I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Mr Holmes

Showing posts with label Mr Holmes. Show all posts

Bombshell Interview with Author Mitch Cullin

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"tour de force of the author"<b> [CARD]</b></h4>
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</b><b>[Editor's note:</b> <i>after legal proceedings delayed our intended podcast interview with Mr. Cullin, we commissioned contributor <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Derrick%20Belanger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Derrick Belanger</a> to conduct an interview via email. The following represents the unvarnished commentary of the author and his experience</i>.]<br />
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Mitch Cullin did not set out to be known as the author of a controversial Sherlock Holmes novel.  In fact, the New Mexico native doesn't even consider himself a Sherlockian, and he'd rather be meditating than reading anything Holmes-related.  Yet, with the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. lawsuit against the film <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3g5szYt" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2765668" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=1712ec62e2e245748a2eb162673ce34b&_cb=1448255881654" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> and Cullin's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3dtqu6Q" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind<img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5677355" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7812f8d0788153deac205f67ecc84712&_cb=1448255891557" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></a></i>, the novel on which the film is based, Mitch Cullin has emerged, like <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/%23FreeSherlock" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leslie Klinger</a>, as a Holmesian hero, fighting to protect the rights of pastiche authors and trying to keep Sherlock Holmes free.  After a strongly worded post on his Facebook page explaining the lawsuit settlement and his reasons against it, I contacted Mr. Cullin to ask him about the lawsuit, the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>, and his current venture into photography.<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherock Everywhere:  Let's start with the settlement of the lawsuit the Conan Doyle Estate brought against  <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> and the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i>.</b></h4>
<b>Mitch Cullin:</b> First off, I want to be clear on who we're talking about when we say the Conan Doyle Estate, particularly in terms of the U.S. and the Estate's business model for almost the past twenty years, what <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="SEARCH" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="79bfbb2ceaea7e6826d6a460688db0da" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Neil Gaiman" href="https://amzn.to/2Yz2Bqc" id="amznPsBmLink_3158717" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Neil Gaiman</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3158717" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=79bfbb2ceaea7e6826d6a460688db0da&_cb=1448256069127" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> called a "shakedown operation." When the lawsuit by the Estate against the film and my book was announced last May — in somewhat uber-nerdy fashion on the occasion of Sir Arthur's 156th birthday — I immediately wondered who was behind the lawsuit. In other words, I found myself asking, "Who exactly is the Conan Doyle Estate in this day and age?"<br />
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Most people have no idea about what individuals loiter under the veil of the Estate, and I was no different. Knowing Conan Doyle has no living direct heirs, I assumed there must be some very distant Miss Havisham-like relative wandering about a country house in Scotland who was behind the lawsuit. But that idea turned out to be rather far from the truth. In fact, the remaining rights are owned by <a href="http://www.conandoyleestate.com/" target="_blank">Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.</a>, a UK company, not individuals. The closest living heirs of Arthur Conan Doyle are Charles Foley, Richard Doyle, and Catherine Doyle Beggs, and Georgina Doyle, widow of Brigadier John Doyle, whose father Innes was Sir Arthur’s younger brother.<br />
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However, the Estate "client" that is referred to in the lawsuit's claims against me is a fellow named Jon Lellenberg, a former defense strategist who is now retired and enjoying life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the city where I happen to have been born. Of course, once I learned this, I immediately Googled Mr. Lellenberg to attach a face to the name. It was a disappointment, actually, because I was expecting to glimpse an imposing foe with a steely-eyed glint and a walrus mustache. That was hardly the case. And as it happens, in spite of the fact that <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12301.Jon_Lellenberg?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">his Goodreads page</a> lists him as being from the United Kingdom, Mr. Lellenberg is an American from Missouri. It turns out, too, that many Sherlockians are aware of him as the U.S. representative for the Estate, as well as the editor and author of several decent books that pertain to Conan Doyle. So when talking about the lawsuit and who was responsible for it, I'm really talking about only one person, and that is Jon Lellenberg. <br />
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A couple more important things to mention for context. Lellenberg had been the exclusive U.S. representative for Dame Jean Conan Doyle for years. After her death, the Conan Doyle Estate was incorporated into the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.. The CDE then took its business model cues in terms of copyright and trademark from the Disney Corporation, which had successfully lobbied Congress to extend copyright laws into what became known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998 — yep, that Sonny Bono — or, unofficially, as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. There are a few good aspects of the Bono Act, but the bad part was that it brought back into copyright protection things that had lapsed, such as the <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0056JEL3W" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="35edd5fef6e3582eab9eb6546e6bb8e3" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" href="https://amzn.to/31glHD8" id="amznPsBmLink_567124" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_567124" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=35edd5fef6e3582eab9eb6546e6bb8e3&_cb=1448256414297" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. For those stories, the copyright period is now 95 years after publication. Thus, the last of the <i>Case-Book</i> stories won't relapse into the public domain until 2022.<br />
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This extension in U.S. copyright laws then set the stage for how the the Estate has gone forward ever since. It's a business model that, in my opinion, seems to epitomize the neoconservative fixation with prizing unbridled corporate interests over reasoned free-market fairness, not to mention a disposition of low tolerance for diplomacy of any kind. Lastly, and not without significance, it must be pointed out that <b>Jon Lellenberg isn't just the U.S. representative for the CDE, but, in fact, he owns a certain percentage of the Estate</b>.<br />
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[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> <i>let's just let that last sentence sink in, shall we? Given <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VlKlU_mrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what we know about the methods of the CDE</a>, "these are very deep waters," as Holmes said.</i>]<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What was the basis of the lawsuit?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> The basis of the lawsuit by the CDE against me, my publisher, the film company, and director Bill Condon claimed that my novel was loaded with copyright violations from at least one of the copyrighted Holmes stories in <i>The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes</i>, and the CDE also asserted that there was a trademark violation for the usage of "Sherlock Holmes" since, it was claimed, they owned the trademark where it pertained to both film and books.<br />
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That assertion, by the way, is flat-out untrue. The CDE has a trademark pending in that regard, but they don't currently own one, nor have they ever owned one. There's quite a good chance the trademark will be denied, as it should be. If the trademark is granted, then things will become very interesting, because the CDE will be able to metaphorically own the copyright to the name "Sherlock Holmes" for perpetuity. In theory, that would mean an individual would be free to make a film version of the public domain Conan Doyle Holmes stories — let's say <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1503312755" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="58e253e7f307a32290f0d1fec14bee80" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Hound of the Baskervilles" href="https://amzn.to/2B4fLmi" id="amznPsBmLink_4178344" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4178344" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=58e253e7f307a32290f0d1fec14bee80&_cb=1448257225452" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> — but that person would have to pay the CDE a licensing fee for the use of the trademarked name of "Sherlock Holmes".<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Why did your publisher settle?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> I'm legally bound to say nothing in regard to the specifics of the final agreement, so I can't speak to what the settlement entails. I can, however, talk about everything that led up to the final agreement. On face value, it would appear that my publisher caved to the CDE's demands. In reality, that was far from the case, regardless of how "very pleased" with the outcome the CDE's lawyer has stated to the press; that's just spin, that's what he's paid to say.<br />
