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This was my first exposure to Jeremy Brett, the actor. I've read various Sherlock Holmes stories in the past, and recently watched the new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey, Jr (lots of explosions, and very forgettable).
But this performance by Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, with his companion Dr. Watson (played by David Burke)...
Fabulous.
Jeremy Brett portrays Sherlock Holmes as an imperfect person. Holmes has a drug problem, and borderline misogynic attitudes. His intensity, however, reminds me of a trained dog, commanded to sit and stay, just itching to be released to chase a squirrel... the dog is trembling with excitement and anticipation. Holmes does the same as cases and clues come together in a crescendo of mystery-solving rapture.
Dr. Watson is a true friend, who benefits from their relationship by being allowed to chronicle Holmes' adventures. And Holmes, using the powers of observation, experimentation, and logic, bores into his cases with tenacity, and sometimes at considerable personal risk.
I find myself envisioning Sherlock Holmes as a "Jeremy Brett" rather than a "Robert Downey, Jr." That says something about Brett's performance!
This boxed set has 13 episodes. Enjoy them all!
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What you need to know is that Sherlock Holmes will never be better represented than in this series. Jeremy Brett is so good you will not be able to think Holmes without seeing his face. Typical of the best British TV, every single minor character is portrayed by a top notch actor. This series is as good as the original stories, maybe better. I love the Homes stories because Conan Doyle did not feel the need to create absurd plot twists to spice things up. Once the crime is solved the reader can understand the crime - elementary! The only problem with the DVDs is that the sound quality of the music in the opening credits is rough.
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Good price and service. Love the J. Brett Holmes series, have the whole collection.
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"The Adventures", the first two seasons of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series, is, in my opinion, the finest overall reproduction of the SH Canon there is. Certainly, all 13 episodes were undoubtedly the best in the entire series, which did loose it's quality significantly towards the last two seasons, but was loosing the magic sporradically long before the "Casebook" episodes.
What made the "Adventures" such perfection was a combination of elements, not the least of which was attention to details ... the trifles; and there is nothing so important as trifles, according to Holmes himself. The casting is remarkable, although in fairness, it was so throughout almost the entire series. The characters seem to radiate off the pages of the books, such careful study was placed on ACD's descriptions of them. Inspector Lestrade (Colin Jeavons) IS the little ferret faced Scotland Yard official. There are no other Professor Moriaritys that compare to the portrayal of Eric Porter. Charles Grey as Mycroft brought the character to life, and beliveably so. The side characters were just as well cast, making the "Adventures" series straight out of the pages of Canon.
And then, there was Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, with David Burke as his Watson ... What more can I say than there were no two actors more suited to play the roles of Holmes/Watson, they ARE Sherlock Holmes and Dr John H. Watson. It's plainly evident that the writers as well as the actors "got" the characters. The depth of understanding Brett & Burke had for Holmes/Watson was astounding. I have yet to find another Holmes/Watson portrayal where both actors simply become who they are portraying. The greatest asset to the "Adventures" is this; that the episodes come out so genuine and true to the stories because Brett and Burke know Holmes & Watson AND the scope of their friendship.
Brett becomes Holmes, his portrayal is not affected in the least. Holmes acts a certain way for a reason, and even if that reason is not stated in the specific episode/story, you will get a true rendition of the character because of that understanding. Burke's Watson was a rare joy. His Watson was fiercely loyal to Holmes, yet intelligent and useful. While his successor, Edward Hardwicke was by no means a poor Watson, his, to me, lacked that absolute loyalty found in Burke's protrayal, and in such, he strayed from the Watson of the stories. Watson was not an equal to Holmes, and Burke carried this off without making a bumbling idiot of himself in the process. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I have seen all the episodes of this series, and if I had it to buy over, the "Adventures" would be at the top of my list, followed by "The Return" and "The Sign of the Four". I've watched them all innumerable times, but the "Adventure" series never looses its charm. Excellent stories were chosen, and some of which even managed to top the original stories for me (such as Solitary Cyclist, Copper Beeches, Dancing Men, Red Headed League, Resident Patient - the latter includes a delightful parody of Conan Doyle's own parody 'How Watson Learned the Trick', and a gorgeous re creation of one of Paget's original drawings).
Not that the other seasons didn't have some remarkably well done episodes true to the stories. But all, if not the overwhelming majority of these first two seasons were such perfection, when there are only a handful of ones with such accuracy in the ensuing seasons. I cannot recommend "The Adventure" series highly enough.
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I watched this series when it was broadcast in the US on PBS and am thoroughly entertained by it yet today. Jeremy Brett is a great Holmes.
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