Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Vol. 2: The Crooked Man/ The Speckled Band

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Volume two contains THE CROOKED MAN and THE SPECKLED BAND, two of the very best adaptations in the series.

The quality of transfer from 16mm on this DVD is superior to the first volume (although still slightly grainy), but there are some problems.

THE CROOKED MAN does have some image stability problems, which causes the image to jump very slightly up and down at times (and actually roll on one of my DVD players). There is also a slight greenish tint to the fist few minutes of the episode. THE SPECKLED BAND also has some image stability problems, especially in chapter five (the train sequence) where the right side of the screen shifts slightly, causing the image to "float". There are also sound synchronicity issues in both episodes, very brief, but noticeable nonetheless. Both episodes do have lint (at the top of the frames), scratches and holes intermittently, which could have been cleaned up digitally. The sound is good throughout the DVD--none of the warbling that marred the first DVD in the series occurs here.

Jeremy Brett and David Burke are at their best in well-scripted adaptations of the original stories. The supporting players are wonderful as well.

There are also a photo gallery, biographies and filmographies, and a list of Sherlockian and Jeremy Brett Societies.

In all, a much better quality DVD than Volume One, and, despite the problems, I'd recommend this DVD, especially if your VHS tapes have started to degrade. One hopes that the quality will continue to improve, and I eagerly await the next volume.

Our Well Studied and Deliberately Executed Holmes:

In reviewing this DVD, I'm actually examining the actor's performance as the character in the entire series, rather than those encapsulated within the specific titles. I have seen these episodes, and could do a separate review of each, but I think in this case that would actually be inappropriate. I can say, however, that these episodes are very good, and represent this outstanding series very well. The DVD itself is also of very high quality, as far as sound and picture are concerned. Granada did a first rate job, that has translated itself very handily to the new format.

Jeremy Brett's Holmes is something other than the various Holmes' we've been exposed to in the past. I was raised on Rathbone. But when I saw Brett's performances when they first aired on PBS, I slowly forgot Rathbone's influences. Brett immerses himself in such a way that must make it very personal to him, then displays the character of Holmes in a forceful and deliberate manner - and in a depth we may not see again.

The key thing to understanding Holmes, I think, is that he is unique as a genius as any genius would be. Exercising his talents to there fullest doesn't give him super-status as an overall human being by erasing other flaws. Instead, his talent takes precedence, accentuating his human flaws by casting them into a state of neglect that highlights them. Brett understands this, clearly because he himself is either a bona fide genius, or he has somehow deciphered the code that generates a genius' idiosyncratic behaviors. I can't say which. I can say that I really believe his Holmes. Brett may as well BE Holmes.

My second favorite aspect of Brett's Holmes is the level of humor. Great care was taken here to make each little "quip" more situationally true to the character. His humor is really more an expression of how he so uniquely relates to those around him - and is frequently not acknowledged by the other characters - being that they are fairly unaware. We, as the audience are in-on-the-joke, which is nice, and it's usually a pretty funny one.

I guess I just want to say that I think a great deal of this series. Jeremy Brett is the best, and here, has given us so much! He actually died while still "in service" to the roll. Not to sound too stupid about this, but I think there was something very appropriate in that. It's like he waited until he had gained perfection before moving on.

Bravo!

As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and Jeremy Brett I was delighted to see the release of the first series on DVD by MPI.The overall quality of the DVD's has been good, the standard of the picture is high, and the sound quality is acceptable.The second DVD in the series is an improvement on the first, however the quality of the sound could be improved, as bad lip synchronization is distracting, particularly in the Speckled band.I have already placed an order for the 3 vol in the series, and I look forward to the future release of the second series.

If you read my review of the first edition of this DVD series, you would know I consider Jeremy Brett's Holmes to be superior to all other interpretations. If you didn't, now you do! After reviewing the DVD I read a review which itemized several technical flaws which I have since noted myself. This disc is no exception, as it includes one quite obvious flaw wherein Brett's face seems to spasm or jiggle unintentionally.

Lord knows why this series hasn't garnered more attention, but if it had I can guarantee a bit more money and time would have been spent on the DVD's. The content is the most critical element (especially since there are NO special features save a few biographical screens) and again, it never fails to entertain.

The Crooked Man is a rather heart-wrenching episode, showing the cruel machinations of an ambitious soldier and their deadly consequences. Although many episodes of this program are quite funny thanks to Brett's intensely mannered performance, this one relied on emotional content and dramatic irony to keep the viewer engaged. The Speckled Band was the first episode I was lucky enough to see when my mother introduced me to the series, and it too tells a striking and tragic story.

Both episodes are generally humorless but continued the tradition of simple, loyal reproduction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales. Brett is always fantastic and will be missed. (If you are like me, and you usually find something Holmes does or says very funny in each episode, listen for the British military jargon in The Crooked Man. It sounds as strange and silly to me as US army terminology must sound to them.)

This, the second volume of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes the television series, is a welcome addition to the shelves of DVD sellers.

As the number of television shows increases at very high rates it is comforting to know that shows such as this as preserved for posterity on DVD.

