SHERLOCK HOLMES

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Many, many versions of Holmes have been made over the years. Our fascination with the greatest detective who never lived has astounded generations of people who possess no insight whatever into the mysteries of the ages. Yet, even coming from a mystery buff such as myself, this version of Sherlock Holmes rather excited me. It's performed on the stage, so is obviously difficult to locate, but I found myself more enthralled with this set of actors than those in any other version.

A young woman, Alice Faulkner (Laurie Kennedy) has become the dreadful victim of circumstances. Her beloved sister is dead of a broken heart after being betrayed by a foreign nobleman who promised her marriage. That same man is about to be married, and Alice cannot allow her sister's memory to be trodden on in such a fashion. She possesses certain remembrances of his that belonged to her sister, and is quite willing to use them against him to prevent a marriage contract. Unfortunately, she makes the mistake of trusting the wrong people, a man by the name of Larrabee (Stephen Collins) and his wife Madge (Susan Clark) and is held against her will in their home. They intend to use the letters and trinkets to extract money from the nobleman, but can hardly release Alice until the deal has gone through. In desperation, Alice has hidden the items from her captors which only makes her situation worse.

Enters Sherlock Holmes (Frank Langella). Hired by the nobleman to retrieve those incriminating documents and pictures, he has uncovered where the young lady is staying and in so doing learns that she is being held against her will. With an elegant entrance, Holmes makes his claim known to the Larrabees and their hostage, and quite calmly sets about preventing any further harm from befalling Alice. With one of his many schemes, Holmes convinces Alice that he truly is on her side and allows her to keep the letters, in spite of his job. Once he has made his exit, the Larrabee's accomplice Sidney Prince (Louis Beachner) comes up with another plot. Why not bring Professor Moriarty (George Morfogen) into the scheme? He has connections to the great mastermind, and with him on their side the ransom for these letters would be even greater.

The Professor is more than willing to participate, if he is given the chance to undermine Sherlock Holmes. Upon learning that his arch-nemesis is also involved, Holmes puts even more of an effort into ensnaring the guilty parties with Moriarty at the head. And with his expertise and good friend Watson (Richard Woods) at his side, Holmes manages to stay just a step ahead of everyone in spite of assassination attempts of the most grievous sort.

As I said earlier, this was a live performance of Sherlock Holmes on the stage, and acted superbly. Frank Langella really steals the spotlight from the other players, and I can hardly begrudge it him. The man is a genius on stage with mannerisms and gestures that bring the character of Sherlock Holmes to vibrant life. I once read a comment that summed up his performance brilliantly. "[Langella] made [Holmes] more aloof and yet more human at the same time." I could not have stated it better myself. And his fellow cast members are to be equally admired. A full range of talent from Holmes' assistant Billy (Christian Slater) all the way to Professor Moriarty (George Morfogen) The storyline wavers a good deal from the original short stories; incorporating several of the plots into one, which truly made for a superb play. Now I will tell you that there is a bit of romance being played out on the stage, but it's so charming and so unexpected that I was perfectly willing to let it happen. Absolute purists would probably find it difficult to accept, but this is a newer, more unique interpretation of Holmes and to some degree I'm glad he realized that he needed that "someone special" in his life. Be prepared for some surprises near the end, though I won't say what they are. All this time we believed Holmes to be immune to femininity.

One habit that was not actually needed was Holmes' drug abuse, but indeed there it is for all to see and judge. A marvelous character bogged down by such a dreadful weakness; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was positively brilliant in incorporating such a profound vulgarity to his great detective. The violence is mostly minor and executed with the regular stage dramatics, such as a near strangling which you can tell isn't doing any harm. The humor is what I found most delightful. Holmes is generally portrayed as either morbidly sober or overly funny, but Langella manages to locate the ideal middle ground. His sense of humor is obvious, but more so because of other's reactions to him and how he in turn reacts to them. It's never overpowering, and Holmes possesses the dramatic flair for morbidity that makes him one of the finest detectives in literature. There is a sharp wit at play on that stage and one which I highly appreciated. I've always loved British humor and it was perfectly achieved by this cheerful cast of actors.

