""Friday!" he cried."
- The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
A weekly roundup of links across the web related to Sherlock Holmes, courtesy of Matt Laffey from Always1895.net. We welcome your comments and feedback, and if you have any material to include in the weekly roundup, please send to always1895@gmail.com.
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| [Don Hobbs addressing 75 brainiacs on the finer points of collecting Sherlockiana.] |
Inspector Lestrade’s Blotter Page’s Don Hobbs gave a special talk on Collecting Sherlock Holmes at a recent Mensa meeting in Fort Worth, TX to about 75 attendees, many of which weren't Sherlockians but none-the-less: “The attendees could not have been more responsive. They laughed in all of the right places, asked intelligent (pun intended) questions and showed genuine interest. My allotted time of seventy-five minutes flew by so fast that I actually skipped over a few of the paragraphs of my talk. Afterwards, one of the attendees told me that it was the best and most interesting talk he had heard so far at this meeting. Considering that some of the talks included “Has the Onion Outlived its Usefulness?"; “Spiritual Exercise Light"; and “Friendly Delicate Bridge" I am not sure if this was a compliment or an insult. Another one said that when a room full of Mensa Member all clap, that is a great accomplishment. I was pleased." And though I would like to know if the onion has in fact outlived it’s usefulness, I would very much like to read/hear Mr Hobbs’ entire talk - let’s hope he decides to post the contents of ‘Collecting Sherlock Holmes’ sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy this interview with Don Hobbs on collecting Sherlock Holmes translations. Q: How did you first get started collecting? Hobbs: “I have always been a collector. I believe one either has the collector gene or not. I am the former."
Romantic Chamber of the Heart re-posted (originally in Russian) a set of photos and some information about the upcoming Sherlock Holmes (Russian 2013 TV Series): “This series will return the Russian audience to 221b Baker Street, where we meet Holmes and Watson. Their roles will be played by Igor Petrenko and Andrey Panin…The writers of the show decided to add to the outline of the story their amusing details. For example, Holmes doesn’t smoke a pipe, Watson just came up with it for his notebook. Professor Moriarty (Alexei Gorbunov) and charming Irene Adler (Lyanka Gryu) confront the genius investigator." For those surprised that a brand new adaptation of the Great Detective is being produced for a Russian audience, I suggest familiarizing yourself with the original (and totally brilliant) Russian Sherlock Holmes series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979-1986) featuring two of the best Holmes and Watson team-ups of all time: Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin; Mr Livanov’s interpretation of Holmes was so admired that in 2006 he “became an honorary member of the Order of British Empire for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes." For an excellent introduction to the original Russian series as well as a detailed episode guide, make sure to read through the Russian Sherlock entry at Baker Street Dozen. If the 2013 Russian Holmes adaptation is any where close to being as good as the original Russian Holmes, then we’re in for a treat indeed!
Romantic Chamber of the Heart re-posted (originally in Russian) a set of photos and some information about the upcoming Sherlock Holmes (Russian 2013 TV Series): “This series will return the Russian audience to 221b Baker Street, where we meet Holmes and Watson. Their roles will be played by Igor Petrenko and Andrey Panin…The writers of the show decided to add to the outline of the story their amusing details. For example, Holmes doesn’t smoke a pipe, Watson just came up with it for his notebook. Professor Moriarty (Alexei Gorbunov) and charming Irene Adler (Lyanka Gryu) confront the genius investigator." For those surprised that a brand new adaptation of the Great Detective is being produced for a Russian audience, I suggest familiarizing yourself with the original (and totally brilliant) Russian Sherlock Holmes series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979-1986) featuring two of the best Holmes and Watson team-ups of all time: Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin; Mr Livanov’s interpretation of Holmes was so admired that in 2006 he “became an honorary member of the Order of British Empire for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes." For an excellent introduction to the original Russian series as well as a detailed episode guide, make sure to read through the Russian Sherlock entry at Baker Street Dozen. If the 2013 Russian Holmes adaptation is any where close to being as good as the original Russian Holmes, then we’re in for a treat indeed!
[The Russian Sherlock Holmeses and Dr Watsons: on the left: Igor Petrenko and Andrey Panin (2013); on the right: Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin (1979).]
Sherlock. Peoria. shares his sincere delight in this review of the latest Baker Street Babes podcast, Episode 42 - Lestrade Appreciation. "There are great little stories on actors who played Lestrade, the evolution of prostitutes in Ripper movies, the historical perspective on the Scotland Yard inspector, and “an audio description of a painting of a statue." For those who think the Babes are overly fond of BBC Sherlock, I would note that they make it fifty minutes into the episode before that particular topic even comes up. But they quickly get back to the Canon and Paget drawings of Lestrade and their contribution to the characters." For a full transcript of the Babes’ 42nd episode, click here.