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In spite of whatever is right or wrong, the blunt reality is that it is cheaper for corporations to settle than to go to court, and I believe the CDE is not only keenly aware of that reality, but that they bank on it as an outcome. [<i><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VlKmMfmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Judge Posner of the 7th Circuit Court believed the CDE was keenly aware as well</a>. - <b>Ed.</b></i>] The lawsuit was never intended or designed by the CDE to be litigated. For that matter, contrary to what the CDE has suggested, the film was never kept by them from having a U.S. release. In order for that to have occurred, an injunction against the film would have had to be filed well in advance of the film's release, which didn't happen because the Estate surely knew it wouldn't have received an injunction. The negotiations between the CDE and Random House and I went on for almost three months, but the majority of those negotiations between the Estate and Random House were non-starters and often rather childish.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: With some of the Sherlock Holmes stories still under copyright in the U.S. did you or your publisher ever worry about copyright infringement when you wrote <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>?  Did the estate ever question you or your publisher before the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> was announced?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> No, not all; neither my publisher nor I was worried, especially since 99.9% of the book had nothing to do with the specifics of the Conan Doyle canon, and those moments that did pertain to the stories were minor, with only <u>three</u> actual references that could be tied to the U.S. copyrighted stories — though those three references are all textbook examples of fair use.<br />
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In other words, no readers are buying my book instead of a copyrighted Holmes story so they can find out that Watson moved to Queen Anne Street, nor did anything about my novel harm the sales or prospects of those copyrighted works — quite the opposite, probably. But then again, if public domain certainties have been ignored over and over by the CDE then why on earth would perfectly obvious examples of fair use be respected when doing so wouldn't benefit the CDE financially in any manner whatsoever? And as for the film, it doesn't even have any of those fair use references in it, so the lawsuit was truly without merit in terms of the movie.<br />
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More to the point, the novel was written between 2000 and 2003, and it wasn't published until 2005, in which it received <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/review/a-slight-trick-of-the-mind-old-man-holmes.html" target="_blank">favorable reviews in the <i>New York Times</i></a> and other major publications, yet no one — not me or my publisher — heard as much as a peep from the CDE until the equivalent of a decade later when the film was announced; <b><i>that fact alone should speak volumes</i></b>. [<i>Emphasis ours. -<b>Ed.</b></i>]<br />
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For that matter, both Laurie R. King and Michael Chabon, two writers I know, have written about Holmes in the same manner, with the same settings and references as I did in my book — with much greater success, I might add — but neither of them to date have heard from the CDE or been asked to pay bogus licensing fees. But let's see what happens in the future when either <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0060777109" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2adbed5738420af1a78fa39f863f4d49" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Final Solution" href="https://amzn.to/3eB7epo" id="amznPsBmLink_6374138" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Final Solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6374138" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2adbed5738420af1a78fa39f863f4d49&_cb=1448257867321" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> or <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1250055709" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="98f9955e59cccc5f0ac031cb23fedca2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Beekeeper's Apprentice" href="https://amzn.to/3eCfuFv" id="amznPsBmLink_5612699" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Beekeeper's Apprentice</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5612699" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=98f9955e59cccc5f0ac031cb23fedca2&_cb=1448257876807" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> gets turned into a movie.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Tell us about the book you mentioned on your Facebook Page that you are working on chronicling the business methods used by the CDE.</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> If you don’t mind, I’m going to stay mum about that one for the time being. It’s in the works, and there’s a lot of research underway. It’ll take a good while to pull it all together, and, most likely, I’ll have to wait until one or two people depart this planet before I’ll get it out into the world. I will say, though, that the idea for the book began to take shape when the lawsuit came about, and when I was feverishly taking notes and trying to educate myself about the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. in anticipation of going to court--so there was a lot of immersive research involved during a relatively short period of time. I now have the basic framework for the book, so the next phase will be extensive research, interviews, and fact checking.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Now that the dust has settled from the lawsuit, do you have any interest in writing a new Sherlock Holmes story?  If so, would it involve a continuation of <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> No, no desire whatsoever. What else could I do with the character, aside from having him decompose in a rocking chair? I've been asked for years to write a sequel, and I was even offered a decent amount of money to do so at one time. But <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1400078229" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="872b5cb90a8ecbb4690660fa0645baad" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Slight Trick of the Mind" href="https://amzn.to/3dtqu6Q" id="amznPsBmLink_7659680" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7659680" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=872b5cb90a8ecbb4690660fa0645baad&_cb=1448258150330" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> had a very organic creation, so anything else would be disingenuous on my part. The novel was my way of dealing with my father's health issues as his sharp mind started to unravel. It's a literary novel, really, and a highly metaphorical yet personal one at that, touching on my own grappling with the definitive ending of my childhood.<br />
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It's also a book about lost father figures, and a tribute to the late John Bennett Shaw who had been another great benign father figure to me as a boy. I was saying goodbye to a lot of things and a lot of people with that book, and that was the function it served for me. In fact, my mother died shortly before the book was published, so she became tied into the theme of vanishing loved ones that is at the core of the novel. Now I have no wish to revisit that part of my past, and I'm happy I'll never have to write that book again. Plus, the only preoccupation that holds my creative interest anymore is photography, both as an art form and a hobby; that's what sustains me as an artist and poet nowadays.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: You have been bluntly clear that you are not a Sherlockian.  In fact, you've said you're not really a fan of the canon, yet you've crafted what some people consider to be the greatest pastiche of the 21st century.  Why did you settle on Holmes for your protagonist?  Why didn't you invent your own character for the novel or even use a different fictional character as the focus of your novel?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> My novel is a work of literary fiction that uses Sherlock Holmes as a device to explore other subjects that exist far beyond anything Conan Doyle could have conceived or written about, such as post-war Japan, atomic technology, the modern age of the mid-20th century. I wasn’t writing a genre mystery pastiche based on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but rather a layered story with the underlying themes of memory loss, sons in search of lost fathers, and longing for lost loves and lost opportunities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98T6VHXQ3Z9NDA1npp4v80uAl6U5LMerR54Thaa6pH-GIr4PlBeCep9OLm-zpICXuEkdubI-MumA3RyAKtxJdgyYZEE3zFGAoyAE54jYCKXBT2xHd-gYQGLAt4MAFtolVkdzzgkeymCD0/s1600/Mitch+Cullin+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98T6VHXQ3Z9NDA1npp4v80uAl6U5LMerR54Thaa6pH-GIr4PlBeCep9OLm-zpICXuEkdubI-MumA3RyAKtxJdgyYZEE3zFGAoyAE54jYCKXBT2xHd-gYQGLAt4MAFtolVkdzzgkeymCD0/s640/Mitch+Cullin+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitch Cullin at a Mr. Holmes screening. <i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/vRa1np" target="_blank">KCET.org</a></i></td></tr>
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One of the things that the CDEL asserted in their claims against me was that “there will be no difficulty proving Cullin’s access to Conan Doyle’s works, as Cullin’s dedication to the late John Bennett Shaw of Santa Fe, one of this country’s most noted Sherlockians, notes that Shaw once left him in charge of his library.” Guilty as charged. I was 13 at the time, around the age of young Roger in my book. And, just like Roger did with Holmes in my novel, I got to explore John’s library while he and his wife went on vacation.<br />