I have seen Holmes performances ranging from Ian Richardson to Jeremy Brett to Basil Rathbone to Ronald Howard and Langella definitely deserves to be ranked among these great names. Other opinions may differ of course, but I stand quite firm in the belief that Langella was the ideal choice for this role. He utterly and completely embodied the idea we've always possessed of who Holmes should be, from his high points to his most morose, he truly became Sherlock Holmes. So if you adore mysteries and ever run across this adaptation online I highly recommend you purchase it. Trust me, it'll be worth your while.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY CHARITY BISHOP

Frank Langella made a name for himself on the stage long before he was immortalized on the silver screen in the form of the most romantic Dracula to date. He was well-known and praised on Broadway in 1980 for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in a play entitled The Strange Case of Alice Faulkner, and HBO decided to film it for the network. This rare film is usually found on eBay and is well worth purchasing. It presents a rather unique portrayal of the great detective but has classy writing, a good deal of wit, and many throwbacks to the canon of cases penned by Doyle.

In a charming little house in London, Alice Faulkner is being held captive over a series of letters that would ruin a nobleman soon to be married. Two opportunists, Madge Larrabee and her husband, desire to use the letters in terms of blackmail but despite all their brutality, Alice refuses to give up their hiding place. To her good fortune, she is about to be paid a visit by Sherlock Holmes, who has been hired by the gentleman in question to retrieve the incriminating documents. Sweeping and declaring the elaborate greeting by the Larabees to be a hoax, Holmes manages to discern the hiding place of the letters but then, in a surprising twist, returns them to their owner. Stealing them would only result in criminal prosecution and their return. He wishes Alice to give them to him of her own free vocation. He makes arrangements to see to her comfort and security, and warns the angry Larabees they are being watched.

Returning to his flat in boredom, Holmes is soon to be faced with the criminal mastermind of the underworld. He has successfully thwarted many of Prof. Moriarty's plans of late, and the Napoleon of Crime wishes the Baker Street Sleuth to perish a slow and agonizing death. Together with the intrepid assistance of Billy, his errand boy, and the ever-faithful but eternally busy Dr. Watson, Holmes will be drawn into an inevitable climax and face his greatest challenge yet: guilt over his attempt to manipulate such a lovely, innocent young woman as Alice Faulkner. A blend of A Scandal in Bohemia and many other popular writings, Sherlock Holmes is an excellent alternative look at the great detective from the perspective of intelligent (and controversial) writers and a talented cast. Since it was filmed as a play, the viewer grows accustomed to punch lines being enhanced with laughter and applause. You almost grow to expect it, and rather than becoming a distraction, it grants the illusion of being one of the fortunate audience members.

Langella is a marvelous Holmes. He manages to capture the sleuth's cynical sense of humor, something missing from most modern adaptations. Holmes does have dry wit in the books, and I've rarely seen it transcribed with greater accuracy. It also reveals a side of humanity to his general coldness, in his questioning of his methods. In one poignant moment, he envies Watson his contented life, wife in the next room, and quiet home. The supporting cast is excellent. It is slightly difficult to follow in the first several moments but then rapidly unfolds with delightful twists. There is nothing inappropriate, only one or two minor profanities, and an instance in which Holmes theatrically injects a seven percent solution of cocaine, to Watson's irritation. The ending twist did not altogether surprise me. While never allowing my initial opinion of his aloofness toward women to waver, I am not so dedicated that I cannot accept attempts by modern writers to involve a hint of romance in his life. If you can overcome the notion that Holmes might fall for a woman, one of those creatures he notoriously claimed to respect but distrust because of their keen natures, Sherlock Holmes is a treat for any fan.

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