Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Solitary Cyclist [VHS]

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This story shows the brutal reality beneath a fair surface; the 'upperclass' gentlemen behave like beasts, although one has a conscience. A pretty girl is subjected to what looks very much like rape.The violence is handled with the good taste and excellent filmmaking that was one of the hallmarks of this series. A very young-looking Jeremy Brett hasn't yet settled into his role as Holmes;(this was the first episode shot). Bits of his old romantic-lead persona show occasionally. It's not detrimental, and I think he does a fine job, but this episode of the series may be a surprise to anyone who has only seen him in later shows when he was playing more of a human icicle. The boxing scene is well staged and handled precisely as it was described in the book--a good job all round. Yes, Sherlock Holmes was a boxer, and a good allround athlete too. This may come as a surprise to those who only know him through the movies, but it is the way the character is written, and it is the reason why this series of films is the best portrayal of him that I have seen.

When it comes to film renderings of Sherlock Holmes, there is absolutely no better than the English television company Granada's tasteful, historically accurate and wonderfully casted versions.

In the role of the detective himself, Jeremy Brett (who sadly passed away in the aftereffects of his manodepressiv illness, and barely managed to complete the last episodes) is THE most memorable Sherlock Holmes of all times, with his outbursts and brilliant face expressions. Sometimes he acts out like a madman, portraiting Holmes as quite an original character (but never disrespectful or exaggerated), sometimes working with very small means. Anyway, he never leaves you unaffected by his performance and practically steals the screen away from his fellow actors.

The series are also well known for their creative portrait of Dr Watson, played by either David Burke (as he is in this story) or by the more grumpy, but equally marvellous Edward Hardwicke -- miles from the gasping fool as he is usually portaited. But even the other roles are casted with pain-staking care and of course brilliantly played. In this story, I will among others point out the very good performance of the lovely Barbara Wilshere as the pursued young, cycling woman and Michael Siberry's unforgettable portraying of the red-headed ruffian Woodley.

The environments -- the exteriors as well as the interior Victorian details -- have never been made better than in the Granada Sherlock Holmes series, and this puzzling and very thrilling episode is no exception from the rule. I think it is one of the best, although almost every one of them are of high quality. I have all of them and couldn't live without them. Watch it and enjoy good acting, beautiful English panoramas and excellent movie craftmanship to the fullest!

After coming across a copy of another Granada episode (The Bruce-Partington Plans) in a local store, I've been slowly accumulating the tapes of other episodes, most recently The Solitary Cyclist, which was one of my favorites of Conan Doyle's stories.

As always, Granada and Jeremy Brett deliver. I adore Brett; no other actor has come close to portraying Sherlock Holmes nearly so faithfully or so fascinatingly as he has. Brett's Holmes is frequently not at /all/ a likeable person (a fact illustrated with particular clarity in this episode), any more than Doyle's original was. What he /is/ is brilliant, intriguingly dramatic, and endearingly eccentric, with occasional flashes of compassion and sensitivity.

It's very difficult to steal a scene either from Brett or from Holmes himself, and no one pulls it off in The Solitary Cyclist. David Burke is a good, dependable Watson who can't help but be left in Holmes' intellectual dust, but is far from the phlegmatic simpleton that other actors have portrayed the character as (coughNigelBrucecough). Also notable are Barbara Wilshere as a confident and capable Violet Smith, John Castle playing Bob Carruthers with understated dignity, and Michael Siberry as the positively skin-crawlingly slimy Mr. Woodley.

As I've come to expect from Granada, the episode is a faithful rendering of the original story, with a large amount of the dialogue nearly verbatim, and painstaking attention to period detail.

Favorite moments:

Holmes' pained response to his chemical experiment being interrupted, against the combined forces of the immovable Mrs. Hudson and the adamant Miss Smith. And Holmes' subsequent rather gentle handling of Miss Smith, particularly his examination (with only a passing request for permission) of her hand and authoritative displaying to Watson of "a certain spirituality in the face," and the soft delivery of the refrain, "I never guess." I love Jeremy Brett's voice.

Holmes sniping at Watson over his "failure"--he's really horrible, and I can't help but love it. Especially towards the end of the discussion: "Did I really do remarkably badly?" "...Yes!"

