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Rating:  - Worst of the Brett/Holmes Stories on Granada
This is by far the worst of the Brett/Holmes series on DVD. Please do not even think of buying the DVD - it's a waste of your money. Far more importantly, it's a waste of your time, and finally, I would not like you to put so much junk into your mind.
I thought: "Well, how bad can it be - after all, there's Jeremy Brett and the wonderful reputation of the Granada TV series." Well, I was wrong - this one is out and out bad - horrendous story (Doyle's story was quite decent), bad direction and not much scope for good acting. I think Doyle's estate should sue the producers for putting out this piece of bad work in Doyle's name.
Rating:  - The Sussex Vampire/The Last Vampyre
I adore Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and cannot help but admire how beautiful and authentic these adaptations were filmed. Authentic detail and great casts made this a do-not-miss series. However, this episode (The Last Vampyre) is a travesty of the original story. Instead of a moving story about a woman who is protecting her child and trying to keep peace within her home, we have this horrible (as in "horror") and mindless tale. No doubt about it. Conan Doyle was a fabulous story teller. Why present this mediocre, at best, plot instead of the real thing??? And the Eligible Bachelor (based on The Noble Bachelor) is nearly as bad. A shame, too. Both original stories were strong and impressive on their own.
Rating:  - Not That Bad
Of the five feature films in this series, I would agree that The Last Vampyre is the weakest. It does drag in spots, and the story line is a bit lame by typical Sherlock Holmes standards. The fact that Jeremy Brett was in a state of declining health during the filming of this movie also detracts from its impact. However, if you are a big Sherlock Holmes fan and have most, if not all of the other DVDs in the Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes) collection, I wouldn't hesitate in picking this up. It does have something unique and interesting to offer. Despite its weaknesses, I still enjoyed it.
Rating: - A Strange Mystery
+++++
(This review is for "The Last Vampyre" released on DVD in Jan. 2003.)
This movie is based on the story "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" (1924) written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 to 1930).
The alternate spelling of the word vampire as "vampyre" in the movie's title is an older spelling of this word that was used during the 1700s and 1800s.
This movie is about John Stockton (Roy Marsden) arriving at a small village. When bad and strange things begin to happen, the locals seem to hold the newcomer responsible. When it's discovered that Stockton is a descendant of a family burned as suspected vampires a century before, the local vicar begins to fear that the villagers may try to get retribution. Sherlock (Jeremy Brett) and Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) are called in to investigate Stockton.
It's somewhat unbelievable that Sherlock would accept such a case but this is how Conan Doyle wrote the story, so the movie cannot be faulted for this.
However, a problem occurs when the writers attempted to pad the story and thus make it longer than it really is. As a result the movie is somewhat boring and ludicrous in spots until the last 25 minutes. I feel this movie would have worked better if it was 50 minutes but instead it is more than double this length.
Brett (as usual) does a good job (despite looking haggard) in capturing the essence of the famous gumshoe in his performance. I feel also that Roy Marsden does a good job in his performance as the suspected vampire.
Finally, the costumes, background music, attention to detail, and cinematography are quite well done.
In conclusion, despite its long length, this is a decent movie to watch even if you have read the story it's based on.
(1994; 105 min; British drama; made for TV; full screen)
+++++
Rating: - It's not the story, it's the woe Brett has been subjected to
I adore Jeremy Brett's skills as an actor. However, ten years after the fantastic Granada series debued, Brett was a remarkably ill man. He was in the midst of a nervous breakdown after the death of his wife, and it is obvious in his face during the mosntrous two hours. I care not a wick for the story, I simply could not tear my eyes off of Brett's stricken and woebegone face. He looked so tired, so utterly tired of the role he has played for a decade. It was indeed cruel to have him come back into this role at that point in his life. He is so talented, so brilliant in his works of the past. I cannot stress that enough. Watch this movie and tell me he is not a suffering man! God rest his soul, we all miss this actor of unmistakeable calibur. I shall miss you, Mr. Brett.
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