{"id":29143,"date":"2024-07-31T01:28:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T08:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29143"},"modified":"2024-07-31T01:28:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T08:28:28","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-sherlock-holmes-1968-bbc-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29143","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES (1968) (BBC Series)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Blu-ray from Severin Films is currently available\nfor purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many horror fans know actor Peter Cushing as the star of\nnumerous Hammer and Amicus horror pictures like The Curse of Frankenstein<\/em>\nand Horror of Dracula<\/em>. But according to an archival interview with the\nactor featured on this release, British audiences primarily recognized him for\nhis part as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. He\nmemorably played the character in Hammer Films\u2019 The Hound of the\nBaskervilles<\/em> (1959), which is considered one of the best adaptations of its\nera. Less than a decade later, he returned to the role in a 16-episode BBC\ntelevision series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This show, known as Sherlock Holmes<\/em>, or Sir Arthur\nConan Doyle\u2019s Sherlock Holmes<\/em> was reasonably successful and delivered\nfairly faithful retellings of its source material. Unfortunately, because TV\nproductions at the time weren\u2019t held in as high regard as films and the\nproducers had licensed the stories for a production with only a couple of\nairings (this is long before the days of home video), many of the episodes are\ncompletely lost. In fact, since they couldn\u2019t be shown again, the BBC reused\nthe master tapes and recorded new programming over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that is, for all but six episodes (with one being a\ntwo-parter of The Hound of the Baskervilles<\/em>). They have been saved and\nare now available on a 2-Blu-ray set from Severin Films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is, apparently, the first BBC show to be shot in color.\nAdmittedly, since it was captured on video technology that is now long out of\ndate, the picture looks quite crude and soft (mixed with exteriors shot on film\nthat are slightly sharper). Dark interiors are particularly rough, so the disc\ndoesn\u2019t deliver reference-quality material for anyone\u2019s home video system.\nThere are several onscreen blips that feel reminiscent of watching a VHS\ntape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still, Holmes enthusiasts will be happy to learn that this\nwas a good show and a few of these episodes are very entertaining. A Study\nin Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The\nSign of Four <\/em>and The Blue Carbuncle<\/em> are the surviving tales featured\non the disc. There are several things about them that will strike any\nfirst-time viewer. One is that the murders themselves, beginning with A\nStudy in Scarlet,<\/em> are quite graphic. There are stabbings, as well as (in a\nlater episode) a character having their skull smashed in with a large rock.\nEven the demise of a villainous figure drowning in a muddy marsh makes an\nimpression. The slayings, as shown, are distinctive and disturbing for the era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the roles of Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Dr.\nWatson (Nigel Stock) the two leads are effective. Cushing is stern but\nrelatable and slightly different from his character in the earlier adaptation\nof the Baskervilles<\/em> story. Like all other portrayals of the character,\nhe\u2019s fascinated and determined to solve the cases he accepts, but isn\u2019t so\nobsessed that he doesn\u2019t show any human qualities. It may be an old-fashioned\napproach to the character, but one that actually feels fresh in comparison to\nmodern adaptations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While some of the plot events have been moved around\nresulting in a few storytelling issues (like in the original book, Holmes and\nWatson are still absent from a large part of the Baskervilles<\/em> story),\nmuch of the dialogue in the episodes is right out of the source material,\ngiving conversations a nice, authentic feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the final episode, The Blue Carbuncle<\/em>, is really\nunique in that it deals with a stolen jewel and (believe it or not) a goose\ntheft rather than a murder. It\u2019s also a Christmas episode (some experts believe\nit may be the first example in this now-common tradition for British\nTV-series). The tone is slightly lighter, but does contain a distinct message\nsuggesting author Doyle may have inserted some social themes into his written\nwork. This is an interesting, almost heartwarming episode that shows a unique\nside of the character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was pleased to see