Product Details

• Actors: Jeremy Brett, David Burke, Rosalie Williams, Eric Porter
• Producers: John Hawkesworth
• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Mpi Home Video
• VHS Release Date: December 15, 1994
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301480449
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,137 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This terrific episode from the Granada Television series is based on a truly popular tale from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon. One of the more curious mysteries the famous detective has ever encountered (and one that makes him and Dr. Watson laugh), the story has a pawnbroker named Wilson (John Woodnutt) hearing from an assistant about a wealthy foundation, the Red Headed League, dedicated to the "propagation and spread of... redheads as well as [to] their maintenance." Bearing a full head of fiery hair himself, Wilson applies for consideration and is given a strange job copying an encyclopedia by hand, alone in a small office. After seeing notice of the League's dissolution, Wilson approaches Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Dr. Watson (David Burke, the original series actor). Holmes ultimately gets to the bottom of things, but also experiences the enmity of a surprise figure, who turns up in the last few seconds. (He's not in Doyle's story, so don't bother looking.) Good fun all around, especially for Holmes fans who would enjoy seeing this unique story well adapted for the screen. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three-pipe- problem", June 21, 2008

By 

Bentley (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Red-Headed League [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League" is adaptly dramatized by John Hawkesworth. Jeremy Brett plays the dramatic Sherlock Holmes and David Burke plays Watson.

Professor Moriarty is at his tricks again and has already been foiled three times by Holmes. There is an ulterior motive for trying to hire red headed men to perform nonsensical work and it has nothing to do with red hair or benefactors. Why is the shop owner lured away by his assistant? What is lurking beneath the surface and how can the shop owner be made aware of his being duped?

It is all pure Holmes and Brett is brilliant in the part. This is a pretty good rendition of the Doyle story and is fairly true to form.

Holmes smokes three pipes in 50 minutes to solve this case (in silence); it is a miracle with all of that smoke he did not asphyxiate himself or Watson who was sleeping in the room.

Pure entertainment.

This is 1984 vintage so do not expect to much in the way of filming; not bad for a made for television film.

Bentley/2008
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 5 (The Resident Patient / The Red-Headed League / The Final Problem)The Red-headed LeagueThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Red-Headed League

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully done, and hilarious, October 31, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Red-Headed League [VHS] (VHS Tape)

THE REDHEADED LEAGUE shows Arthur Conan Doyle's superb sense of comedy. Portions of this story play like a Monty Python sketch, and the clever adaptors at Granada know not to take any of this too seriously. John Woodnutt is hilarious as the self-pitying Jabez Wilson, and everyone else in the cast is similarly superb. There is a startling touch in this episode--I may never read of Holmes 'springing up from the sofa' again without seeing Jeremy Brett's acrobatic take on that particular phrase. It's outrageous, but it works, and he manages to do it it in a very elegant fashion. Brett also manages to make a drab Victorian frock coat appear to be the most graceful and fashionable of garments. I consider this one of my top five favorites, though there is a lot of competition.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Laughable Case Becomes Serious, April 13, 2005

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Red-Headed League [VHS] (VHS Tape)

+++++

This movie is based on the story "The Red-headed League" (1892) written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 to 1930).

In this story, a mysterious newspaper ad calls for all redheaded men to join a league that will pay good money for rather easy work. A newly hired assistant Vincent Spaulding (Tim McInnerny) brings this ad to his redheaded employer Jabez Wilson (contrary to the editorial review above, the actor who plays Wilson is Roger Hammond), who owns a pawn broking business. Wilson applies for the position and gets hired. His job is to copy out an encyclopedia starting with everything under "A." To Wilson's surprise, a few months later, the league mysteriously dissolves.

Sherlock (Jeremy Brett) and Dr. Watson (David Burke) break out laughing when Wilson finishes his story. However, Sherlock agrees to take on the case.

As Sherlock investigates, this case turns more serious and seems to involve his archenemy Professor Moriarty.

This movie is worth viewing just to see Sherlock and Watson crack up laughing.

Brett (as usual) does a good job in capturing the essence of the famous gumshoe in his performance. Hammond as pawnbroker Jabez Wilson also gives a good comical performance.

Finally, the props, costumes, background music, and cinematography are quite well done.

In conclusion, this is a good movie to watch even if you have read the story it's based on!!

(1984; 50 min; British drama; made for TV; full screen)

+++++