Teaching Sherlock Holmes #1

As some of you may know, over the past few years I’ve been researching and writing my PhD in Film at the University of Warwick. One of the real benefits of this long and arduous process has been the opportunity to teach undergraduates, and to try to convey some of my enthusiasm for the subject.

I’m really excited about next week, when I’m assisting Michael Lightborne on his Adaptation course. He’s asked me to teach a two-week module on transmedia Sherlock Holmes. Planning this work has been very pleasant indeed: I’ve been trawling through all my DVDs, books and comics finding examples of Conan Doyle’s immense influence on culture.

Next week, I’m going to be showing my students Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon alongside Brett’s The Dancing Men, two very different riffs on the same source material. We’re also going to be running a workshop which will project three different reels of Sherlockian material, allowing the students to explore the space, making their own connections between different adaptations.

Putting together these reels has been tremendous fun. We’re using clips from the Rathbone films, the Brett series, the Wilmer and Cushing BBC episodes, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Murder by Decree, Without a Clue and the recent Cumberbatch and Downey Jr. versions. We’ll also have a slideshow running displaying illustrations, advertising material and pages from comic books.

In the second week, I’m going to be lecturing on a more focused case study, comparing the approaches of the Cumberbatch and Downey Jr. Sherlocks, and asking what prompted their creative decisions.

I think it should be a stimulating couple of sessions and I can’t wait to see what the students make of it all! Needless to say, I shall report back on our findings here at Squeezegut Alley…

Remembering Jeremy Brett

Born on this day in 1933, Peter Jeremy William Huggins was, for many, the definitive Sherlock Holmes.

The Granada series in which he starred ran from 1984 to 1994, adapting 41 of Conan Doyle’s 60 stories. Especially in the first few years, the efforts of both Brett and producer Michael Cox resulted in the most authentic Holmes yet. Brett’s charismatic performance was supported by sumptuous sets, gorgeous costumes and deft adaptations. Most importantly, he had two of the finest Watsons ever cast: first David Burke, then Edward Hardwicke.

One of the most delightful aspects of the Granada series was the warm friendship depicted between Holmes and his Boswell. In interviews, Brett often suggested that he saw Holmes as a dependent, relying upon his steady and compassionate friend to get through life. It made for a compelling revision of the familiar dynamic. Perhaps Brett’s thoughts were influenced by the fact that he’d played Dr. Watson himself, on stage opposite Charlton Heston’s elderly Sherlock.

The Crucifer of Blood

In the first years of the Granada series, Brett was an intensely physical Holmes, spidery and lean. Leaping over sofas, briskly rubbing his hands together, his index finger raised like an exclamation mark, Brett was spellbinding.

My favourite Granada episode is also the first that I ever saw, The Dancing Men. It’s only the second adventure broadcast but already the atmosphere is perfect. I love it for its portrayal of how Holmes and Watson live together, the rhythms of their day-to-day existence. It’s a tragic tale, made more so by the sympathetic playing of Tenniel Evans. It also contains two very fine demonstrations of Holmes’ powers of deduction, beautifully enunciated by Brett.

with Tenniel Evans as Hilton Cubitt

There’s a lovely running gag about Watson secretly reading Holmes’ monograph on codes and ciphers. At the end of the episode, Holmes tests Watson’s new skills, slyly challenging him to decode the Dancing Men code. I’m indebted to justdeduceit for these great screencaps of a wonderful moment:

"Come...here...at...ONSE?"

If you don’t already have it, I’d urge you to invest in the boxed set of the Granada series. And if you want to read more about Jeremy Brett, the best book by far is David Stuart Davies’ Bending the Willow.

 

Cumberbatch and Freeman interview

More goodies from Den of Geek! First, an entertaining interview with the new Sherlock and John (it’s difficult for me not to type ‘Holmes and Watson!’). Both men discuss their roles intelligently, and there’s a fine sense of camaraderie between them. It is especially nice to read of Cumberbatch’s attachment to Conan Doyle, and his reverence for Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett. The interview can be found here.

And then there’s this informative report, which contains the best description I’ve read so far of the new 221B set. I particularly liked the mention of the microwave, which ‘houses a beaker full of eyes’! There’s also some slight criticism of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes from Moffat… You can read it here.