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I was a latchkey kid who lived with his single father in Santa Fe. By the time I turned 14, though, punk music and teenage male hormones moved my interests elsewhere. Many years later, when I learned that John had died, I began toying with the idea of writing a Sherlock book in his honor. At around the same time, my father began to exhibit signs of memory loss, something that was very difficult for me to deal with since my father was my hero and had always had such a sharp mind. Suddenly my childhood began to feel very far away from me, so I decided to incorporate what my father was going through into the book as its major theme: memory, and what happens to an individual when memory starts to go.<br />
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The book took three years to write, and in that time my mother developed the ovarian cancer that would eventually kill her. And while she and my father had been divorced for years, they were both still quite close. What I then saw, as my mother’s illness progressed, was my father’s deepening regret for choices he had made in his life as a younger man. All of this I dealt with metaphorically through the novel. Elderly Holmes’s memory loss, his regrets and desire to love, the woman he once desired as a younger man and who suddenly died before he could make sense of his complicated feelings for her, and his affection for the very small boy he found himself spending time with alone: all of this came from my personal life, not from the ghost-mind of the CDE's beloved Conan Doyle. Furthermore, the mentorship that my elderly Holmes provides for the boy Roger is based on the dynamic I had with the late John Bennett Shaw.  <br />
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In a relatively short period of time, I had lost — and I was losing — my childhood father figures, and therefore I dealt with it through my writing, hence the theme of men in search of fathers that occurs throughout the book. Let’s not also forget that, for me, the character of Sherlock Holmes was also a childhood hero and father figure to me, hence my desire to use him as the main protagonist.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: When conducting research for A Slight Trick of the Mind, which Holmes stories were most important in influencing your writing?  What other sources were significant influences on your novel?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> The outside influences were way more important to the writing of book than anything from Conan Doyle's pen, aside from those stories that pertained to Canonically important details that I felt should be there in order for the story itself to ring true for serious Sherlockians, not just the casual fan. For that, I relied much on <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="051703817X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7db24c7a15fe1236fce44383fa28e4e2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="William S. Baring-Gould's book" href="https://amzn.to/381ytXD" id="amznPsBmLink_7173412" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William S. Baring-Gould's book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7173412" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7db24c7a15fe1236fce44383fa28e4e2&_cb=1448258778882" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> and things like Jack Tracy's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="038046490X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="3eb35dc4fc83ba417ef6d1561eff7856" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana" href="https://amzn.to/2NwJB5y" id="amznPsBmLink_6710914" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6710914" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=3eb35dc4fc83ba417ef6d1561eff7856&_cb=1448258767519" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, as well as revisiting H.F. Heard's wonderful amazing Mycroft mysteries. Apparently, this is a problem when it comes to the U.S. copyright issue because if you want to be canonically accurate with tiny details that are important then you run the chance of being sued.<br />
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But, anyway, aside from research about post-war Japan, the main sources of influence during the creation of the novel were writers that I was reading at the time, such as Graham Swift and Kenzaburo Oe. I was also very much inspired by Hikaru Okuizumi's beautiful short novel <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0156011832" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8916adef84a8dc3129ff77c9afae2ed2" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Stones Cry Out" href="https://amzn.to/2YAvWk5" id="amznPsBmLink_6613400" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Stones Cry Out</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6613400" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8916adef84a8dc3129ff77c9afae2ed2&_cb=1448258812844" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a writer who I'd throw my arms around in gratitude should I ever chance to meet him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0156011832" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="the stones cry out" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Stones-Cry-Hikaru-Okuizumi/dp/0156011832/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_4257104" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUKjviOVoqNxE6VsBE_MbboAOKmN4LaLtjOnRMTIQec6zk8MPmvQvAIomTt2coJP_8nGlLvlnpAoL-ok9og3PT1iGeHHoOhQyRJGjfk0HH_wwDrnGsXuNYGGumy0b3eWIDhr_c-WVS9ky/s320/Okuizumi+-+Stones+Cry+Out.jpg" width="210" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4257104" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=439e39c30eb51bb6c9856c7ebc85d8f1&_cb=1448258737632" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: It has been noted that the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> made some significant changes from the book <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>.  Some changes seemed odd such as renaming the last name of important characters from Keller to Kelmot, and of course, the big change involved the boy, Roger.  What did you think of the changes made to your book when it was transferred to the screen?</b></h4>
<b>MC: </b>I'm philosophical about the changes. The book is the book, the film is the film, and my job was done over a decade ago. To say a film is "loosely based on a novel" should go without saying. All film adaptions of novels are loosely based, which is an understandable by-product of the narrative compression that occurs when moving a story from one medium to an entirely different one. But I've been aware of the changes that were to come for years now, and I believe the second draft of the script already had the big change for Roger.<br />
<br />
Then, of course, there are things in the film that I've kicked myself for not having thought of for the book, such as that great meta moment where Holmes goes to watch the film version of himself at a cinema. It kills me that I didn't think of that idea, which Bill Condon gets full credit for envisioning; I remember him telling me about the idea during a dinner together, and I thought to myself, "Damn you, that's good."<br />
<br />
You know, though, I never got around to asking why Keller became Kelmot. Maybe because it evoked Helen Keller? I don't know. But I'm very proud of the film, especially how it maintained the heart, soul, and integrity of my novel while still providing a more upbeat conclusion than my version. In truth, the positive outcome that the film provides is closer now to how I feel about life, as opposed to the rather dark, pessimistic place I was in when the novel was written.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: One of the most famous books about Holmes is <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0014YL4WY" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="20b7f6616a802cc1d76f6df906c51717" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street" href="https://amzn.to/381ytXD" id="amznPsBmLink_9984719" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9984719" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=20b7f6616a802cc1d76f6df906c51717&_cb=1448258897197" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> by William S. Baring-Gould.  In the book, Baring-Gould surmises that Holmes was taught meditation in Tibet during the Great Hiatus and possibly converted to Buddhism.  We see Holmes using meditation to help deal with the deaths of his friends and family members in your novel.  Did you come to a similar conclusion as Mr. Baring-Gould about Holmes when you wrote <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>?  Do you believe he converted to Buddhism later in life?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> To be honest, if anyone wanted to sue me for copyright infringement it should be the Baring-Gould Estate. When writing <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> I used that book as my Holmes bible, not any of the Conan Doyle stories. It was Baring-Gould's timeline that I followed. I even gave a shout out to <i>Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</i> in the acknowledgments of the novel. It's such a wonderful book. When Ian McKellen was readying to play Holmes for the film, I recommended the Baring-Gould one to him. I'm glad you mentioned <i>Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</i> since it's my favorite Holmes book, and one of the few that has remained on my bookshelves over the years.<br />
<br />
Anyway, why not, I like that idea of Holmes being a Buddhist. Probably because I'm a Buddhist, and I've been practicing meditation daily for a long time now. On the other hand, though, I think my version of Holmes is less Buddhist and more transcendentalist in his beliefs, like my father was. So, in the world of my novel, I don't think Holmes would convert to Buddhism later in life, but in the alternate reality of Baring-Gould's vision I choose to believe he did. My Holmes would probably balk at anything that had even a remote religious component to it. Of course, someone can still meditate successfully and be an atheist; the two things aren't incompatible at all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: You've strayed from writing and are now delving into photography.  Why the shift?  When will we see your photographic work?  </b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> It is true that my creative success has been mostly as a novelist, something that I must admit doesn’t come natural to me. Writing novels is damn hard work, and, honestly, not much fun. But my first and enduring creative love has always been photography, a pursuit that has always given me great pleasure and freedom. I started taking photographs in 1985 when I was 16. My father gave me <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002WG06RW" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="35mm Minolta" href="http://www.amazon.com/Minolta-XG-1-35mm-Camera/dp/B002WG06RW/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3952187" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">35mm Minolta</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3952187" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=d757f96d95021488945d330d4ae429f0&_cb=1448259354659" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> as a gift, and it didn’t take long for me to get the hang of shooting images of my friends and the environment of the small ranching town in West Texas where I was living.<br />
