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Who do you imagine sherlock holmes as while reading?
An adult Holmes: Jeremy Brett or Jonny Lee MillerA youthful Holmes: James d'Arcy (he played Holmes in a TV movie about 12 years ago).
Watson: David Burke. IMHO there's no #2 who even comes close.
Jonny Lee Miller is truly an inspiring Sherlock. He has the quirky side as well as the humane and witty light-hearted humour.
When I was a kid, we had this old enciclopedia with a topic about crime stories. It had a section about Sherlock Holmes, and a picture of Peter Cushing as the detective. So, to me, it's inevitable to think of Cushing everytime I read a Holmes story.
I tend to see Robert Stephens (The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) as Holmes, and Martin Freeman as Watson.
Apropos of nothing, has anyone else noticed that Jude Law's Watson looks amazingly like Sidney Pagett's illustrations of Watson?
Sarah wrote: "It's true :)"I'm glad I'm not alone in seeing this. :)
It's Jeremy Brett for me, he left such a rich body of work behind him. I do imagine Clive Merrison if I'm listening to the Clive Merrison radio adaptations though.
Well for that matter, Basil Rathbone looks amazingly like Sidney Paget's Holmes.
So we should picture Rathbone & Law :) , may be tricky
No, it's not - I'm doing it right now and it's awesome 0_0 make sure you're not operating heavy machinery, first.
Well, I am sure some director could use Star Wars-like tech and splice the late Rathbone into a movie with Law.As much as I love Robert Downey JR, he will never be Sherlock to me.
And come to think about it, considering the rash of snarky, self-absorbed Sherlocks we have been handed in the last few years, Rathbone was downright affectionate to his Watson, so I am sure Law could handle the partnership.
You're right. There is a certain quality which is lacking in the most recent Sherlocks... perhaps a gentlemanly quality which was originally present because it was taken for granted by middle class Victorians?
The best Sherlock ever who is the closest to what Conan Doyle would have really approved of is Jonny Lee Miller in the CBS modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, Elementary. He is very much a people's person, even though he is an erudite and a misanthrope. But what is moving about Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is that he is vulnerable and poignant. He is passionate, melancolique and he struggles with his own genius. He, himself is the biggest puzzle. Jonny Lee Miller is as exceptional in the role of this Sherlock Holmes as he was in the role of the romantic poet, Lord Byron, a BBC production or as Jane Austen's Mr. Knightley. A brilliant actor.
well..i imagine Sherlock as either Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr.but Watson is definitely Martin Freeman! He makes a perfect perfect Dr.John Watson : )
I imagine Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke as Dr. Watson. This is probably because before I read the books, I watched the 1984 version with these two characters. Now whenever I read, I can't help but imagine these two actors. That series is my favorite Sherlock adaption ever.
Haha, Martin Freeman is such a Watson. Just perfect. Maybe a tad young for the person I imagined...? But otherwise, hit it on the spot.
Jeremy Brett and David Burke are my favourite portrayals personally. Benedict Cumberbatch and John Freeman do a great job of being the modern-day versions, but they're not quite my favourites
Just finished reading Sherlock by Otto Penzler...there are so many versions of Holmes the mind boggles. Irene Adler is interesting. Gayle Hunnicut definitely has elan, but most actresses fall short.
Always Brett, with a smidgen of Rathbone-Brett simply BECAME the Holmes of the Paget illustrations, while Rathbone was far more dramatic-and often more fun. I have not seen the modern ones and have no wish to; I content myself with my collection of Brett, Rathbone and the odd wonderful films starring Nicol Williamson and Robert Stephens...
Huh, I first encountered the stories so long ago and had not yet caught the old films, so my Holmes was a more severe, pointy version of the guy in the Paget sketches, and I saw him as sketches in my head as much as a person. There was a good deal of my fourth grade teacher, Sister Bernard, in the image (tall, imposing, thin and very strong nun, full habit). These days, my Holmes-in-the-head is somewhat Basil Rathbone with nice hair and Jeremy Brett's misanthropic veneer/habit.
I think Jeremy Brett (Holmes) and David Burke (Watson) perfectly fit Conan Doyle's description of his characters although, I did enjoy Robert Downey Jr's adaptation of Holmes a lot too.
I agree, Laura. Jeremy Brett and Burke or Hardwick.
I started reading Sherlock Holmes back when I was a wee lad o'7. At that time Basil Rathbone was the only Holmes known to me.
