Studies in Sherlock #5
November 2, 2010It is right and proper that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman be praised to the skies for their performances as Sherlock and John. Equally good, in my opinion, is Rupert Graves as Inspector Lestrade.
Graves plays the part as beleagured but intelligent. He might not be as clever as Sherlock, and he might be the victim of a barbed comment now and then, but he’s more than capable of holding his own against him. He’s also the first Lestrade I can think of who’s a bit, well, dishy.
This certainly wasn’t the case in Conan Doyle’s original stories. Lestrade is introduced to us as a “little sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow”. His relationship with Holmes slowly moves from hostility to grudging respect, so that in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons he admits, “We’re not jealous of you down at Scotland Yard. No sir, we are proud of you, and if you come down to-morrow there’s not a man, from the oldest inspector to the youngest constable, who wouldn’t be glad to shake you by the hand.” In a rare display of emotion, Holmes is visibly moved.
Dennis Hoey was the first memorable screen Lestrade, in Universal’s film series with Basil Rathbone.
"And it's no good saying it ain't!"
Hoey played the Inspector as a bungler, resentful of Holmes’ cleverness and frequently baffled by his deductions. He’s usually to be found standing over a body, scratching his head and exclaiming, “Eh?” The series developed a nice little rivalry between Watson and Lestrade, the one-upmanship between Hoey and Nigel Bruce becoming a regular feature in the films.
However, we’re often invited to feel fondness for Hoey’s Lestrade. In The Spider Woman (1944), Watson and Lestrade believe Holmes to have perished. Tentatively, Watson offers Lestrade a souvenir from the Baker Street rooms. Choking up, Lestrade takes one of the detective’s pipes. Of course then Holmes arrives and an embarrassed Lestrade tries to replace the pipe without anyone noticing. It’s a lovely sequence, funny but also very touching.
One of the closest interpretations to Conan Doyle’s original description was that of Frank Finlay, who played Lestrade in both Holmes vs. the Ripper movies: A Study in Terror (1965) and Murder by Decree (1979).
Finlay as Lestrade to John Neville's Holmes in A Study in Terror
Finlay was a dogged little terrier, suspicious of Holmes but knowing the limits of his own intelligence. In both films, he does a great job of showing us how the horror of the Ripper crimes is beyond Lestrade’s comprehension. He gets many nice character moments in Murder by Decree, and I especially liked his amusement at the sight of James Mason’s Watson in a police cell.
More recently, Granada’s television series with Jeremy Brett had a wonderful Lestrade in Colin Jeavons.
A typically astounded Jeavons, with David Burke (ditto) as Watson
Jeavons always reminds me of the description of Lestrade in The Adventure of the Boscombe Valley Mystery, “a lean, ferret-like man, furtive and sly-looking”. He was frequently irritated by the flamboyant Brett, and constantly trying to get one over on him. But there was great warmth in Jeavons’ portrayal too. His delivery of the aforementioned speech from The Six Napoleons is a highlight of that episode.
Rupert Graves’ Lestrade plays an important role in both Moffat’s The Pilot and A Study in Pink. While Lestrade deplores the detective’s sociopathic tendencies, his faith in his abilities legitimizes Sherlock in our eyes. As I have mentioned before, I think that giving Lestrade the final line in The Pilot was a nice touch, showing us that “Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson” were now a unit, and establishing Lestrade’s ancillary position. In A Study in Pink, the line was taken away from Graves and given to Gatiss’ Mycroft (and you can read about my objections to that decision here).
I felt his absence in The Blind Banker. And while I can see the logic of showing us other policemen, really I just want more Lestrade. Never mind Gregson, Hopkins and Jones. Give us more Graves.
Rupert Graves IS dishy (and I love that word, dishy) and I think the way Sherlock deploys Lestrade is very effective. I felt his absence also in The Blind Banker because the chemistry between him and Holmes is really very good. I’d definitely like to see more of Lestrate in future episodes. It’s good that he’s not a bungler, and also that he recognises the Met’s need of Holmes in certain cases.
And yes, taking that line away from him in A Study in Pink…it was a wee bit too arch, for my taste. I’ve warmed to the idea of Mark Gatiss as Mycroft, but that line didn’t work for me at all.
I did say, Nicholas, in my SHERLOCK comments on my blog, that Rupert Graves as Lestrade is ‘adorable’. I still say it. HA!
I’ve basically liked all the Lestrades. But Colin Jeavons was a favorite. He most resembled what I had imagined him to be from the original stories.
‘Adorable’ is a good description of Mr. Graves, Yvette!
I agree that Colin Jeavons is the most Canonical of the lot, and I do enjoy the way Brett teases him throughout the Granada series. It’s a real shame that they didn’t get Jeavons for their version of Hound of the Baskervilles. I especially love his appearances in The Norwood Builder and The Six Napoleons – Jeavons at his best!
Incidentally, did you know that he is one of only two actors to have played Lestrade and Moriarty? He was the Professor in a BBC children’s series from the 1980s called The Baker Street Boys.
Nope, didn’t know that about CJ. He’d make a good Moriarity for sure. Funny you should mention THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. I’ve YET to see a great film version of that story. I don’t know why. But the Jeremy Brett version just didn’t work for me. Primarily because of the DISASTEROUS casting of Kristopher Tabori as the young Baskerville. He is SIMPLY AWFUL in the role. The truth is: it’s not an especially clearly written role, doesn’t have much depth, so it’s hard to play. But jeez…
Yeah, I know what you mean! Apparently it was the story that Jeremy most wanted to reshoot. I think there are problems with TR Bowen’s lacklustre script: there’s none of the menace and sense of impending doom! Also, I didn’t think that Dartmoor was very atmospherically portrayed.
I do like the Rathbone Hound and I’ve heard that the Russian TV version with Vasily Livanov is VERY good (but I’ve never seen it).