Jeremy Brett is Holmes all the way through the series and he probably animates Conan-Doyle's detective better than any of the others who have played him on the screen. He doesn't LOOK that much like the Sidney Paget illustrations. He's a little short, but that's about the only problem. His face and figure are lean and his movements are suitably quick or languid, depending on whether he has a case or not.
Basil Rathbone had the advantage of height and of resembling the illustrations more closely, but Rathbone lacked the tic-y quality and the frigid aloofness that characterized Holmes. Brett is an arrogant and superior thinking machine. Rathbone was a detective of intensity. And, really, only once did Rathbone's Holmes refer to the use of an illicit drug. At the end of "The Hound of the Baskervilles," Rathbone snaps out -- "Oh, Watson -- the needle." The TV series went through two Watsons, equally good, and close to Conan-Doyle's original, rather than the well-intentioned buffoon of Rathbone's Watson.
Like many of the English mystery series, occasional well-known movie figures would show up to take roles -- Natasha Richardson here, Jeremy Kemp there. Even Harry Andrews. Their presence added variety to the series.
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was the first set of episodes in the series. As the years went on, the adapters were forced to draw on some of the lesser tales. "The Creeping Man" still makes me wince -- in print or on film. And the cast was hobbled by a personal crisis in Jeremy Brett's life, and by his continuing struggle with heart failure. His lost his ascetic look and became plumper and older. Finally, the writers seemed to become desperate, making up pastiches and having Holmes practically fall in love while in disguise.
But it's impossible to criticize the presentation of the first couple of years. The period detail and photography are magnificent, and Brett gives Holmes all the quirks and aversions that made him compassionate without ever allowing him to be warm.
Basil Rathbone had the advantage of height and of resembling the illustrations more closely, but Rathbone lacked the tic-y quality and the frigid aloofness that characterized Holmes. Brett is an arrogant and superior thinking machine. Rathbone was a detective of intensity. And, really, only once did Rathbone's Holmes refer to the use of an illicit drug. At the end of "The Hound of the Baskervilles," Rathbone snaps out -- "Oh, Watson -- the needle." The TV series went through two Watsons, equally good, and close to Conan-Doyle's original, rather than the well-intentioned buffoon of Rathbone's Watson.
Like many of the English mystery series, occasional well-known movie figures would show up to take roles -- Natasha Richardson here, Jeremy Kemp there. Even Harry Andrews. Their presence added variety to the series.
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was the first set of episodes in the series. As the years went on, the adapters were forced to draw on some of the lesser tales. "The Creeping Man" still makes me wince -- in print or on film. And the cast was hobbled by a personal crisis in Jeremy Brett's life, and by his continuing struggle with heart failure. His lost his ascetic look and became plumper and older. Finally, the writers seemed to become desperate, making up pastiches and having Holmes practically fall in love while in disguise.
But it's impossible to criticize the presentation of the first couple of years. The period detail and photography are magnificent, and Brett gives Holmes all the quirks and aversions that made him compassionate without ever allowing him to be warm.