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I became interested in cozy mysteries five years ago. I have since then dabbled in the world of Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I have read a few short stories and I recently finished watching season 1 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, released in 1984-1985. I have the complete collection of the series on DVD, but season 1 also recently aired on television.
The first season of this series primarily stars Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, David Burke as Dr. John Watson, and Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson. I have nothing to compare this adaptation to, as far as screen time goes, but in my opinion, Jeremy Brett portrays Sherlock Holmes flawlessly. His stern delivery of lines and spot-on mannerisms are exactly how I picture Sherlock Holmes in the short stories I've read. David Burke is equally suited for his role as the trusty sidekick who balances out Holmes and provides us with some light-hearted moments throughout the season. Rosalie Williams is delightful as the landlady.
There are seven episodes in season 1, each running just a few minutes short of one hour (not including commercials if you watch it on television). This is my favorite amount of time for mysteries. There is enough time for the plot to develop and we reach the resolution soon enough. The basic format for each episode is Holmes's client gives him an explanation of the problem that needs to be addressed (this is where we see flashbacks of what has happened), Holmes devises a plan, he and his sidekick execute the plan, and in the end, the mystery is solved. I love that the format is familiar in each episode. It provides a level of comfort without knowing exactly what will happen.
The seven episodes in season 1 are as follows:
A Scandal in Bohemia
The Dancing Men
The Naval Treaty
The Solitary Cyclist
The Crooked Man
The Speckled Band
The Blue Carbuncle
My favorites of these are The Solitary Cyclist and The Speckled Band. I found the mysteries in these especially clever and entertaining. My least favorite is The Blue Carbuncle. It was the least interesting to me and it lacked the coziness of the previous episodes. I also found Holmes's yelling a bit overbearing in this episode. I still enjoyed it, just not as much as the others. Perhaps I'll give it a try another time and see if my opinion changes.
It is widely known that this series is extremely faithful to the original works. I have only read a couple of these, but I can say for those, this is definitely true. For the ones I did read, I watched the screen adaptations first. I was amazed at how accurate they all were. This rarely happens where screen adaptations so closely match the original works.
I tend to enjoy the screen adaptations more than the short stories, but that's because I love the visual representations of them. I enjoy the way London during that time period is portrayed. For me, it adds immensely to the cozy vibes.
This is just the beginning of my journey into the world of Sherlock Holmes. I eventually want to read all of the short stories and novels, and I want to see all of the major screen adaptations. I'll continue on with season 2 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, while also catching up on the corresponding short stories.
Do you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story or screen adaptation? Who do you think best portrays Sherlock Holmes?
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