Customer Reviews

Sherlock Holmes 4-Pack [VHS]

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

 

 

Never has there been a better pair to play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson like Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The relationship between the two is what makes this pair timeless. Their loving sarcasism reminds me of the relationships between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker or Spock and Scotty. The famous line "elementary my dear Watson" will forever be the trade mark of these movies. Holmes is forever amazing his friends, the bumbling Inspector Lestrade and Dr. Watson, with his astounding deductions. Because this series is dated, they seem a bit corny at times. People sometimes drop like flies right under his nose. These faults are all over looked when you are enamored by the duo. Elaine Leithiser

Mr. Holmes just beats out Colombo as the best. Mr Rathbone will always be the real Sherlock Holmes to me. Consistantly decent scripts maintain the aura established in the beginning of the franchize. Some cases are more believable than others but I enjoy all of them. I'm not sure how he would campare to Dirty Harry but I love the Sherlock Holmes mysteries

I love old movies, and I love Sherlock Holmes - so why did I only give this boxed set only 3 stars?

I guess it's because I'm an avid fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels that I had trouble really ENJOYING these films. The comparisons are kind of inevitable. I enjoyed Basil Rathbone as Holmes - his appearance, steely gaze, and clipped, brusque way of speaking almost mimic the way I envisioned him in the books.

However, I found Nigel Bruce's portrayal of Watson absolutely shocking. Who is this buffoon? This fat clown maquerading as Sherlock's best friend and confident? In Doyle's books, Watson was a reliable and intelligent man of action that Holmes could always count on. The only thing Nigel Bruce's Watson could be relied on is comic relief - it was quite sad to see.

Though admitedly, if I ignored the horrendous warping of Doyle's world and think of the movie as something seperate, I quite enjoyed it. "Terror by Night" was particularly fun - a nifty little murder mystery on speeding train. (And though I hate to admit it, there's the scene where the dopey Watson attempts to interrogate a suspect even had me giggling) The films are interesting, intellectual, and are very slickly produced (for the time, anyway).

All in all, if you're looking for some good mystery movies, by all means check these films out. If you're looking for a more faithful adaption of Doyle's work, check out the Granada series. Jeremy Brett plays a perfect Holmes (although the illness that eventually took his life is more evident in his later films) and David Burke (and later Edward Hardwicke) as a Watson that Doyle would have been proud of.