The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Vol. 1: (A Scandal in Bohemia/ The Dancing Men/ The Naval Treaty/ The Solitary Cyclist)
"A Scandal in Bohemia"The very first Sherlock Holmes short story (following the detective's introduction in the novelsA Study in ScarletandThe Sign of the Four) was also the first Granada Television production in the long-running Holmes series featuring Jeremy Brett's definitive performance as the famous sleuth. No deerstalker cap, cape, curved meerschaum pipe, or Basil Rathbone mannerisms for this Holmes: Brett's portrayal went straight to the heart of the character Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created, with all the manic-depressive, coldly clinical, drug-dependent, and unnervingly focused brilliance intact. Just as on-the-money is David Burke's Dr. John Watson, who is hardly the loyal puppy of widespread assumption but rather a dedicated ally and determined chronicler of the publicity-wary Holmes. "A Scandal in Bohemia," ironically, is one of the few instances of Holmes being bested by an equally intelligent adversary--an actress by the name of Irene Adler (Gayle Hunnicutt), who has threatened to reveal damaging evidence of her own affair with the king of Bohemia (Wolf Kahler), a ridiculous pseudonym invented by Watson to protect the real royal personage in trouble. It's Holmes to the rescue, going undercover in disguise to take away the blackmailer's trump, though it's he whose head will ultimately be turned by the extraordinary Irene. The cast is wonderful (meet Rosalie Williams as Baker Street housekeeper Mrs. Hudson), and the drama is great fun. (For a contemporary movie reinvention of this story, check out the 1998 featureZero Effect, starring Bill Pullman as a whacked-out variation on Holmes, Ben Stiller as his long-suffering Watson, and Kim Dickens as an updated Irene.)--Tom Keogh"The Dancing Men"What is the meaning of the stick figures that appear scrawled one day on the exterior wall of a Northfolk manor? Why do they so terribly upset the American wife (Betsy Brantley) of the gentleman (Tenniel Evans) who lives there? The case proves one of the most tantalizing for Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and his ally and chronicler, Dr. Watson (David Burke). Then it proves among the gravest of Holmes's career when murder enters the picture and the distraught woman is charged with the crime. This is one of those stories from the Holmes canon that practically invites an adaptation; Sherlockians will enjoy seeing the oddly disturbing "dancing men" on screen, while newcomers to Holmes will find the tale particularly compelling. As always, Brett remains the definitive Holmes.--Tom Keogh"The Naval Treaty"An old schoolmate of Dr. Watson's, Percy Phelps (David Gwillim), has asked the longtime friend of Sherlock Holmes to intercede on his behalf with the famous detective. Phelps, a member of the Foreign Office, has stolen a copy of a naval treaty with serious international consequences, but the document has been missing for two months. His nerves shattered from worry, Phelps is under the care of his fiancée (Alison Skilbeck), but so far the treaty has not surfaced. Holmes (Jeremy Brett), aided by Watson (David Burke), agrees to take the case, which is handsomely adapted in this episode from the Granada Television series. As usual, Brett is the most fascinating, most complex, and truest of the many Holmes portrayals in film and TV history, Burke is solid as the good doctor, and Rosalie Williams is delightful in her fleeting appearance as the Baker Street housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson.--Tom Keogh"The Solitary Cyclist"Sherlock Holmes (the incomparable Jeremy Brett) is unhappily interrupted during a major investigation by the appearance at Baker Street of a young, regal-looking woman named Violet Smith (Barbara Wilshere). Frightened for her safety, Smith tells the busy sleuth and his friend Dr. Watson (David Burke) of her recent life since being left penniless. Employed as a music teacher in the Charlington home of one Bob Carruthers (John Castle)--a man who, along with a quite dangerous and "hideous" fellow named Woodley (Michael Siberry)--knew her late father in South Africa, Smith has lately been harassed by Woodley and followed on bicycle by a mysterious, bearded fellow. Watson is dispatched to look into the matter, but the mystery only deepens and darkens even after the Master finally arrives. One of the strongest episodes in the long-running Holmes series from Granada Television, "The Solitary Cyclist" never lets up its taut suspense. Brett and Burke are magnificent, as always, but even the most loyal fans are taken aback by the rare sight of Holmes throwing punches, as he does in a boxing duel with the beastly Woodley.--Tom Keogh