<br />
Jump to 2009 when I found myself feeling a bit lost, somewhat adrift as a person and as an artist. My mother had died a few years earlier, and my father was now sinking into his final days of dementia. I had finished a novel that no one was interested in publishing, but even before that, I had grown tired of the isolation, strain, and mental gymnastics that writing novels required; it was still challenging to write, though no longer fun or psychologically pleasing on any level. As a result of reaching this personal crossroad, I decided to take some time off and do what I hadn’t done in years, which was to get a normal job and ponder what to do next.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GtEwULnXzSIO-H95L6OrTDj6Kxz9hLUrILWevbod9GTtDgJH50HcdpPFVuMUzbBE_iMwgY5AvYzJtx9l9KU5elsSsqiSLImQESS5AtCeFWtnOtjRrLNywbuMCF_wjb2xJEACklf8fY9X/s1600/Mitch+Cullin+Mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GtEwULnXzSIO-H95L6OrTDj6Kxz9hLUrILWevbod9GTtDgJH50HcdpPFVuMUzbBE_iMwgY5AvYzJtx9l9KU5elsSsqiSLImQESS5AtCeFWtnOtjRrLNywbuMCF_wjb2xJEACklf8fY9X/s640/Mitch+Cullin+Mother.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My Mother as Angela Davis © Mitch Cullin (used with permission)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By 2010, while working in a pretty miserable retail environment at a museum bookstore, I began taking pictures on my days off with a little Canon digital camera as way to keep myself feeling creatively engaged. The following year I quit the job, having come to the realization that the one thing I really wanted to do was the one thing I’d always been a natural at doing: making images with a camera.<br />
<br />
By the time I officially announced my retirement from fiction writing this past summer, I had already amassed hundreds of new images, and I had begun diving into the thousands of old negatives from the previous years that I’d kept hidden away in shoe boxes. So next year, fingers crossed, should see the publication of at least two limited-edition photobooks from me--one about my recent travels through Turkey, another showcasing my photographs from West Texas taken during the 1980s, both containing my images and a personal essay from me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE:  Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
<b>MC:</b> If I can go back to the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. for a last moment, it's no news flash to suggest that there's something undermining and unkind in nature about how the current Estate behaves toward a variety of writers and editors, though the sad fact is that knowing this can cast a big chill over a person's desire to create anything new or original about Sherlock Holmes, lest she or he end up being threatened with legal action should their work find a publisher. Believe me, if I had known there was the possibility that I was going to be sued, I'd have likely reconsidered writing <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> in the first place.<br />
<br />
Even so, it must be remembered that these Holmes books by others are the lifeblood of the Sherlockian world; these novels, pastiches, anthologies, movies, television shows — these are the things that draw the majority of people back to the original canon in the first place — as well as introduce thousands of people to the character of Sherlock Holmes, and it has been that way since at least the middle of the previous century. I would argue that it's <i>because</i> of these outside works that Holmes has remained such a vibrant, modern character. The CDE should be grateful for that, and they should honor those who aid Conan Doyle's legacy and do so without seeking unwarranted monetary reward; they should be respectful of the people who have kept the character alive all these years later. Without us, they'd have nothing.<br />
<br />
<br />
See also: <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/a-santa-fe-question-who-owns-sherlock-holmes/article_a0e72388-1bfa-5a03-b8b0-26e70735da4d.html?mode=jqm">related article from the <i>Santa Fe New Mexican</i></a>.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Cullin" target="_blank">Mitch Cullin</a></b> is the author of eight books of fiction, including the novel-in-verse <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1579620612" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="168b1f9522166381a614c11d1745fe2e" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="branches cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2NxYswt" id="amznPsBmLink_9141587" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Branches</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9141587" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=168b1f9522166381a614c11d1745fe2e&_cb=1448259699311" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00TUPLU14" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e240cc1539f99f30a62606e58d352b45" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Cosmology of Bing" href="https://amzn.to/3fWpFFa" id="amznPsBmLink_2122347" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Cosmology of Bing</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2122347" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e240cc1539f99f30a62606e58d352b45&_cb=1448259710602" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00TUPLSLQ" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="689b8d7a9f7e447a76b4210bd4c13f07" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="undersurface cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2YzarjN" id="amznPsBmLink_8394876" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Undersurface</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8394876" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=689b8d7a9f7e447a76b4210bd4c13f07&_cb=1448259732801" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, and the globe-spanning story collection <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B005IISQQE" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="387da1fca076ab535c6d7e036facbc85" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest" href="https://amzn.to/2YDu4Hv" id="amznPsBmLink_8384187" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8384187" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=387da1fca076ab535c6d7e036facbc85&_cb=1448259743261" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. To date, his books have been translated into 14 languages.<br />
<br />
<i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i>, his revisionist account of an elderly Sherlock Holmes in retirement, is currently in pre-production with Focus Features. The film adaptation of his novel <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="080231340X" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e290bd8cbbf1305841bbd51a0e2af3e8" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="tideland mitch cullin" href="https://amzn.to/2NxsoZq" id="amznPsBmLink_533474" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tideland</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_533474" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e290bd8cbbf1305841bbd51a0e2af3e8&_cb=1448259676864" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> was directed and co-scripted by former Monty Pythoner Terry Gilliam, produced by Jeremy Thomas, and starred Jeff Bridges, Janet McTeer, and Jennifer Tilly. Besides slowly loosing his hair and writing novels in increasingly smaller and expensive dwellings throughout southwestern America, he continues to collaborate in all things with his long-term partner Peter I. Chang.<br />
<br />
With Chang as director/editor, he produced <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B015QGEKDA" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="4bf5d22ef5980101d148f2c0591725e7" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="I Want to Destroy America" href="https://amzn.to/2BIQHAV" id="amznPsBmLink_7528616" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Want to Destroy America</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7528616" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=4bf5d22ef5980101d148f2c0591725e7&_cb=1448259819068" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, a documentary about the street musician Hisao Shinagawa that premiered at the 2006 Atlanta Underground Film Festival and went on to have multiple screenings at the 2006 Santa Fe Film Festival. In 2009, a second Chang-Cullin documentary feature, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0159HRTPW" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="7c1ea06cf43973ec1649ed1013e67a55" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Tokyo Is Dreaming" href="https://amzn.to/3i5mRHR" id="amznPsBmLink_1773388" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tokyo Is Dreaming</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1773388" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=7c1ea06cf43973ec1649ed1013e67a55&_cb=1448259852712" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, had its premiere at the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in the U.K., and features a soundtrack by Calexico's John Convertino.<br />
<br />
He continues to write novels in decreasing spurts and increasing sputters, but usually he can be found ambling around his garden in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Image source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIP5uSPdvxE" target="_blank">YouTube</a></i><br />
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<br />