this show and can understand why many\nBrits who grew up with it would remember it fondly. It doesn\u2019t exactly wow\nviewers, but presents solid adaptations of the source material with crime\nsequences that are appropriately jarring. As mentioned, it\u2019s unfortunate that\nthe video quality isn\u2019t ideal, but given the source material, this is as good\nas it will ever look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blu-rays come with enjoyable bonus material. There is a\ncommentary track on each episode, featuring various pairings of Kim Newman\n(Holmes enthusiast and author of Anno Dracula<\/em>), Barry Forshaw (author of\nBrit Noir<\/em>) and David Stuart Davies (author of Starring Sherlock\nHolmes: A Century of the Master Detective Onscreen<\/em>). They give valuable\nbackground information and insight into the episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are some notable observations about this and many\nother Sherlock Holmes<\/em> movies and series. Newman notes that modern\ninterpretations of the character have really changed, presenting the detective\nas unstable and almost sociopathic. In this more faithful version, the lead is\nstuffy, but still human and relatable. Some episodes (like the final one)\nreally focus on his quite-normal-for-the-era hobbies. He may be focused on his\nworkload and perfecting the use of his mind as a tool to solve crimes, but he\ndoes have some sense of morality (he even goes off on one individual for nearly\ncausing the execution of a man in order to protect his social status). The\ncrimes depicted are familiar, but those who look beyond the surface will find\nsubtle criticism of Victorian values.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also leads to a fun discussion about enthusiasts who\nperhaps look too deeply into the minutia in Doyle\u2019s original stories. It seems\nthat the author was constantly trying to meet public demand for new material\nand so details about Holmes and Watson change. Some have taken issue with it,\nbut the experts are fairly certain that Doyle wasn\u2019t above altering details\nabout the protagonist\u2019s past if it served the current story. The pair also note\nsome criticisms of things like Holmes\u2019s fencing skills seen in the Robert\nDowney Jr. Sherlock<\/em> movie series, saying that ability actually is from\none of the original stories. They summarize that Doyle wanted to create\nentertaining books and likely didn\u2019t think that people would be studying and\ncritiquing every plot detail and character trait in his stories more than a\ncentury later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tracks are all fascinating, and there are a couple of\nother bonuses. One is an archived audio interview with Peter Cushing on his\nexperiences playing Sherlock Holmes. This is where he states that it is the\nrole he is most famous for in his home country (he even played Holmes again in\na 1984 British TV-movie). When he is asked why his take on Holmes in the TV\nshow is softer than in the 1959 Baskervilles<\/em> film, the actor gives a\nconvincing answer. He suggests that since Holmes isn\u2019t in the 1959 movie a lot,\nhe isn\u2019t as developed as in the show and comes across as curt since his role in\nthe story is one of more action than chatting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there is a nifty series of clips from lost\nepisodes. It\u2019s only four or five scenes (from international sources, perhaps\nused as promo material for the show) with each lasting a couple of minutes, but\nit does make one wish that these programs hadn\u2019t been erased from existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s fascinating to see the BBC\u2019s television adaptation of Sherlock\nHolmes<\/em>. It shows off a different side of Peter Cushing and, in some\nrespects, gives viewers an idea and a feel for the Doyle books and the dialogue\ncontained within. If you enjoy the famous fictional character and aren\u2019t\nexpecting stellar image quality, the release is worth picking up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Blu-ray from Severin Films is currently available for purchase. Many horror fans know actor Peter Cushing as the star of numerous Hammer and Amicus horror pictures like The Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. But according to an archival interview with the actor featured on this release, British audiences primarily recognized him for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[98,2385,2920,2923,3067,3073,14523,14839,15969,18083,18243,18247,18248,18249,23383],"class_list":["post-29143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-98","tag-bbc","tag-blasts-form-the-past-blu-ray-review","tag-blasts-from-the-past","tag-blu-ray","tag-blu-ray-review","tag-mystery","tag-nigel-stock","tag-peter-cushing","tag-severin-films","tag-sherlock-holmes","tag-sherlock-holmes-bbc-review","tag-sherlock-holmes-review","tag-sherlock-holmes-tv-show-review","tag-tv-series"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}