THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Originally created for the BBC by Granada, this disk contains four of the popular series adaptations of the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Although not an original fan of Jeremy Brett's version of the infamous Baker Street detective, this series won me over entirely. There's very little content (individual issues have been addressed in the episode summaries) and the stories are surprisingly true to the original text. Lovers of good mysteries in general will appreciate these noteworthy attempts at recreating Holmes as much as the die-hard fans.

Episode One: The Crooked Man

From behind a locked door a maid bearing a tea tray hears a man and woman shouting. Banging to be let in, she finds the door locked. Before she can go for help, the servants hear a blood-curdling scream and then complete silence. The houseman is rapidly sent out around the corner of the house to climb in the window and investigate. He finds the verandah door standing wide open, curtains fluttering in the wind, his mistress laying prone on the divan in a dead faint, and her husband sprawled out with his head on the grate, blood dripping down a face forever immortalized in absolute terror. Because the murdered man in question was a military officer, the regiment desires to clear up the case as soon as possible with discretion.

Sherlock Holmes is invited to look into the details and form an accurate presentation of what happened. Unwilling to muddle about with all their desires for secrecy, he demands the complete truth from the murdered man's first lieutenant and close family friend. The couple were Colonel and Nancy Barclay formerly of India. They married young, though Nancy had many suitors, and came to England only in recent years, where he took command of a local regiment and his wife participated heavily in charity work among the London slums. Perceived by many to be a happily-married couple, there were instances of displeasure between them. Barclay was an extremely jealous man and often treated his wife ill. On the night in question, she'd come home in a dreadful mood and they'd quarreled before the houseman's findings. Unless Holmes can prove otherwise, once she recovers from her illness, brought on by shock and horror, she'll go to the gallows for killing her husband.

His search leads him into a sinister labyrinth of the past involving former acquaintances and events in India, as well as a crippled man with a four-footed carnivorous companion. Though not as personally intriguing to me as many of the other short stories and their adaptations, The Crooked Man is not without its peculiar twists and turns. Using flashbacks it illustrates previous happenings, painting a vivid romance, a tragedy, and eventual betrayal and justification for the end. Most of the characters uphold a strong moral constitution, and Holmes is articulate in his findings while the military police stumble off on the wrong track. Fiona Shaw, currently of Harry Potter fame, is shown in her youth as Nancy's best friend and a strong central link in explaining the chain of events. Though a bit snappish in the first few scenes, Brett manages to once again make an eccentric, likable detective.

As with other episodes, the worst flaw lies in some mild violence and exclamatory uses of God's name. These failings are hardly worth nothing, although the film also contains strong thematic elements, allusions to almost a scriptural parallel, and a belief in God's justice. There's some passionate kissing between young couples, and allusions to verbal violence. A man and woman struggle together briefly; another speaks of having every bone in his body broken as he was mutilated by natives. Bloody bodies line the countryside in a flashback to the India wars. One of the more unique episodes and sometimes slow-moving, it's also a powerful glimpse into the old adage that your sins will return to visit you.

Episode Two: The Speckled Band

With trembling fingers a woman lights a lamp as she hears an unearthly, terrible whistling sound from beyond her bedroom wall. Visibly shaking with fear, Helen Stoner releases the match as it burns down to her fingertips. She then boards the early train to London the following morning with the intention of seeking the assistance of the infamous Baker Street detective. Holmes wakes Watson at the appearance of their early visitor and together they entreat her to tell them her story. Helen has lived alone with her stepfather for some time, since the death of her sister two years before. Dr. Roylott met and married her mother in India when she was quite young, and eventually brought them to England.

After her mother's unfortunate death in a train accident, the girls were left to themselves in the great old house in disrepair. At first they were happy enough, but became increasingly less so as their stepfather proved to be more harsh. His actions are oftentimes inexplicable, such as allowing a band of local gypsies to encamp on his property for months at a time, and keeping such exotic pets as a leopard and baboon to wander the grounds at night. Her sister had become engaged and was set to be married. Only a fortnight before this blessed occurrence, she mysteriously spoke of a strange whistle in the night. That very evening Helen was aroused from sleep by her sister's frantic screams. She ran out into the corridor, only to support her sister as she collapsed to the floor and, warning her to be wary of "the speckled band," died.

Since then Helen has puzzled over her sister's warning, wondering if it might not be some form of delirium. But due to changes made to the structure of the house, her room has been rendered unusable and temporarily her things have been moved into her sister's former chamber. Frightened with old memories, she was awakened in the middle of the night by the same eerie whistle. Holmes is intrigued, particularly when Dr. Roylott pays him a call shortly after the young woman's departure, and warns "the meddler and busybody" to stay away from his family affairs. Arranging a visit to Stock Moran, the family estate, in the man's absence that afternoon, the great detective draws shocking conclusions and engages Watson in a chilling night watch in which their very lives may be endangered.

Needless to say, this is one of my favorite short stories and I was exceedingly pleased with how well they adapted it to the screen. The writers have kept it true to the page, and the actors are in their element working on some of the more humorous aspects of the story, as well as its gothic feel of horror. You have the English setting, blended with distinctly foreign inconveniences such as exotic animals and pesky gypsies, as well as a damsel in distress. The brief interaction between Holmes and Roylott in particular stands out as a classic moment, as the doctor accuses him of being a busybody. The teasing smile which twitches across Brett's face is nothing less than catching.

With considerably little to be wary of in the way of family viewing, The Speckled Band offers only a few mild insults, an exchange of bows between Roylott and the local blacksmith, and an instance where he grabs his stepdaughter's wrist cruelly. She bears the marks the following morning, where Holmes perceptively notes them. A figure wanders around in hysteria before dying in her sister's arms. Holmes takes after something in the dark with a stick. We hear a petrified cry of horror and see a dead face set in a hideous expression. Not recommended for younger or particularly sensitive viewers, but older ones will find this one of the most intriguing of the cases documented by Dr. Watson.