Bombshell Interview with Author Mitch Cullin

"tour de force of the author" [CARD] [Editor's note: after legal proceedings delayed our intended podcast intervie...

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by Belanger Books

Conan Doyle Estate Reaches Settlement with Miramax Over 'Mr. Holmes'

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"I grudge them their blood money" [LAST]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fVASK60jPffzpbxBK3rZrhlfyd_fb5-IuFAxpXoVgcyEqk5fxEMXJCD61he8UWoSGQ-030CVTycVirWcxzy6oLzcYCqqMmd_Lhuf3EoQib6xDA50gq6Tv3Er84YcFY9HJqhvon4jAONZ/s1600/The_Adventure_of_the_Blanched_Soldier_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fVASK60jPffzpbxBK3rZrhlfyd_fb5-IuFAxpXoVgcyEqk5fxEMXJCD61he8UWoSGQ-030CVTycVirWcxzy6oLzcYCqqMmd_Lhuf3EoQib6xDA50gq6Tv3Er84YcFY9HJqhvon4jAONZ/s400/The_Adventure_of_the_Blanched_Soldier_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.Vep6FvZViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.Vep6FvZViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Earlier this year, </a>we reported on the lawsuit that the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. filed against Miramax, Roadside Attractions and Bill Condon in conjunction with the release of the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> starring Ian McKellen.<br />
<br />
Now, the Estate Limited <a href="http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/mr-holmes-lawsuit-settlement-arthur-conan-doyle-1201585667/" target="_blank">is claiming victory in its latest effort</a>. An agreement was in place in principle prior to the release of the film, and the parties are in the process of finalizing it. Benjamin Allison, attorney for the Estate, said earlier this week, "The estate is very pleased." Miramax had no comment on the ongoing litigation. According to press reports, the defendants had not filed a response to the lawsuit.<br />
<br />
This is precisely how most nuisance lawsuits are handled by large entities. Big company lawyers are more expensive than a settlement would be. In our view, this is exactly what the CDEL hoped for, and <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VeqC9PZViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the 7th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals noted last year</a> noted in its landmark decision against the Estate last year:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Doyle estate’s business strategy is plain: charge a modest license fee for which there is no legal basis, in the hope that the "rational" writer or publisher asked for the fee will pay it rather than incur a greater cost, in legal expenses, in challenging the legality of the demand. The strategy had worked with Random House; Pegasus was ready to knuckle under; only Klinger (so far as we know) resisted. In effect he was a private attorney general, combating a disreputable business practice—<u><b>a form of extortion</b></u>—and he is seeking by the present motion not to obtain a reward but merely to avoid a loss.</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The court even made a helpful recommendation:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It’s time the estate, in its own self-interest, changed its business model.</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
However, with a Hollywood movie in its sights and precious little time left on its remaining 10 copyrighted stories, the Limited entity insists on panning for as much gold as it can.<br /><br />
<br />
Meanwhile the case of <a href="https://burtwolder.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/a-strange-case/" target="_blank">Conan Doyle suing his own estate</a> from beyond the grave continues...<br />
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--<br />
<br /></div>

Conan Doyle Estate Reaches Settlement with Miramax Over 'Mr. Holmes'

"I grudge them their blood money" [LAST] Earlier this year, we reported on the lawsuit that the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. fil...

