapts it in a style that perfectly complements that particular story. If you haven't noticed the music (and it is by no means obtrusive), watch the series again and pay close attention to it. You will be amply rewarded.

This is by far the most well produced televsion series to date. All the directors (Peter Hammond, John Madden, etc) skillfully allow the actors to create the ambiance of an age long gone by and intersperse the indoor shots with slow pans, beautifully crafted tracking shots and long panoramic views of the English countryside. Peter Hammond (The Master Blackmailer) uses his camera like a paint brush to create idyllic images of bourgeois life, as the world around is wracked with deceit and thievary. John Madden visually illustrates the claustrophobia of a reputable public school in "The Priory School." Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes is nothing short of brilliant, with his abrupt and often cutting remarks leaving the police and clients bewildered and tongue-tied. He also displays a growing impatience for a world that is not ready to receive his intelligence, skill and deductive reasoning and often cruelly rips into Dr. Watson, his trusted friend and accomplice. Holmes' distrust of the romanticized representation of rural England is apparent in his discomfort at leaving the hustle-bustle of Baker Street. However, we are also shown another side of Holmes' inner persona, not by way of gratutious dialogue but through close-ups of his usually cold and expressionless face, which gives way to tender glances, gestures and the occassional smile, only reserved for his faithful Watson. Edward Hardwicke as Watson is superbly restrained, and is the perfect alter ego to Holmes's impatient bluster and belligerance. I love the series because it is beautifully written, which is a rarity in anything that is produced for television today. The design and production is painstakingly planned and everything from the art direction, costumes, lighting and cinematography is of very high quality. This collection is for anyone who enjoys watching compelling theatre, as the characters do manage to transport you to another world.