AS the number of DVDs increases now that DVD player ownership has expanded to cover over 25% of US households and the number is poised to double by the end of the 2002 holiday season, the range of quality and reproduction of DVDs is also growing.

This does mean that less profitable ventures such as the Sherlock Holmes series seem doomed to limited treatments during transfer rather than get the full scale upgrading purists would prefer. For myself I would certainly prefer more but I am happy to be able to own these DVDs and watch them repeatedly.

Jeremy Brett, throught his years of portraying Holmes certainly carved out his reputation as being the ultimate Holmes. In these two early episodes one sees the stirrings of a determination by the actor to make the character his own.

There are so many aspects to these shows that it is difficult to know where to start. One of the reasons why the show developed it's avid following in my view is the attention paid to the original stories not only in the detail of portrayal but in observing the spirit of them. David Burke does excellent service in portraying Watson as an intelligent though somewhat limited colleague and pupil of the genius master and an individual in his own right who tries not to be overshadowed. This is a welcome rebuttal to the image of Watson as the buffoon who graced our screens for many years.

The two stories contained in this volume, Crooked Man and Speckled Band are both concerned with familial killings. In the first a husband's betrayal of his wife's true love many years ago results in his death and in the second a stepfather's greed for a legacy turns to murder. Both solid stories their depiction in 55 minute episodes highlights the superb editing skills used to bring them to the screen. Unlike many other period dramas the Homes series cuts across English class barrier lines while at the same time highlights the clear division between and within those classes.

All in all a little treasure which leads the viewer waiting on the edge of their seat for the next volume to arrive.

I was surprised when I saw how high the avarage customer rating was for this DVD. Then I thought, maybe it is a cult favorite among people who like campy, bad acting. But, after reading the reviews, I see that a lot of people really like it.

So, why didn't I like it? I thought the way Jeremy Brett plays Sherlock Homes was too strange. I know Holmes is meant to be eccentric, but the way Brett speaks is too choppy, kind of angry, and annoying to me. It seemed very affected and unnatural. Dr. Watwon comes off as really dopey.

The scenery and sets were good, most of the other actors were good, but this was not my idea of how Sherlock Holmes should be done.

Here are two episodes from the better part of the series.
The Speckled Band is considered by both Doyle himself and by most fans to be the best of the Holmes stories. I have read it a couple of times, with the original illustrations by Paget, and have watched the excellent Granada production.
Great care was taken to get this one right, and the actor who plays Roylott looks uncannily like the Paget drawing. Everything is as it should be for the pickiest Holmes fan.
I myself do not understand why this story is anyone's favorite. It is so full of holes that simply can't be ignored. Snakes can not be trained like dogs, and certainly don't come calling after a whistle. And any fatal fang marks would be instantly visible against the alabaster skin of the victim. Also, I find it impossible to believe that neither of the girls knew that the rope that hung from the ceiling and right over the pillow of the bed had no purpose, and that in the two years that they had access to the room one of them would not have tugged at it once or twice.
The rest of it works well enough, and the scene where Sherlock whacks the snake is memorable. This is undoubtedly a great story regardless of its faults, and seems to have an extra element of creepiness not present in most of the other stories.
As for the Creeping Man, I thought it was a boring tale, but very well done production-wise. I have viewed it once, but don't remember much except for the longish flashback scenes, and a wandering around in the storyline of the type that would come to plague the later entries of this series.

Volume 2 of MPI's great series of mysteries from Granada TV/PBS is as enjoyable as its predecessor. In "The Crooked Man", a distinguished army colonel is found dead, and his unconscious wife is the primary suspect. His regiment is unaware of the colonel's treachery in his younger days and that a man he left for dead due to it is back for revenge. But is the man with the crooked back guilty? In "The Speckled Band" the stepdaughter of a renowned but cruel doctor is about to be married and escape her unhappy home fears for her life when history repeats itself and the events that lead to her sister's death occur again. Jeremy Brett and David Burke as Holmes and Watson are on the case!

I remember fondly watching this series when it was aired on PBS some years ago. The quality of the production as well as the stories made me go and read all the Sherlock Holmes stories. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the episodes were faithful to the stories. Even the original illustrations from the Strand magazine (where the Sherlock Holmes stories first appeared) were apparently used in setting up scenes in the episodes. Since getting volumes 1 and 2 and eagerly awaiting volume 3, I've fallen in love with these excellent adaptations all over again. They get better with repeat viewings. You pick out little details you missed the first time. I recommend these to anyone who appreciates good mysteries first of all, and those who appreciate dramatizations that are faithful to the author's vision of the story and characters.

I am happy to see that they are beginning to release the Grenada Television productions of Sherlock Holmes, on DVD. These are by far the most entertaining productions of Conan Doyle's creation. Jeremy Brett is outstanding in the role of the master sleuth. The attention to detail of the sets and costumes is superb. It really gives the viewer an inside look at what Victorian England must have been like. All in all, it is a first-rate production. I hope that they plan on releasing ALL of the remaining episodes very soon.