Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

TigerShark 90 Whether you grew up reading Arthur Conan Doyle's stories of Sherlock Holmes or not (I didn't), this superbly crafted, lavishly produced series from Granada Television is arguably by far the best filmed version of Sherlock Holmes. With faithful translations that are artfully done, historical accurate, and acted to perfection. It aired on ITV in England and in America aired on PBS's Anthology series Mystery!. It became a popular series running from 1984 to 1994 in four volumes along with five feature length films.However, the main attraction is Jeremy Brett, by far the definitive Sherlock Holmes to me. No actor previously has played him more masterfully and memorably than him and will remain an incredibly difficult act to follow for who decide to play Holmes in the future. His performance makes Holmes into a complex character. His Holmes is conceited, melancholy, eccentric, and often very aloof, being a brilliant but very human detective. Brett truly captured a man whose mind is always at work. He truly embodies the role showing nothing but prowess in each and every performance. Whenever, I think of Sherlock Holmes it will always be his Sherlock Holmes.In "Adventures", David Burke makes a wonderful Dr. Watson bringing a certain exuberance to the role. His Watson is not the annoying buffoon that Nigel Bruce was but an intelligent person that can hold his own and plays off very well with Holmes. I just love the banter they have. Burke's Watson is also impulsive and always makes room for humor. He would be replaced afterward in later volumes by Edward Hardwicke whose take is different but equally excellent.The series also had fine supporting casts which included Rosalie Williams as Holmes's motherly housekeeper Mrs. Hudson, Charles Gray as Holmes's brother Mycroft, who is as brilliant if not more so than Holmes himself, and Colin Jeavons as the inept Inspector Lestrade, who thinks he can outdo Holmes in solving cases but always ends up being proved wrong. Also, Eric Porter made a very menacing Professor Moriarty.Another thing that stands out in the Granada series is the vivid period flavor. It makes you feel like your there in Victorian Era England with the mansions, countrysides, trains, and horse drawn carriages. The interiors of houses look like they would during this period, especially with the look of Holmes flat on 221 B Baker Street. You can tell that the makers of the series went to incredible lengths to make every detail accurate to the era and in the text. This series has the finest locations, costumes, props, and sets that I've ever seen."The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is the first and best volume in the series. It has several of the finest adaptations that Granada has to offer. Episodes such as "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Greek Interpreter", and "The Final Problem" are sensational. Although, my personal favorites are "The Crooked Man," "The Copper Beeches," and "The Blue Carbuncle". The tales in this volume are the most playful and just like the title, they are adventurous. The photography and directing in these is magnificent giving the stories great visual flavor. These are classy adaptations of classic stories.This series is a must watch for Holmes fans, mystery lovers, and anyone who craves high quality television.

Jimmy L. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is highly acclaimed for faithfully adapting the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The detective may be best remembered from the well-known 1940s film series starring Basil Rathbone in the iconic role, with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Those enjoyable adventures, however, were only very loosely based on the source material. I've never read the original stories, but I understand this British television series is regarded as one of the better Holmes productions.The mysteries take place in the Victorian Era, like the sourcework did. (The Rathbone movies moved Holmes to WWII-era London.) The show also differs from the Rathbone series in many other ways. Watson, as played by David Burke, is much younger (younger than Holmes?) and is smarter than the Nigel Bruce comic-relief portrayal. The first episode emphasizes Holmes as a master of disguise and the show even hints at the detective's recreational drug use. In my opinion, this version is more similar to Billy Wilder's THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES than to the Basil Rathbone films, if that's a useful comparison.Jeremy Brett is lauded for his characterization of the titular eccentric genius, but I think I might still prefer Rathbone. Maybe I'm too used to seeing Rathbone, but Brett doesn't quite look right as Sherlock Holmes. (Something about the eyes...) But you get used to it over time. And Brett does do an admirable job stepping into the role of the great detective and making it his own.There's not a lot of action or excitement, even compared with earlier depictions of Sherlock Holmes adventures. Each episode is a self-contained mystery, often a low-key scheme in the English countryside. And I don't know if it's the television production values or the lighting, but the stories seem to lack a certain atmosphere. They don't feel as suspenseful or ominous as the Rathbone films, which had that 1940s detective movie flair to them. (Shadows and fog, standoffs at gunpoint, double crosses, races against time, sinister plots that threatened the entire country.) By comparison, this show seems kind of bland. Brightly lit mansions, methodical investigations and long expository flashback sequences. (Perhaps this style is truer to Arthur Conan Doyle's storytelling.)But the Holmesian mysteries are generally splendid, as the detective uses his unmatched intellect to piece together solutions to complex problems. Watching Sherlock Holmes solve crimes is always fun, and this show offers some classic Holmes stories. I find that some episodes are more entertaining than others, but they all are of a fairly high quality, and should satisfy your thirst for deduction.I think I prefer the look and feel of the Rathbone movies, but this show earns points for sticking with the Victorian setting and the details of Doyle's source material. It's allegedly the most faithful interpretation of the original stories, so it could be argued that "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" brings to life the TRUE Sherlock Holmes. Worth checking out if you're a Holmes enthusiast or a mystery lover.

dhyan I read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories at once this past year. It was the perfect reading experience--the books I read were reprints of the original magazine editions, down to the illustrations and the name Conan Doyle without "Sir Arthur" looming in front. Doyle amazed me by making Sherlock & Watson my contemporaries. The stories leapt over the decades, over the differences in fashion (wardrobe, philosophy, & vocabulary) to show me these were just a couple of guys sharing an apartment, one of whom being rather eccentric.Adaptations of literature can deeply offend me. My disgust over The English Patient hasn't died down yet (story and various emphases, not cinematography or acting), for instance. Therefore, after Doyle had made Sherlock so real to me, I didn't believe there would be a portrayal that didn't anger me. At the same time, I had finished all of the stories, and Doyle being long dead, there would be no more. So when my honey discovered some episodes online, I gave some a try.Jeremy Brett brought together important physical characteristics, the desire and intelligence to bring the character to life, and the acting capability to actually do so. Supported by exceptional writing, with changes only to the point of necessity given media constraints. Brett even added gesture and expression not mentioned in the story, yet fitting as well as if they were.Fans of the stories should not hesitate to watch this series given the opportunity. Even more, fans of the shows would gain to read the stories because of the greater elucidation of deductive principles.I actually gave it a ten.

robinwed Has Patrick Gowers been given his real due for the music he has written for this series? The title music, that beautiful, rather morbid theme for the solo violin (Holmes's instrument, of course), so subtly coloured by the harmony and instrumentation of the accompaniment, reflecting a number of elements in these stories (I fancy that there are tragedy, regret, tenderness, ennui and cocaine all in there somewhere), is uncannily right, and the composer is endlessly inventive in deriving other passages of music from this material. I have just watched 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist' and marvelled yet again at the superbly atmospheric touch Mr Gowers has, applied with such taste and economy - a haunting octave-oscillation, for instance, suggesting the up-and-down movement of bicycle pedals but also full of mysterious, suspenseful malevolence. At every turn the music, while never pushing itself to the fore, complements and enhances the excellent production with the utmost effectiveness. We never tire of that ubiquitous theme, presented and developed in such cleverly varied ways.Whoever engaged Patrick Gowers for this job deserves our gratitude, and as for the composer himself - well, eat your heart out, Richard Wagner. Fantastic music which surely has few equals among all film scores.(For some episodes the solo violinist in the title music is absolutely first-class - who is it? - , while for others it seems that the soloist is different and, while acceptable, not quite as good. This seems rather odd.)