@Anna I agree about Holmes (Basil R) treatment of Watson ( Nigel Bruce). Unfortunately Bruce played Watson as an Imbecile. It's to the point now where I can barely stomach watching the older films.
Regarding who I envision as I read - Holmes will always be my first - Basil Rathbone - Watson is always 'fluff' for me - now days he appears in my mind attic as a blended version of all the Watsons I've seen. He's tall like Jude Law - has a demeanor like Martin Freeman - and is something of a PBS Masterpiece Theater type character.
This is going to sound weird but when I've been reading Sherlock Holmes in the last few years I've always imagined Tom Hiddleston as Sherlock and Jude Law as Watson. I know Hiddleston hasn't played Sherlock, but I think he would be a good fit for the role 😊
Paget's drawings of Watson show a tall, strapping, handsome man, impeccably dressed, never down-at-heel, never looking stupid. I find it interesting that modern portrayals are the reverse. I can only conclude that this is to bolster the image of Sherlock in the Age of Action Movies aimed at audiences accustomed to 2 dimensional thinking. Martin Freeman does a brilliant modern version of Watson, though he is no lookalike, and it is his dry wit that makes the TV show exceptional.
I go back and forth between the Paget illustrations and Brett for Holmes and Edward Hardwicke and Jude Law as Watson.
Rob wrote: "I go back and forth between the Paget illustrations and Brett for Holmes and Edward Hardwicke and Jude Law as Watson."Ah!; another entry. Do please forgive my execrable lateness of reply, Rob; writing is consuming me at the moment, to say nothing of a family Holiday that left me rather browner - and poorer. I do feel Brett became the Paget Holmes, as evidenced by his pose for a photo, legs drawn beneath him, pipe clenched firmly in teeth. Law's Watson is something of a breath of fresh air, perhaps more so than Mr. Downey Junior.
Anna wrote: "Paget's drawings of Watson show a tall, strapping, handsome man, impeccably dressed, never down-at-heel, never looking stupid. I find it interesting that modern portrayals are the reverse. I can on..."Again, apologies for my awful neglect of this topic. I have recently taken in the Sherlock programme and the first few series were captivating. Freeman's Watson was, indeed a worthy entry here. As for the Age of Action; much as I love computer-generated effects completely replacing plot and alien juggernauts slamming down on us instead of machiavellian villainy - and I don't, not for one second - I have to agree. Making Holmes a step removed from an autistic tramp may sell tickets (I confess, I enjoyed the two Robert Downey Junior films, mainly for their production and Jude Law), but it shall never supplant the image I hold of Holmes as an impeccably turned-out man about town.
I visualise myself. Ha ha. Jokes apart, Jeremy without a second thought.
No Sherlock has ever been as poignant, inspiring and as ethically and morally just as Elementary Sheock, Jonny Lee Miller. So, so underrated his excellent acting a d the superb and intelligent work of the writers. Last year, the NY Times mentioned that Elementary was "the most consistently intelligent series on network TV, but I wonder if anyone took much notice if that. People always get influenced by how much any production or any actor is hyped up by the press and the award hype and so many fantastic actors go unnoticed. I REALLY imagine Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock because that's the kind of Sherlock I find most interesting. One who relies as much, if not more on hard work and his own personal failures and weaknesses as he does of his genius.
I usually picture Holmes as Basil Rathbone, but on occasion I have the strangest tendency to see him as Paul McGann. And for some reason, Watson remains a perpetual faceless blob.
Mitra wrote: "No Sherlock has ever been as poignant, inspiring and as ethically and morally just as Elementary Sheock, Jonny Lee Miller. So, so underrated his excellent acting a d the superb and intelligent work..."It has become my late night-cap of choice; a mug of hot chocolate and an Elementary; never approaching the heights of Sherlock, the production is still good and Miller is outstanding. My guilty pleasure this year (Almost onto S6)
For me Holmes will always be Basil Rathbone--I think he evokes the Victorian attitude perfectly and has the physical look I have always imagined. None of the Watson portrayals have ever stuck with me, especially as the earlier films wrote him as a buffoonish caricature. I hated The Hobbit movies so much that Martin Freeman is tainted for me now. I don't necessarily think he was so bad in the movies (although he would not have been my choice for that role), but the whole experience is ruined.
