Guy Ritchie's flick, the new TV series Sherlock, a supposed Holmes comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack The Ripper: is it just me, or is everyone's favorite crime-solving Victorian coke addict seeing a resurgence? Maybe it's just adaptation fever, maybe people are finally getting tired of David Caruso taking off his sunglasses passing for mystery. Whatever it is, it is undeniably good to see one of the greatest fictional characters ever getting a bit more attention, even if he is, you know, the most portrayed role in all of media. And while we will need time to tell how these newer versions hold up in comparison, now seems as good an opportunity as ever to review some of the great Holmeses of the past.
Oh yes, there have been many, many, many, many Sherlock Holmes adaptations, from the straight dramas to the deconstructions to that cartoon about him in the future where Watson was a robot. There have also been Sherlockian nerds for a long, long time, and as a result, debate constantly rages as to which portrayals have been "the best". Of course, there will always be room for all sorts of interpretations, even those that play loose with the source material. Regardless, though, there are certain Holmes' that remain the most definitive, the most essential, and the most memorable versions of the character. This is by no means a comprehensive list (seriously, you don't have any idea how many Holmes adaptations there are), but if you have somehow never heard of Mr. Conan Doyle and his little detective stories, these would be the guys to check out.
10) Clive Brook/Arthur Wontner (tie)
Probably best to start here, with two of the early Holmes'. Brook starred in just two Sherlock films but they came at a critical time, transitioning from the rather simplified, romantic John Barrymore silent version to the complicated, drier character we're more familiar with. He is the earliest talkie Holmes that survives and without him, we wouldn't even have "Elementary, my dear Watson," a phrase that never actually appeared in Doyle in full. The first of his films, Sherlock Holmes, also links Brook to the pre-sound Sherlocks, as it was (very loosely) based on William Gillette's well-known play from 1900.
The somewhat overlooked Sherlock of the '30s, Wontner may not be as well remembered as some of the others here, but he held the title for five films, one of which is lost, as well as a radio series. His Holmes is perhaps a little too calm but definitely gives off that sort of isolated vibe, skipping his meals and obsessing over his cases to a formidable degree. Neither of these performances are as forceful and characteristic as some of the others on this list (Brook's version is too overtly romantic, Wontner's too laid back), but they were important for the time.
9) Douglas Wilmer
An undervalued Holmes, Wilmer nevertheless was the TV detective of the 60's, saturated in old-school "veddy good" Englishness and more than a little aristocratic. Back in the day, he was a character actor who appeared in several very famous films (Patton! El Cid! Octopussy, for God's sake!). His debut Holmes story, a solo TV-movie of The Speckled Band, introduced him as an aware, distantly gentile man who was at the same time fleshy and anchored in the world around him, eyes darting about for clues. It's sort of nice to see a Holmes capable of showing enthusiasm without going all Jim Carrey on us (are you listening, Matt Frewer?), and Wilmer makes him a true gentleman, to boot.
8) Nicol Williamson
Though Williamson has gotten steady work for decades, he's probably most well-known to '70s film fans for two roles: Merlin in John Boorman's hilariously shiny Excalibur and this one from The Seven Per Cent Solution. A movie lousy with famous people (Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall, Lawrence Olivier, Alan Arkin, for example) it shows us a Holmes overcome by addiction and battling a nervous breakdown. In order to silence his demons, Duvall's Watson takes his friend to visit a young Sigmund Freud (Arkin), who puts the detective on the couch and comes up with some alarming revelations. Naturally, a kidnapping plot, an evil baron, and a swordfight on a train all follow suit.
If nothing else, Williamson is good at giving us different levels of Holmes, all clipped and controlled on the surface but harboring serious issues. Of course, there are details here that may upset the purists, particularly Holmes' borderline-ladies' man antics and his (gasp!) light brown hair, but overall it's a welcome interpretation that certainly feels Holmesian enough.
7) Ian Richardson
Richardson is so skilled at playing the villain that it's a little jarring to see him running around and solving murders rather than masterminding them. But his Holmes is sincere: driven, dry and absolutely serious. He appears as Holmes in two TV movies, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four. They're kind of hard to find but are worth your time based on visual panache alone. Interestingly enough, Richardson also went on to play Joseph Bell, the real-life inspiration for Holmes, in the series Murder Rooms.
6) Rupert Everett
He's a little too quippy for my taste, but this Holmes certainly got the sullen skulking right, kind of like a short-haired Oscar Wilde if he stayed inside and listened to the Smiths all day. The look on his face when a woman calls him by his first name says it all: this is a man who dwells in formality, who can charm and make witty conversation but always keeps his emotional distance for fear of being hurt. Rupert took on Holmes' great mantle for just one TV movie, the silly, wannabe kinky Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, but his impressively low belchy voice and general emo-ness matched the darkness of that story perfectly and puts him well into the ranks. His relationship with Watson is, as always, a focal point, both subtly and not-so-subtly hinting at the simmering homosexual jealousy that many often see as the root of Holmes' loneliness. Also, he's a bit of a mumbler: you wonder why the Duchess doesn't just smack him across the jaw and tell him to speak up.