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| ["…the matter is being actively investigated, Mr. Lestrade, one of the very smartest of our detective officers, being in charge of the case." (CARD) Image by inimitabledreamer.] |
Sherlock DC announced that "Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch(BBC Sherlock) and Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary) will be screening Monday January 6, 2014 and Monday January 13, 2014 at 7:30 pm at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC." Just what exactly does it mean that they are ‘screening a play’? The National Theatre Live project is a four year old program consisting of HD broadcasts of National Theatre plays projected onto cinema screens around the world. The presentations were originally performed live in London and filmed in high definition, and subsequently edited/produced for presentation exclusively by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. To learn more about NTL visit NationalTheatre.org. Tickets for the Sherlock DC sponsored screening of Frankenstein go on sale Monday July 29, and there are planned Sherlockian DC meet-ups (details TBD) after both showings. Email them at contact@sherlockdc.com to RSVP and offer any meet-up logistics input. For readers unfamiliar with the original Boyle play, the roles of Dr Frankenstein and his Monster were played by the two contemporary actors who are each currently portraying the Great Detective in their respective Sherlock series’. Frankenstein’s world premier was on February 5, 2011, prior to casting for Elementary, leading to this bizarre coincidence, made even stranger by the fact that either role is interchangeable, meaning the two Sherlockian heartthrobs take turns playing either the doomed Doctor or the ill-fated Monster with each other.
[Visit Sherlock DC on Twitter @Sherlock_DC and at their blog SherlockDC for updated info about the screening as well as other Washington DC-area Sherlockian activities and events.]
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| [Collier’s cover for "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" appearance featuring Holmes in a ‘sick disguise’.] |
The Norwood Builder often responds to reader’s questions with lengthy and knowledgeable replies on various Canonical and supra-Canonical subjects. Recently a reader asked about the various disguises employed by Holmes over the years, and the Norwood Builder rose to the occasion with an extremely thorough response: “firstly, I’ll have a look to all the main canonical episodes in which Holmes impersonated this or that other figure, and then I’ll close with some general considerations about Sherlock Holmes’ acting abilities." The following disguise categories are used to organize his response: 1) Clergymen, 2) Manual labourers, 3) Women, 4) Old and/or sick characters, 5) Seamen and 6) Foreigners. One of the great pleasures of the Canon is imagining Holmes donning one of his numerous disguises, his mastery and virtuosity causing Watson to remark in "A Scandal In Bohemia" “The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when [Holmes] became a specialist in crime."
Markings run by Ray Wilcockson recently took a look at the Holmes adaptation that many Sherlockians, even in the age of Cumberbatch, consider to be the apex of Sherlock on screen: “I know I am not alone in often spotting some little treat I hadn’t noticed before in a repeat viewing of one of Granada’s classic episodes of Sherlock Holmes. They are truly evergreen. The artistry of Jeremy Brett has much to do with this, but honours must surely be shared with some inspired screenplays and production values. Together they created what are at times masterpieces. As Holmes observes in the Epilogue to Valley of Fear: ‘You can tell an old master by the sweep of his brush.’ The closer you look at this series the more authentic and well-executed it appears. With this post I am opening a place to collect some of this fine detail. I’ll add to it as and when, advertising new entries." I look forward to reading Mr Wilcockson’s observations regarding Jeremy Brett’s genius in his portrayal of the Great Detective.
[Click image for an animated GIF of JB in action in the 1991 Granada adaptation of The Boscombe Valley Mystery; and here for more BOSC animated GIFs.]Bartitsu Club of NYC is co-hosting their ‘Third Annual Antagonistics Weekend’, July 27-28 - Join the Bartitsu Club of NYC as we learn about 19th century fighting arts in North America in both the cities and the frontier. Topics include the Bowie knife and how it got its name, and the fierce Irish faction fighting of the mid-19th century - the infamous “Gangs of New York." 19th-century civilian combatives, including Bartitsu and pugilism, will also be explored. The seminars will be taught by historic combat expert Mark P. Donnelly, Professore di Armes. Attend either or both days as well as our Saturday Evening Social in historic Lower Manhattan. No martial arts experience required. A study in self-defense and in history! More info at NYC Steampunk.
[You can RSVP on their Facebook page here.]