I've seen a whole crapload of TV and film adaptations -- probably at least 40 different actors as Holmes -- but tbh none of them have really resembled the character as I see him in my head. I imagine Holmes as Conan Doyle described him -- very tall, very thin, dark-haired, with angular features and a prominent, hooked nose. The depiction that comes closest to my mental image -- in facial features, at least -- is this drawing by Frederic Dorr Steele.
Definitely Jeremy Brett. I don't think even Basil Rathbone came close, but maybe that was because the 40s setting seemed so odd and the Watson was so poorly cast.
I visualize the description from the books before I visualize any actor. The only time I may visualize an actor is if he’s pictured on the cover. Likewise, if there’s artwork on the cover or in the book, I visualize Sherlock based on that. I don’t think any actor has totally embodied Sherlock’s appearance. I especially think they’ve gotten Watson wrong in most versions, with a few exceptions. Both Holmes and Watson are youngish men in the 1880’s, not 50 or 60 year olds. Watson is usually portrayed on film or tv as either 1. Old, 2. Fat, 3. Short, or 4. Some combination of the three. He’s not short or fat either. He’s shorter than Holmes, who is excessively tall and thin, but he’s more average height. I believe Watson is described to be a bit chunkier in His Last Bow than in the earlier books, but not obese.
Anna wrote: "Paget's drawings of Watson show a tall, strapping, handsome man, impeccably dressed, never down-at-heel, never looking stupid. I find it interesting that modern portrayals are the reverse. I can on..."Interestingly enough, Jude Law (although I'm not a massive fan of the RDJ films) probably come closest to the illustrations, followed closely by David Burke.
I admit I picture Jeremy Brett in my head as he was during the first season of The Adventures. He WAS the Paget illustrations come to life, and I think many of the tableaus of that series were based upon the illustrations.
I don't think Jeremy Brett can be equalled. A lot of it had to do with the production's dedication to replicating the stories and the ones that were the most faithful allowed Brett to bring out the Holmes of the canon for me.As for Watsons, I thought David Burke was closest to my idea of how Watson would look and sound. I also thought that the chemistry between Brett and Burke was the best of all the Holmes and Watson casts I've seen.
Barbara wrote: "I don't think Jeremy Brett can be equalled. A lot of it had to do with the production's dedication to replicating the stories and the ones that were the most faithful allowed Brett to bring out the..."I agree completely! The two men had just a touch of sexual chemistry and playfulness between one another that I've never seen replicated before or since.
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I agree that Watson is supposed to be shorter than sherlock, but in the Robert Downey jr film, Watson was shown taller and also being an ex-soldier we feel that he will protect holmes during a fight. In elementary they even changed Watson's gender lol
I loved the Downey films, in part because Jude Law is one of the best Watsons. I wasn’t even put off by Robert Downey Jr’s height and facial characteristics. He still managed to convey Holmes well and his personality.I’ve watched the first few seasons of Elementary, and plan to finish it at some point, but I think it’s one of the worst adaptations. It’s basically a standard police procedural without any of the flavor from the original stories. The one good thing about it actually is Johnny Lee Miller, who I think comes closest to Holmes. It’s a pity he’s wasted in a such a weak adaptation.
For both and others, I judge adaptations of the stories based on how they are as a whole, rather than who is the best Holmes.
This article, from earlier this month, was mentioned on another Holmes group - it's about Rathbone, who came to dislike playing Holmes and whose career declined sharply in the few years before his death. I think his 40s Holmes films were mediocre and he deserved better.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/aut...
Now if its who would we want to read the audiobook of the canon, I would still go with Brett first, also Rathbone, and even though I didn't like the show "Sherlock", Cumberbatch does have a great voice for audio books.
for me it would rathbone brett cumberbatch...i have on mp3 allthe cannon by stephen fry who acts out the entire cannon!!!!!!
J. wrote: "An adult Holmes: Jeremy Brett or Jonny Lee MillerA youthful Holmes: James d'Arcy (he played Holmes in a TV movie about 12 years ago).
Watson: David Burke. IMHO there's no #2 who even comes close."
yes david burke!!!!
Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, of course. And as Watson, Vitaly Solomin from the old Soviet Sherlock Holmes series. These two are, in my opinion, the most accurate depictions of the characters they're playing (in looks and mannerisms)
i only know brett and he was very good!
Baker Street Irregulars
Books mentioned in this topic
The Name of the Wind (other topics)Half a King (other topics)
Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries and Other Stories (other topics)
Hardwicke would have to be my Watson, although Martin Freeman is a very close second.