There have
been many actors who have played Sherlock Holmes in both movies and TV films/series
over the past eighty or so years; Wikipedia provides a long list of them—too many
to list here in this post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actors_who_have_played_Sherlock_Holmes. I grew up watching the classic
Sherlock Holmes films from the 1940s with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and
Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. Basil Rathbone has defined the persona Sherlock
Holmes for me for many years with his intelligence and authoritative demeanor. We used to
gather as a family on Saturday evenings in front of our black and white TV set
and watch Sherlock Holmes solve one mystery after another with his colleague
Dr. Watson. Memorable films include The
Hound of the Baskervilles (with a hound trained to kill) and The Pearl of Death (with a deformed killer
known as the Creeper who broke the backs of his victims). All of the films were
entertaining thrillers, but these two films stand out in my mind as the most
frightening, especially for a child. But we apparently enjoyed being scared along
the way to the solution of the crimes, and we looked forward to our Saturday
evening movie experiences.
Jeremy
Brett’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the TV series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that ran from 1984-85 is also
memorable; the series was quite detailed, gritty and realistic, especially in
dealing with Holmes’ drug addiction and visits to opium dens. Sherlock
Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking from 2004 with Rupert Everett as
Sherlock Holmes was quite entertaining; Everett’s Holmes was less arrogant and
a bit more friendly. Guy Ritchie’s first foray into the world of Sherlock
Holmes was in 2009 with his film Sherlock
Holmes, with Sherlock played by Robert Downey Jr and Watson played by Jude
Law. Of all the Sherlock Holmes films I’ve seen, this one has to be the most
action-packed. It was one long action film interspersed with crime-solving and
was enjoyable to watch, although the character of Holmes as played by Downey is
completely different than most other portrayals I’ve seen; you will either like
that or you won’t. I enjoyed Ritchie’s first Sherlock film but have not yet
seen the second.
And then—a new
Sherlock Holmes—a truly pleasant surprise, in the TV series Sherlock (2010-present). The actor who plays Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, owns the role. His Holmes commands attention with his fierce
intelligence, arrogant air, offhandedness and condescending attitude toward
people he thinks are stupid—all those things that make the detective great. He may actually end up surpassing Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes. His Holmes is quite likable, in the way that difficult and infuriating people
often are. Watching him makes you realize that geniuses like Sherlock in the
world are thinking at a rate of speed that none of us can match. Cumberbatch
manages to impart that important aspect of Holmes’ intelligence. He is way
ahead of most people around him. This series has moved Holmes and Watson to
London in the present time, and that by itself makes for some interesting
changes—the use of cell phones to text, call or to take pictures, as well as
the use of computers—all of these aid in the solving of the crimes. Doctor
Watson, as played by Martin Freeman, is also a smart man, if a bit slower in
his reasoning. He is feisty when he needs to be and can hold his own with
Holmes. Here’s hoping that the series can sustain audience interest and survive
to entertain us for the next several years.