Video Tribute to Moriarty ‘Let It Rock’ was brought to my attention via Brad Keefauver’s ‘Jim Moriarty & Living in the Future’, a post that not only celebrates the genre of fan ‘video tributes’, but also argues the point that we live in the best possible of all Sherlockian worlds: "Well, here’s the even cooler thing about this day of Sherlockiana we live in. If you get out on YouTube and start browsing, eventually you’re sure to find something that you do agree with…Our world has gotten that expansive. And I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time." Fan video tributes - essentially, edited clips from a TV show set to music - can be an acquired taste, but every now and then a truly remarkable one appears on the scene. ‘Let It Rock’ may not be your style, but I’m willing to bet there’s at least one fan video out there that would float your Aurora.
[Moriarty and Holmes relishing the last moments of their final dance.]
Doyleockian posted a translated version of his recent interview for French paper Le Figaro: What do you think of Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock? Alistair Duncan: “Every actor brings something different to the role of Sherlock Holmes and Cumberbatch is no exception. Although his Holmes is more abrupt than the Holmes of the books it is, perhaps, a more apt portrayal for the setting than the original Holmes would be. I think for a contemporary Sherlock he is perfect." Read the entire translated interview here.
Better Holmes & Gardens thoroughly reviewed Granada’s The Man With the Twisted Lip: “in the original short story, after a few hours of sleep at the St. Clair residence, Watson (and therefore, the reader) is awoken by Holmes’s shout of revelation, to find the Detective still smoking and in much the same contemplative position as he was before the Doctor drifted off. Holmes has solved the case, but the readers do not get to witness the actual epiphany. Granada’s adaptation remedies this omission by having the audience witness Sherlock Holmes while in the midst of his method. Immersed in the golden light of a slowly rising sun and subtle clouds of tobacco smoke, the Detective sits in a meditative state."
[Jeremy Brett portraying one of Paget’s greatest illustrations from "The Man With the Twisted Lip" - click image for the original.]
Dan Andriacco continues his musings on Holmes and the Press, this time reflecting on the surprisingly few times Holmes actually placed advertisements: “Sherlock Holmes doesn’t place advertisements in newspapers as often as you might think — and certainly not nearly as Nero Wolfe. I count only five times in which he took out an advert, from key actions in A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four to an ad that finds no takers in "The Naval Treaty," to a passing mention in "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax." Most memorable for me is the scene in “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle…” Another excellent post from the author of the McCabe/Cody cycle.
Tea at 221B dug up this very obscure yet very cool Granada Television Postmark which apparently was “a special postmark which was used specifically for all correspondence about the Sherlock Holmes series."
[How cool would it be to receive a letter with the above postmark affixed to the envelope?]
The Baz, the Tumblr version of The Baz: a Basil Rathbone blog, posted this fantastic illustration of Rathbone as the Great Detective. You can also follow this most excellent Rathbone-themed blog on Facebook. Click image below for a much larger version:
[Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.]
The Game is On, a Sherlock pub quiz, happens this weekend on Saturday July 13, 2013 from 2pm to 7pm at the Way Station in Brooklyn, NYC. Fill out their RSVP form to join in on the fun - and if I can move a few obligations around I might even be in attendance for what sounds like an excellent way to while away an afternoon.
Priory Scholars of NYC is nearing ‘sold out’ territory for their Summer Session 2013 meeting happening on July 28 at East of Eighth in Manhattan. Contact Headmistress Judith Freeman ASAP to reserve your spot at the intellectual smorgasbord that is the PSNYC discussion and quiz. REDH is the assignment, so re-read and come prepared.
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| [The man, the myth, the legend… Dr John H Watson.] |
The Denver of the Secret Nine - celebrators of “PG Wodehouse at altitude" - announced that the “second meeting of The Denver of the Secret Nine will be July 14th at 12:30 p.m. atPints Pub in downtown Denver," which is of course on Bastille Day.
The Sound of the Baskervilles is a scion society of the BSI based out of Seattle, Washington - and also happens to have one of the cleverest Sherlockian pun names, imo - whose next monthly meeting is August 18, 2013, though they have a John H Watson Picnic planned for July 20th (see all events here). The SOB’s (as they affectionately refer to themselves) monthly newsletter, Ineffable Twaddle, is packed with Sherlockian bits of info, news, trivia and happenings.
221B Con assured attendees of the first annual 2013 221B Con in Atlanta, GA. as well as those interested in partaking in future 221B Con activities to “fear not over our recent radio silence! We have been working hard on your 2014 221B Con experience and hope to have some exciting announcements for you in the near future." Make sure to follow @221bcon for up-to-date announcements leading up to opening day April 4, 2014.
[2014 221B Con happening on April 4 - 6, 2014.]
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