Customer Reviews

Sherlock Holmes: Mazarin Stone [VHS]

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

 

 

Some fans of the great Brett films will be disappointed in that Holmes does not appear in this film, but rather his brother Mycroft fills in. Furthermore, the script is a curious attempt to combine two entirely separate Doyle stories. And yet, somehow it's all enjoyable, as Mycroft is good fun and there's a palpable atmosphere throughout.

First off,I would like to mention that I have a soft spot for the much put-upon story on which this dramatization was originally based. I always thought that it had its fill of Holmesian brilliance and Holmes was never badly out of character. I also liked the clever additions of a second exit and waiting room in baker street. It might seem somewhant stale compared to Doyle's other tales and the third person narration is not as enjoyable as Watson but the story was, never the less, an engaging and enjoyable Holmes story in my opinion... Anyway back to the 1994 Granada film. This adaptation was broadcast as part of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Granada's final series and it is victim to several of what could have been crippling blows. First off an adaptation of a story as short as the Mazarin Stone was conceptually problematic. The story would probably take less than half the alloted 50-55 minute runtime to read aloud and the writers and producers of the show had to some how get around that while still keeping the basic plot of the stolen crown diamond intact. Secondly, Jeremy Brett recently diagnosed with a fatal heart condition and already very ill, was unable to appear as Holmes for principle photography of the episode;lucky then that Mycroft (Charles Grey) had some spare time to dispose of! In this rather unusual adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1921 shortstory, Mycroft Holmes, who always had something of a nose for crime behind it all (see The Greek Interpretor as an example) is called upon to investigate the theft of the Mazarin Stone in the wake of his brother Sherlock's absence from London to 'drown the ghost.' Meanwhile, Dr. Watson accepts a case from the Garrideb sisters who beleive their brother, an old college professor of Watson's, has been falsly promised a large sum of money and want to get to the bottom of it. A link between the two cases is eventually found and Watson and Mycroft investigate together. What is the result of this adaptation? Of course Holmes' absence is felt heavily throughout the film but the reasons for his depature as so brilliantly bridged by Jeremy Brett in a scene shot later on, are quite in character with Holmes' darker side and Watson does keep correspondanse with him on the Garrideb case... As Holmes himself says before his departure (to Watson), "I'll be watching you with my third eye" he gestures at his forehead between just his eyes. Holmes' presence is felt throughout despite his lack of onscreen appearences and his "Brother mine, bravo" bit is particularly chilling, spoken as it is in the dim and foggy night. Apart from Brett's fine, if minimal, performance, the supporting cast is the usual great with Edward Hardwick his reliable self and Charles Grey particularly excellent in what could easily have been an awkward position for an actor as Mycroft. Also noteworthy are the fine British thespians who play the three Garrideb siblings. Each sibling comes with his or her own quirk or strange characteristic. For example Agnes is hard-of-hearing, or Nathan is half-deluded and money-mad in his old age. Their performances are first rate, expecially as the exitng and clever climax attacks the viewer and, in a way, the Garrideb sisters are the 'heroine(s) of the occasion.' Nathan's half-sung, half-muttered version of Camptown Races is particularly amusing. I hate to ramble about just those three characters but I feel I have to say what's on my mind: each of these characters, despite being silly, come across as beleivable ( if not entirely the same as in the canon) eccentric, old-fanshioned and (in some cases) nosy people. I would,however advise that those who detest 'light' comic relief will most likley be turned off of this episode. Additionally, Jon Finch is deliciously evil, if slightly over the top at times, as the chief villian Count Sylvius. The other villian of the piece, the one who offers Nathan Garrideb the money, is James Winter, alias John Garrideb and proves to be the link (no telling how) between the two cleverly interwoven Holmes stories present here (the other is The Three Garridebs)and is essentially the closest thing to Sam Merton replacment we will ever get ( the character is entirely different, however.) The portrayl of the character by Gavan O'Herlihy is easily the weakest in the program, although this can be at least partially atributed to the somewhat psuedo-American nature the of the character as written by Granada but the performance is overall a strong, sinster one which reaches high point with an especially exiting scene involving Watson, the villian and a diamond clever. (This scene is similar to one in the Three Garridebs, except there Holmes was present and Watson was shot rather than wounded with the diamond clever.) The direction and especially cinematography and lighting (be prepared for some unusual, highly haunting shots here) are superb and some of the camera angles and edits are realy worth noting. I will also say that the stories were, again, very skillfully interwoven with a screenplay, nothing short of marvelous. On a more particular note involving this side of the production, Mycroft's investigation of the theft is almost entirely as per what we are led to beleive Holmes did in the original story and the excellently played out scene of Sylvius' and Mycroft's confrontation at Baker Street is almost exactly like the initial confrontation between Holmes and Sylvius ( initial as in before Sam Merton was brought in), except for Mycroft being in Holmes' place. That scene was a personal favorite of mine from this production along with Garrideb sisters 'saving the day' (watch to see how), and fondley reminds me of the original story and how Granada, regardless of the circumstances, would try to be as faithful to the original story as reasonably possible. Of course there are always improvments to be suggested and I would, personally, have liked if Mr.Brett could have appeared because (A) Granada could have stuck to more of the original story and (B) we might have gotten to see the excellent ending of the original story involving Holmes and client Lord Cantlemere- it was always a favored part of the original story for me and in hindsight it would have been nice to see it brought to the screen here. But Cantlemere is still there (somewhat) and the film stands as a fine piece of drama in its own right and a well-made adpation of the short stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Long live Holmes, Watson, and Baker Street!