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by Scott Monty

Mr. Holmes - An Emotional and Somber Sherlock

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"All emotions...were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind" [SCAN]</h4>
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When we first encounter Sir Ian McKellen as an aged 93 year-old Sherlock Holmes, he is on a train returning to his home in Sussex after a journey to Japan. His demeanor is dour, but it lightens ever so slightly when he reaches his seaside farm, where he immediately retreats to his study.<br />
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If you had any expectation that <i>Mr. Holmes</i> would be a thinking-person's Sherlock Holmes film, centered on the detective as tireless clue hunter, you should be dissuaded of that notion immediately.<br />
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This is a film focused on the inner Sherlock Holmes - one whom we don't completely know, even after some four decades of Dr. Watson's storytelling. We quickly learn that there were many embellishments that Dr. Watson made: the deerstalker cap, the curved pipe, 221B Baker Street as the fictional address of Holmes (a nice nod to a conundrum that Sherlockians still can't entirely agree upon), and more.<br />
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But we discover that the reclusive Holmes of the South Downs holds a deeper secret: his mind, for which he is famous and which is responsible for his reputation, is failing him. He needs to find a way to stem the tide. As his mind grapples with the knowledge that it is slowly deteriorating, there is a restrained urgency to his desire to find a cure before it leaves him entirely.<br />
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Along the way, we meet Mrs. Munro (played by Laura Linney), Holmes's housekeeper, and her 10 year-old son Roger (Milo Parker), who are companions as well as helpmates to Holmes inside the house and with his apiaries. Holmes takes a special liking to Roger, as he teaches him about bee keeping and the principles of observation - perhaps seeing a bit of himself as a young boy in the clever Roger.<br />
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Holmes confides to Roger that he's trying to write the details of a particular case - in fact, the very case that caused him to retire some 33 years prior - and must do so before his mind completely fails him. This takes Holmes on a trip to Japan to seek out a cure. We're also treated to flashbacks to three decades before, as he catches glimpses of memories of the case - in which a Mr. Kelmot hired Holmes to track the meanderings of his wife.<br />
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As the film moves seamlessly between timeframes (sometimes annoyingly so), the clues are mostly visual in nature: settings in the City as well as in Japan, for example. But the most stark difference is McKellen's Holmes himself. We go from a stooped, frail and age-spotted nonagenarian deep in retirement in 1947 to a more spry, quick-spoken and visibly younger detective, at close of his career. McKellen's transformation to the elderly Holmes is a feat of the makeup department as much as the considerable acting talent.<br />
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But more than the visuals, we were taken by the exploration of the inner Sherlock Holmes - something we rarely glimpse in the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Here we have a Holmes with regrets, an infatuation with a woman whom he spent less than a day with, a deep sadness and sense of loss of his stalwarts: his long-suffering landlady Mrs. Hudson, his brother Mycroft, and of course Dr. Watson. The physical struggles are there on the surface, constantly. It's the mental and emotional anguish that ebb and flow, yet McKellen's Holmes makes it clear when those things affect him.<br />
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There is a shared sense of sadness, loss and loneliness in each of Holmes, Mrs. Kelmot and Mrs. Munro. They have all lost someone of great importance to them, and a hole exists in their hearts that cannot be completely filled. While each chooses his or her own way to deal with the loss and solitude, one thing becomes eminently clear: having a purpose gives our life meaning. Mrs. Munro nursing Holmes back to health, Watson writing up Holmes's last case to show the hero, or Roger as the pupil, bringing the natural teaching and demonstration abilities of Holmes back to life. This sense of purpose fulfills a need.<br />
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Overall, the film was a decent adaptation of Mitch Cullin's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1400078229" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8c2ae9fe5a035c99c2ba3c8ca3b13a31" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Slight Trick of the Mind" href="http://amzn.to/1EdBJIy" id="amznPsBmLink_2796102" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2796102" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8c2ae9fe5a035c99c2ba3c8ca3b13a31&_cb=1437544512154" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, upon which it was based. There were certain deviations from the original which had to be made to accommodate a visual audience and to simplify the storyline, but the essence of a real and feeling Sherlock Holmes was maintained. While the jumps between time lines was potentially confusing, moviegoers should be able to pick up on it easily. But it is one that may not leave you completely satisfied, due in large part to its emotional bent. At the conclusion, we were left with a sense of melancholy for Sherlock Holmes, who, even though he discovered what he set out to, was still at heart a solitary and lonely man.<br />
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Two items of note that we thought were worth pointing out. In one of the flashback scenes, Holmes follows Mrs. Kelmot out of a garden and discovers her in the street, loitering in front of a store. Clever eyes will note that it is a taxidermist's shop, name of Ambrose Chappell. If that name sounds familiar, you might recall that was the name of the taxidermist in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 classic <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000CCW2TS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Man Who Knew Too Much" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-Who-Knew-Much/dp/B000CCW2TS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=socialmediama-20&linkId=04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4936587" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Man Who Knew Too Much</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4936587" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=04b7ce64d4a36b36642e63ad62515baf&_cb=1437544933463" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br />
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The other is the cameo that everyone is talking about. When Holmes goes to see the fictional Sherlock Holmes film <i>The Lady in Grey</i> in 1947, we're treated to Nicholas Rowe playing the matinee Sherlock Holmes. Of course, Rowe had the lead role in the 1985 Chris Columbus film <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0000AUHPC" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Young Sherlock Holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Sherlock-Holmes-Nicholas-Rowe/dp/B0000AUHPC/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=socialmediama-20&linkId=8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_6286916" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Young Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6286916" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=socialmediama-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8b29e0239d6ffc002123601212992b6d&_cb=1437545033971" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>.<br />
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We highly recommend the film to Sherlockians everywhere. Just be prepared for a subdued plot with a deep and perceptive performance by Ian McKellen, bringing you the inner Sherlock Holmes that seems more human and flawed than ever.<br />
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Mr. Holmes - An Emotional and Somber Sherlock

"All emotions...were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind" [SCAN] When we first encounter Sir Ian McKe...

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by Scott Monty

Mr. Holmes - A First Review

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"an admirable screen" [HOUN]</h4>
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From the tweeted still images, to the multiple trailers, to countless interviews, <i><a href="http://mrholmesfilm.com/" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a></i> is finally here. And it was well worth the wait. The opening scene sets the tone for the entire movie: you immediately get a glimpse of the man that is Sherlock Holmes (Sir Ian McKellen) as he is in his later years. </div>
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Shortly after the opening credits the story begins to unfold in three parts. Sherlock is now retired and living in his cottage with a housekeeper and her son. As he is growing older, dementia has begun to set in. You find that he has just returned from Japan, where he traveled to find ‘prickly ash’ in belief that it would salvage what is left of his mind. The reason he wants to desperately find the plant is because while reading one of Watson’s published short stories, Holmes notices that the ending is wrong, only he can’t remember what really happened. </div>
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The story is one of regret, hope and, most of all, family. Regret over the case that ended Holmes’ career. Hope for his quest to find a cure for his aging mind. And the family he has both lost, rejected, and found along the way. </div>
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The scenes are beautifully shot, and whether on location or in a studio the transitions between spaces and even the three different storylines is flawless. There was no confusion at what point in the tale anything falls or who is involved, and while this may seem basic practice by any writer, that they have managed to keep that while filming and editing separate but interwoven tales is worth noting. </div>
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The settings are colorful and vibrant, often in contradiction with the story being told, but this brings the world to life. Every space is well dressed and fits with the characters' personalities and stations. And you can truly believe not only are they real and in these places but you are present with them.  </div>
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As for the casting, it was refreshing to see a movie staring Ian McKellen that allows, in some cases, him to act without words. One of the many things that critics admire about him is his ability to tell a story or have a conversation without even opening his mouth. Director Bill Condon has embraced this talent in many scenes but not so many that it felt overused or gimmicky; especially when Holmes is struggling against dementia or the general tiredness of a human body that is giving out. Poignant moments that would have been diminished by words are enhanced by an actor’s ability to not only act his part but feel it. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Ian McKellen at the post-screening press conference at the Soho Hotel in London</td></tr>
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Milo Parker as Roger, Holmes's protege, while still relatively unknown, is already a force of his own on the screen. His command of Roger’s youthful innocence is well balanced with the child that is having to grow up before his time. His interactions with Holmes highlight both characters growth, the boy in knowledge and the man in admitting his humanity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger with Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex d=Downs</td></tr>
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Laura Linney shines as Mrs. Munro, who is both Roger’s mother and Holmes’ housekeeper. At times one can not help disfavor but love and weep for her simultaneously. Her hurt from the loss of her husband and sometimes bitterness she has towards Holmes is heartbreaking and so real that you can almost taste the tears she must have cried.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Munro</td></tr>
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The rest of the cast, a full list of names that you can’t help but recognize, such as Roger Allam, Frances de la Tour, and Philip Davis, comes together with an onscreen chemistry that is sometimes lacking in modern cinema. There is even a nod to fans of Holmesian film interest with Nicholas Rowe donning the deerstalker once again as our favorite Detective. </div>
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The only real complaint is that the absence of our beloved Dr. Watson is physically tangible, more than is noticeable in <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> by Mitch Cullen, upon which this film is based. Maybe that is because when thinking back to the canon, Watson often left himself out of most of the details of the stories, and in the book that translates well. However, in the film, the role appears to be split between two different characters: Dr. Barrie (Roger Allam) and the young boy Roger. And while these two make a graceful attempt at the role of Watson, the writing ultimately fails at putting them in our good Doctor's shoes.</div>
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This film is a must-see for fans not only of Sherlock Holmes but of the cinema as well. And of course fans of bees, which in a Q&A with Sir Ian recently, he assured us were not harmed in the making of this film.</div>
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<i>Mr. Holmes</i> opens in the UK on 19 June and the US on July 17<sup>th</sup>.<br />
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Mr. Holmes - A First Review