Oh yes, there have been many, many, many, many Sherlock Holmes adaptations, from the straight dramas to the deconstructions to that cartoon about him in the future where Watson was a robot. There have also been Sherlockian nerds for a long, long time, and as a result, debate constantly rages as to which portrayals have been "the best". Of course, there will always be room for all sorts of interpretations, even those that play loose with the source material. Regardless, though, there are certain Holmes' that remain the most definitive, the most essential, and the most memorable versions of the character. This is by no means a comprehensive list (seriously, you don't have any idea how many Holmes adaptations there are), but if you have somehow never heard of Mr. Conan Doyle and his little detective stories, these would be the guys to check out.
10) Clive Brook/Arthur Wontner (tie)
Probably best to start here, with two of the early Holmes'. Brook starred in just two Sherlock films but they came at a critical time, transitioning from the rather simplified, romantic John Barrymore silent version to the complicated, drier character we're more familiar with. He is the earliest talkie Holmes that survives and without him, we wouldn't even have "Elementary, my dear Watson," a phrase that never actually appeared in Doyle in full. The first of his films, Sherlock Holmes, also links Brook to the pre-sound Sherlocks, as it was (very loosely) based on William Gillette's well-known play from 1900.
The somewhat overlooked Sherlock of the '30s, Wontner may not be as well remembered as some of the others here, but he held the title for five films, one of which is lost, as well as a radio series. His Holmes is perhaps a little too calm but definitely gives off that sort of isolated vibe, skipping his meals and obsessing over his cases to a formidable degree. Neither of these performances are as forceful and characteristic as some of the others on this list (Brook's version is too overtly romantic, Wontner's too laid back), but they were important for the time.
9) Douglas Wilmer
An undervalued Holmes, Wilmer nevertheless was the TV detective of the 60's, saturated in old-school "veddy good" Englishness and more than a little aristocratic. Back in the day, he was a character actor who appeared in several very famous films (Patton! El Cid! Octopussy, for God's sake!). His debut Holmes story, a solo TV-movie of The Speckled Band, introduced him as an aware, distantly gentile man who was at the same time fleshy and anchored in the world around him, eyes darting about for clues. It's sort of nice to see a Holmes capable of showing enthusiasm without going all Jim Carrey on us (are you listening, Matt Frewer?), and Wilmer makes him a true gentleman, to boot.
8) Nicol Williamson
Though Williamson has gotten steady work for decades, he's probably most well-known to '70s film fans for two roles: Merlin in John Boorman's hilariously shiny Excalibur and this one from The Seven Per Cent Solution. A movie lousy with famous people (Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall, Lawrence Olivier, Alan Arkin, for example) it shows us a Holmes overcome by addiction and battling a nervous breakdown. In order to silence his demons, Duvall's Watson takes his friend to visit a young Sigmund Freud (Arkin), who puts the detective on the couch and comes up with some alarming revelations. Naturally, a kidnapping plot, an evil baron, and a swordfight on a train all follow suit.
If nothing else, Williamson is good at giving us different levels of Holmes, all clipped and controlled on the surface but harboring serious issues. Of course, there are details here that may upset the purists, particularly Holmes' borderline-ladies' man antics and his (gasp!) light brown hair, but overall it's a welcome interpretation that certainly feels Holmesian enough.
7) Ian Richardson
Richardson is so skilled at playing the villain that it's a little jarring to see him running around and solving murders rather than masterminding them. But his Holmes is sincere: driven, dry and absolutely serious. He appears as Holmes in two TV movies, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four. They're kind of hard to find but are worth your time based on visual panache alone. Interestingly enough, Richardson also went on to play Joseph Bell, the real-life inspiration for Holmes, in the series Murder Rooms.
6) Rupert Everett
He's a little too quippy for my taste, but this Holmes certainly got the sullen skulking right, kind of like a short-haired Oscar Wilde if he stayed inside and listened to the Smiths all day. The look on his face when a woman calls him by his first name says it all: this is a man who dwells in formality, who can charm and make witty conversation but always keeps his emotional distance for fear of being hurt. Rupert took on Holmes' great mantle for just one TV movie, the silly, wannabe kinky Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, but his impressively low belchy voice and general emo-ness matched the darkness of that story perfectly and puts him well into the ranks. His relationship with Watson is, as always, a focal point, both subtly and not-so-subtly hinting at the simmering homosexual jealousy that many often see as the root of Holmes' loneliness. Also, he's a bit of a mumbler: you wonder why the Duchess doesn't just smack him across the jaw and tell him to speak up.
More links from around the web!