+++++

This movie is based on the story "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" (1921) written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 to 1930). This Doyle story is actually an adaptation of his play "The Crown Diamond," first performed in 1921.

What's unfortunate about this episode is that the incomparable Jeremy Brett who plays Sherlock Holmes is only in about 30 seconds of it (20 seconds at the beginning and 10 seconds at the end to shout out the line that titles this review). He was unable to act in it due to his illness. Another thing that's unfortunate is this story is not entirely faithful to Conan Doyle's story since it combines another Doyle story ("The Adventure of the Three Garridebs," 1924) with this story.

Thus, what we have is the presentation of two unrelated Doyle stories with one being investigated by Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) and another being investigated by Sherlock's brother, Mycroft (Charles Gray). A connection is found between the two cases.

In this episode, "The Three Garridebs" is the lesser story to "The Mazarin Stone." This is why this episode has the title it has.

Therefore, this episode will appeal to two different types of viewers.

The first is those viewers unfamiliar with this series. They will find that the story presented is quite good with plenty of action and with the fine acting of Charles Gray. They might rate this episode 4 stars.

Those viewers familiar with the series (like me) will probably have a different reaction. As mentioned, no Jeremy Brett and not a faithful adaptation to Conan Doyle's original 1921 story. For me, this episode turned into a standard crime drama and felt contrived. They might rate this episode 2 stars.

My final rating is an average of these two separate ratings.

Finally, as with all the episodes in this series, the costumes, background music, attention to detail, and cinematography are quite well done.

In conclusion, I have to give credit to the writers for their creativity for making the best of a bad situation and coming up with a decent story!

(1994; 55 min; British drama; made for TV; full screen)

+++++

The shortcoming of "The Mazarin Stone" noted by other reviews is real. Jeremy Brett is the strength of this Holmes series, and this episode was made when his illness prevented much participation. The few scenes he does have are well-acted, but saddening. But the episode has a treat for those who appreciate the BBC version of Richard II. One of the highlights of that production is the dilemma of the vacillating, easygoing Duke of York (Charles Gray) as he's torn between his nephews, Richard II (Derek Jacobi) and the usurper Bolingbroke (Jon Finch), with Bolingbroke riding rough-shod over both. In this Holmes episode Gray (as Mycroft Holmes) and Finch meet again with reversed results. The sparring of these two deft actors is so enjoyable that I've ended up watching this episode more than the others from the last Holmes season. The camera work, always superb, is at its best in this epsiode - especially in the beautifully transferred dvd version. What a shame the dvds for this series aren't packaged individually!