"an admirable screen" [HOUN] From the tweeted still images, to the multiple trailers, to countless interviews, Mr. Holmes ...

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by LadyRedCrest

Episode 78: Legal and Leisure Ramblings

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"the incoherent ramblings of these sots" [TWIS]</h4>
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The 15th of every month brings a new episode, and our latest is chock full of Sherlockian nuggets. There's a legal case afoot, in case you haven't heard. We cover the latest broadside from the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. - the #FreeMrHolmes saga - and discuss the movie starring Sir Ian McKellen. We ponder Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's epitaph if written under the present clouds of the estate's business dealings.<br />
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We also take a moment to pause and reflect on the screening of the William Gillette 1916 film, our 1,000th post and the Scintillation of Scions event. It's been a busy month!<br />
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Burt takes us on an audio journey to Roslyn in the Hoboken-Free State to celebrate the 125th birthday of Christopher Morley, founder of the Baker Street Irregulars. There we hear from Morley scholar and <i>Baker Street Journal</i> editor Steven Rothman, BSI ("<i>The Valley of Fear</i>") and Terry Hunt, BSI ("The Something Hunt"), as well as two grandchildren of Morley.<br />
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Mental Exaltation</h3>
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Another installment of our successful quiz program, written by IHOSE quizmaster Nick Martorelli, is all about the legal profession in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Sandy Kozinn joined us from New Jersey to play - listen to hear how she did.</div>
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We welcome a guest reader for this episode's Gas-Lamp reading: <a href="http://www.vincentstarrett.com/" target="_blank">Ray Betzner</a>. Ray gave a touching talk at the BSI Dinner in January and an encore presentation at the Sons of the Copper Beeches in April. It is titled "A Case of Identity: Sigerson's Choice" and it is remarkable.<br />
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Finally, we conclude with some listener comments, including a very surprising duo.<br />
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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock078.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 43.8 MB, 1:35:25</h4>
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<h3>
Links:</h3>
<ul>
<li>You may have missed <a href="http://scintillation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scintillation of Scions VIII</a>, but edition IX is coming next year.</li>
<li>We had a representative at the screening of William Gillette's 1916 silent classic Sherlock Holmes at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival last month. You can read <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/06/sherlock-holmes-in-san-francisco.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Greer's impressions of the event and the film here</a>.</li>
<li>And if you'd like to see the restoration yourself, the DVD and Blu-ray are coming out in October - <a href="http://ihose.co/1916bluray" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">order it here</a>.</li>
<li>We celebrated our 1,000th post on the site: <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose1000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ihose.co/ihose1000</a></li>
<li>The summary of <a href="http://ihose.co/freemrholmes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the #FreeMrHolmes saga</a>.</li>
<li>Related: you might wish to educate yourself with Betsy Rosenblatt's scholarly legal treatise <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2321343" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventure of the Shrinking Public Domain</a>.</li>
</ul>
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Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard and Scoop.it sites at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">ihose.co/scoopsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (still growing, now at over 2,500 members), as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.<br />
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Please <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">subscribe to us on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-hear-of-sherlock-everywhere?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> or <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Spreaker</a> and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.<br />
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Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (ihearofsherlock AT gmail DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).<br />
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<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes three sponsors that deserve your attention:<br />
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<a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> (check out the new <a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/newspaper.html" target="_blank"><i>Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers Volume 1</i></a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues and a very special Christmas Annual about <i>The Seven Per-Cent Solution</i>.<br />
<br />
We welcome mystery writer Dan Andriacco. His upcoming novel Rogues Gallery is the latest in the Sebastian McCabe - Jeff Cody Series. Learn more on Dan’s blog <a href="http://danandriacco.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street Beat</a> at <a href="http://danandriacco.com/">DanAndriacco.com</a>.</div>
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We're also pleased to recognize Joseph Vega, William Simpson, Bob Byrne, Peter Lawrence, James O'Leary and Mary Miller for their generous support. If you would like to <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=hK1xNvhQD0hKUPaO-TnV5azaGpfRrj_75PdqgxehR-vhAaZ3WgAkiSXu6LC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d96f000117187ac9edec8a65b311f447e" target="_blank">help support I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>, you can <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=hK1xNvhQD0hKUPaO-TnV5azaGpfRrj_75PdqgxehR-vhAaZ3WgAkiSXu6LC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d96f000117187ac9edec8a65b311f447e" target="_blank">click here</a> or on the "Donate" button in the upper portion of the site.<br />
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Episode 78: Legal and Leisure Ramblings

"the incoherent ramblings of these sots" [TWIS] The 15th of every month brings a new episode, and our latest is cho...

