David Ruffle's Sherlock Holmes group discussion
Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Lisa
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Jan 25, 2013 04:21AM
David, what is your favourite Sherlock Holmes book written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and why?
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The Hound of The Baskervilles...becasuse it has it all; atmosphere, pacing and even though Holmes is absent for some of the tale, there is still enough classic dialogue to savour.
Hi David! Which short story from the Canon had influenced you the most? And do you belong to a Sherlock Holmes Society?
Yes, I belong to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Iparticualry enjoy The Six Napoleons and The Blue Carbuncle for their dialogue and wit.
David wrote: "Yes, I belong to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Iparticualry enjoy The Six Napoleons and The Blue Carbuncle for their dialogue and wit."That is wonderful! Is your society comparable to the Baker Street Irregulars here in America? i have been wondering if there is a British equivalent. Those are wonderful choices. i especially enjoy the "Blue Carbuncle".
Hi David, I have so many Sherlock books in my to read, including yours.Can you recommend where to start. I want to purchase a few.
Hi David! Which actor is your favorite portrayer of Holmes, and do you have a favorite Watson? Do you have an actor's face and manner in mind when you write Holmes, even if you try to just stick with Doyle's description? I know how hard it is to keep all the visual interpretations we've been inundated with out of mind.
Jeremy Brett and my perfect Watson would be Edward Hardwicke (or prhaps an amalgam of EH and David Burke. When I write Holmes, I always see him as Jeremy Brett.
Me too! Though I have to admit, among actors still with us, I'd like to see what Adrian Brody could do with the part.
Hello David,I have read already some Sherlock Holmes books from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and also tv series or movie I have seen.
But now I have purchased some books of you and I'm impatient to start to read them already.
With which one should I start first?
I have them on ereader.
Kind regards
The Lyme regis series is chronological: Horror then Legacy, finally Trials. End Peace is a stand alone novella.
Thank you David, I'll start then with Horror
David wrote: "Jeremy Brett and my perfect Watson would be Edward Hardwicke (or prhaps an amalgam of EH and David Burke. When I write Holmes, I always see him as Jeremy Brett."As do I. Even my literary daughter, Rachel Bailey, sees Jeremy as the Holmes. Though Benedict Cumberbatch is finding a snug place in our hearts as well as Johnny Lee Miller.
Yet to see Johnny Lee Miller...although BC does a fine job.
David wrote: "Yet to see Johnny Lee Miller...although BC does a fine job."Johnny's is true to form and yet has found ways to give Holmes avenues to explore that Doyle could not with his character, even if the old man had considered such possibilities.
Hate to be a dissenting voice, but I tried to watch the Johnny Lee Miller series, but gave it up after several episodes after finding the writing poor. As to JLM himself, I was disappointed, since he looks the part, is the right age, and is a fine actor, but it seemed that he portrays Holmes (again, I've only seen the first few) with only negative characteristics without anything to make him likable. My husband sized JLM's Holmes up in one word: jerk. But maybe that's just the writing.On the other hand, we both love the BBC series. Though perhaps not absolutely perfect, they're made with love for the characters and it shows. To us it seems the JLM series was made simply to cash in. Just our opinions.
I gave "Elementary" a chance and watched the first episode. It is inferior in every way to the Granada and the BBC series. I like JLM but his Holmes is a Holmes for those who have never read the Doyle canon. And I have found that those are the people who seem to like the show, as well as the horrendous Downey Jr. films. Give me Brett and Cumberbatch, Burke, Hardwicke, and Freeman. True to Doyle's characters, first-rate writing (thank you Moffat and Gatiss), top-notch direction, just perfection. Nothing can take the place of Conan Doyle's original stories but the Granada shows, especially the first two series, and the BBC, for its interpretation of H and W in contemporary form, are the ones to watch!
Good comments, Janet. For the life of me, I can't think of any logic behind Holmes sporting tattoos. As for the RDJ/Jude Law movies, I like them as movies - they just need to change the lead characters' names. However, what I think they got right and the BBC got wrong is the character of Moriarty. The movie version is spot on, but the BBC missed by a mile, if measured against Doyle.
I'm with Janet and Grace on this one (particularly Grace's comments on Moriarty). Moriarty isn't insane--he's evil. I also think that the BBC missed an opportunity to let the audience experience--at least for one season--the loss of Holmes the way the reading public in Doyle's time did. It's too bad they weren't a bit braver and a bit more trusting of their audience.
That's a good point, Denise. Though I haven't seen the new season of Sherlock yet, I am expecting them to show Holmes back in full force very quickly in the first episode. The latest RDJ movie did the same thing, too; I was very disappointed when they revealed Holmes' survival to the audience at the end. Even worse, they revealed it to Watson, which in my opinion is almost unforgivable.
To me Jeremy Brett will always be Holmes. There is an excellent book out about his life playing Sherlock and the toll it took. it is called. bending the Willow. I watch Elementary basically for the mysteries. I also watch BBC Sherlock. I enjoy those more. I read a lot of offshoots about Holmes, and find some excellent. I just watched Mr. Holmes. A good portrayal of an aging Holmes.
My Favorite book by Doyle is Hounds of the Badkervilles. I still own the copy I read in grade school. That started me off on a lifetime love of Sherlock Homes.
YesJeremy Brett plays Sherlock Holmes nicely and i still like Christopher lee and Peter Cushing playing Sherlock, i enjoy reading and listening to Sherlock Holmes on CD but if Christopher Lee reads the talking books i will buy it if its someone i am not keen on i will not buy it.
Jeremy Brett was perfectly cast as Holmes, but if I was to go back further, I always liked Basil Rathbone as Holmes too
Great stories and strong words but stories is very long and needing time and make us to know more deep in stories and characters and I watch on TV too
I agree that Basil Rathbone was good. Jeremy Brett is still my favorite. How do you feel about Sherlock by BBC. I thought the movies with Jude Law , and Robert Downey Jr. I hoped they would do another. I do like the BBC show but they do so little of them , but made the actors big stars. There have been more fils and books and television shows on his character than any other fictional character.
There are three Sherlock Holmes groups that I know of on Goodreads - This one (which I found recently), The Baker Street Irregulars and The Sherlockians. There was another one called The Baskerville Pups but they decided to put a halt to their group.I post to them once in a while and I see that others do - a lot of people seem more comfortable replying to posts than starting up discussions.