The impromptu boxing match with Woodley, and Holmes' gloating to Watson afterwards. ("It was absolutely delicious. A straight left against a slogging ruffian.")

The falling action, in which Holmes lays out the entire plot to Watson and two of the erstwhile conspirators as though he'd known everything all along.

And the last scene--the positively childish trick with the newspaper, and the sudden scramble to the window after the mishap with the chemical reaction.

Plot in brief: Young woman (very pretty) accepts position as live-in music teacher to daughter of wealthy gentleman lately returned from South Africa, who claims acquaintance with her (the young woman's) uncle, whom he claims has died in penury. He offers a three figure salary (twice the going market rate), making it impossible for her to refuse. On her weekly trips to and from the station (she goes home to her mother at the weekend), she discovers she is followed on her bicycle by a dodgy looking man with dark glasses and a beard. She goes to Holmes for help because the stalking frightens her. Needless to say, not all is at it seems, but Holmes solves it.

The film chooses to focus on Holmes's skills as detective and athlete, and his interaction with Watson than on the potentially 'darker' elements of stalking and abduction - but that's fine, and in keeping with Doyle's story. Noteworthy performance from Barbara Wilshere, who is *not* just a damsel in distress. Highlights include:

- the fight in the pub, with Brett's withering, as much for the dialogue as for the the actual fight.
- Holmes being patched up by an exasperated, but long-suffering Watson.
- Holmes's withering assessment of Watson's failure - 'you really have done *remarkably badly*, Watson...' And later, 'Did I really do remarkably badly?' [Pause as Holmes thinks, then], '...Yes.' Difficult not to laugh, but then one feels slightly guilty for doing so because Holmes is so brutal, and poor Watson (who really did try his best) is so obviously hurt.
- Chemical experiment gone wrong, when smoke billows out of the window, and a fire engine arrives, Holmes and Watson open the window, choking and spluttering, then Holmes says, 'Let me explain,' and drags Watson inside again.

Definitely one of the funnier episodes but full of insights about the Holmes-Watson relationship. Brett's Holmes - an early portrayal - bears all the hallmarks of the later films: we see the genius and the lunatic, the impatience, the dedication, the sardonic humour that all but borders onto blatant rudeness, and the athleticism. The only thing missing here is the black despondency Holmes sometimes falls prey to, but there's plenty of that elsewhere!

This is one of my absolute favortie videos because of both Jeremy Brett and John Castle. John Castle is, in my opinion, one of the best British actors from the time of Peter O'Toole and Anthony Hopkins, both of which he has costarred with. The only major movie he has ever done was "The Lion in Winter", so it was nice to see him again in something more recent. Another reason this video is so entertaining is because Jeremy Brett shows a side of Holmes that is not often seen. As mentioned by the other reviewers, the chemistry scene alone is worth the purchase of the video. It's quite interesting to see two grown men behaving like children, especially Holmes and Watson. One gets the feeling from other actors playing Sherlock Holmes that Holmes keeps Watson around because he is amused by Watson's lack of observing abilities. With Brett, he conveys an affection for Watson not often seen in other films, showing why he keeps Watson around and takes him with him on his cases. Absolutely delightful. If you do see this, try to check out "The Lion in Winter" also to see a significantly younger Castle (who plays Carruthers).

One of my favorite Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes. A woman, a cyclist is being followed by another cyclist who looks scary and follows her everywhere. See the results and who this man is! A very exciting ending. This is a great Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and a man, one of the main charactors, a bad man get into a fight. It's pretty funny. Jeremy Brett acts like one of those proffessional boxers. At the end of the fight, the man is lying on a table in a bar room unconscious. This film is great!

This is one of Granada's more lighthearted episodes. The person below me went into the plot, so I won't bore you with it again. There was a few scenes that jumped out at me. One was, of course, seeing Sherlock Holmes flatten Woodley. That was a GREAT scene. The other was the very end. "Come Watson, let me explain!" I listed the more humerous incidents for this review, but do not get me wrong. There was definately more than that. However, one doesn't think of Holmes having a chemistry accident or boxing someone down very often. It really adds zest to the movie. This is definately a must-see.