A Holmes episode without Sherlock? Unthinkable, it would seem, but somehow this reworking of two Conan Doyle stories (The Three Garridebs and The Mazarin Stone) comes together reasonably well, thanks largely to the charisma of Charles Gray, and a trio of amusing supporting players in the roles of the three Garrideb siblings. Edward Hardwicke is also on hand to lend solid support as Watson, and provides this episode with much-needed continuity in the absence of the incomparable Jeremy Brett. The latter does appear briefly at the beginning and the end, and his presence curiously permeates the entire episode. Brett's scenes were filmed at a later stage when he was in better health, and the previous reviewer is quite incorrect in stating that this was his final outing as Holmes. The series actually concluded with The Cardboard Box, filmed a month after The Mazarin Stone, and featuring a memorable performance from Jeremy Brett.

The Granada series is full of top-quality productions, clearly done by people who loved Conan Doyle's stories and were willing to go the extra mile to make Victorian/Edwardian England come alive. As for the title character...as far as I'm concerned, that keen-eyed, black-clad man on the screen isn't Jeremy Brett at all, it's Sherlock Holmes incarnate. His Holmes is by turns brilliant, arrogant, mischievous, sneering, moody, insufferable, and kindhearted, and Brett earns high marks for making him both larger than life and touchingly - at times almost heartbreakingly - human.

If you're new to the series, however, "Mazarin Stone" is a terrible place to start. As other reviewers have noted, Brett's poor health kept him off-camera for about 95% of the film, and he leaves an unfillable hole. Edward Hardwicke (Dr. Watson) and Charles Gray (Holmes' brother Mycroft) are fine actors who do far more than just make Brett look good, but they can't carry an entire episode by themselves.

And yet...the Granada team deserves credit for their creative efforts to circumvent two major problems with this episode. The first was their source material; "Mazarin Stone" is widely regarded as the worst Sherlock Holmes story in the Canon. By filling in the plot with elements from another adventure ("The Three Garridebs"), they created a solid hybrid, making eminently watchable television out of a barely readable story.

The second problem, sadly, was Brett himself. Age and illness dimmed neither his acting ability nor his deft touch for the subtleties of Holmes' character, but after a certain point, they did keep him from looking the part. Holmes led a rough, unhealthy life, and he's not supposed to be good-looking, but he *is* supposed to be thin to the point of emaciation and relatively young - in his 30s and 40s at most. Brett was a slim and youthful 50 when he started in the role (if anything, he was too handsome for it back then), but as time passed, he aged and put on weight. I saw some of the later episodes on PBS in the early `90s and was underwhelmed; brilliant actor or no, he simply didn't look like the gaunt, high-strung sleuth I'd envisioned.

Keeping Brett off-camera, therefore, had its merits, and the manner in which it was done made the best of a bad situation. From his mysterious departure at the beginning of "Mazarin" to his dreamlike and dishevelled reappearance at its conclusion, the absent Holmes broods over the story like an enigmatic spectre. It's an interesting psychological effect, and one almost wishes Granada had taken the bold step of making the episode entirely posthumous - using it to show Holmes' continuing influence over the two men who knew him best and turning his quiet "Brother mine...bravo!" at the end into an eerie benediction. Overall, "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" is compelling not so much what it shows, but for what it doesn't.

Granada's habbit of replacing the Holmes or Watson actors if they weren't available with Mycroft Holmes is half repeated here. Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes) was ill, and therefore, in the beggining, he explaines to Watson that he must go on a trip, and therefore, he barely makes any appearenences until the end of the film. Watson is is called upon to help ind a man by the name of Garrideb (taken from the original story THE 3 GARRIDEBS), if he exists. Meanwhile, the lazy Mycroft is asked to find the Mazarain stone, recently stolen from a museum. A connection is found bettween the 2 cases and soon, Mycroft and Watson are working together. Not an overal bad film, but Holmes's abscence takes away some of the "quality", shall we say?

From the short story generally agreed to be Arthur Conan Doyle's worst -- ta-da! -- it's the worst (and last) of the Jeremy Brett series. In fact, you should be warned that Brett, clearly a dying man, only appears at the end of this episode to cry out "Bravo, Brother!" or some such nonsense, after an hour of lame deductions and absurd melodramatics from Charles Grey as Mycroft and Edward Hardwicke as Watson... A travesty and a sad note to end a fine series on.