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by Scott Monty

Conan Doyle Estate Sues Mr. Holmes

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"the relentless threat" [VALL]</h4>
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Well, they're at it again.<br />
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The Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. - that business entity that takes responsibility for the financial interests (certainly not the reputational interests) of Conan Doyle's descendants - is suing to have the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i> halted. In a lawsuit filed the day before what would have been <a href="http://ihose.co/156ACD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 156th birthday</a> (classy!), the CDEL named the film studio Miramax, its distributors Roadside Attractions and director Bill Condon - as well as publisher Penguin Random House and screenwriter Mitch Cullin, author of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1FGJURG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Slight Trick of the Mind</a></i>, upon which the film is based - as defendants in the suit.<br />
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Previously, the CDEL was under fire by Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"), who was defending his right to publish <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1StK5Fe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Company of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> without submitting to its extortionate requests. He filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Illinois. Ultimately, the U.S. courts determined that the first 50 of the Sherlock Holmes stories are in the public domain, with only the last 10 falling under copyright protection. [Details directly below]<br />
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<h3>
Timeline of Events</h3>
<ul>
<li><b>February 14, 2013</b>: Initial lawsuit filed by Leslie S. Klinger against the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd.'s heavy-handed attempt to block <i>In the Company of Sherlock Holmes</i> on Amazon and other bookstores - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/02/imagine-that-you-can-bully-me-chas_14.html#.VWDK7PlViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"don't imagine that you can bully me" [CHAS]</a></li>
<li><b>April 17, 2013</b>: Our coverage on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose51" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 51</a> of IHOSE</li>
<li><b>December 27, 2013</b>: Leslie Klinger granted an initial victory in the case - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/12/plaintiff-victorious-in-free-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Ha! Nothing could be better." [STOC]</a></li>
<li><b>December 30, 2013</b>: A special <a href="http://ihose.co/freesherlock" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">#FreeSherlock episode</a> of IHOSE, featuring intellectual property legal scholar and expert Betsy Rosenblatt, BSI ("Lucy Ferrier")</li>
<li><b>January 4, 2014</b>: The Conan Doyle Estate issues a press release indicating that it would appeal the decision but that it is still the winner because it holds trademarks on the characters - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/01/conan-doyle-estate-business-entity-on.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"spinning fine theories" [NOBL]</a></li>
<li><b>May 22, 2014</b>: An eyewitness recounted what happened during the appeal hearing - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/05/an-eyewitness-account-to-free-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"A higher judge had taken the matter in hand" [STUD]</a></li>
<li><b>June 16, 2014</b>: The appeal was denied by Judge Richard A. Posner, who rebuked the "quixotic" attempt by the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. to seek "perpetual, or nearly perpetual copyright protection" of the Sherlock Holmes character. <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/234319104/Klinger-v-Conan-Doyle-Estate-Ltd-7th-Circuit-Court-of-Appeals-Decision" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"during these fruitless quests" [HOUN]</a></li>
<li><b>July 18, 2014</b>: After the CDEL filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on July 11, the petition was turned down - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/07/the-us-supreme-court-denies-conan-doyle.html#.VWDPSflViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"the last and highest court of appeal" [STUD]</a></li>
<li><b>July 20, 2014</b>: A discussion of all things #FreeSherlock on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose66" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 66</a> of IHOSE. </li>
<li><b>August 5, 2014</b>: The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the CDEL to cease extortion and pay Klinger's legal fees - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/7th-circuit-orders-conan-doyle-estate.html#.VWDR0vlViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"your fees will be assured and you will be given a perfectly free hand" [ILLU]</a></li>
<li><b>November 3, 2014</b>: The SCOTUS refused to hear arguments in the case - <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/11/supreme-court-wont-hear-freesherlock.html#.XC5mtlxKjb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"the final discussion of those matters which lie between us" [FINA]</a></li>
<li><b>May 23, 2015</b>: <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/05/conan-doyle-estate-sues-mr-holmes.html#.XvWd3UVKjb2" target="_blank">Conan Doyle Estate sues Miramax</a> over the release of the film <i>Mr. Holmes</i></li><li><b>August 29, 2015</b>: Conan Doyle Sues Own Estate from Beyond the Grave (satire) - <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/08/conan-doyle-sues-own-estate-from-beyond.html#.X0f44MhKjb0" target="_blank">"opening a grave without the consent of next-of-kin" [HOUN]</a></li>
<li><b>September 5, 2015</b>: <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/09/conan-doyle-estate-reaches-settlement.html#.XvWaHEVKjb0" target="_blank">Settlement reached</a> between CDEL and Miramax</li>
<li><b>November 23, 2015</b>: <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/11/bombshell-interview-with-author-mitch.html#.XvWc40VKjb0" target="_blank">Bombshell interview</a> with author Mitch Cullin over the lawsuit</li><li><b>June 26, 2020</b>: Conan Doyle Estate is suing Netflix over <i>Enola Holmes</i> - <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2020/06/the-conan-doyle-estate-is-suing-netflix.html#.X0f3gshKjb0" target="_blank">"repeated the same story with an absolute disregard" [VALL]</a></li>
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This time, <a href="http://deadline.com/2015/05/mr-holmes-lawsuit-arthur-conan-doyle-estate-sues-bill-condon-1201431854/" target="_blank">the lawsuit was filed</a> in New Mexico (<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/266283769/Mr-Holmes" target="_blank">read it here</a>), and it takes great pains to indicate that Cullin grew up in that state and visited John Bennett Shaw, BSI ("The Hans Sloane of My Age"), with access to his library. We also note that the U.S. representatives of the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd., Hazelbaker and Lellenberg, Inc., reside in New Mexico.<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/266283769/Mr-Holmes#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Mr Holmes on Scribd">Mr Holmes</a> on Scribd</div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="null" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/266283769/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true&access_key=key-xKuOkCTkCvHIqZDbulZk" title="Mr Holmes" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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We're not legal scholars, but there are elements of the legal filing that make more use of specific details about some of the written material and the subject matter than the previous lawsuits did. The CDEL claims that passages from "The Blanched Soldier" and "The Lion's Mane" were copied or assimilated in the new material. Whether or not those facts are relevant and compelling is up for the judicial system to decide.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"The greedy rogue. They are useful, these traitors, </h4>
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but I grudge them their blood-money."</h4>
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<b>- 'His Last Bow'</b></div>
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But once again, we must question the motivations - and the common sense - of the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. First, we must ask: if the matter was such an egregious copyright infringement when <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> was first published some 10 years ago, why wasn't the CDEL rabidly pursuing the author and his publisher then? You and we both know the answer: because it wasn't a global phenomenon then, as it is now, with Sir Ian McKellen in the starring role of <i>Mr. Holmes</i>.<br />
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While we're at it, Sherlockian Brenda Rossini raised this issue:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The complaint now alleges that Cullin “copied entire passages from Conan Doyle’s copyrighted story ‘The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier.’ Yet, the estate ignored P.D. James’ unattributed gleaning from The Boscombe Valley Mystery in her book<i> Death Comes to Pemberley.</i></blockquote>
Interestingly, the CDEL indicates that it has managed rights with productions such as <i>Sherlock</i>, <i>Young Sherlock Holmes</i> and <i>Elementary</i> - none of which have anything to do with Holmes's retirement.<br />
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In terms of common sense, rather than making a major kerfuffle - on the birthday of their progenitor's birth, no less - the CDEL is now calling for a jury trial and the halting of any production that includes the so-called infringing material. Wouldn't it make more sense to allow the film to become the blockbuster that it is destined to be and then ask for a percentage of the profits?<br />
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Not in the case of the Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. Remember, their <i>modus operandi</i> is to allow plans of publishers and producers to get to the point of no return and then send a threatening letter or file a claim, so that the recipients pay them hush money to make the issue go away. It's been their unabashed business model for the last few years, and the weak have succumbed to its invidious intentions.<br />
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As to us, we feel that the business entity that represents what is left of Conan Doyle's estate is doing irreparable damage to his reputation. Although we all know that Doyle himself wasn't quite so concerned as he famously told playwright and actor William Gillette that he could "marry him, murder him or do whatever you like with" Sherlock Holmes. But this kind of legal wrangling and greed represents a last gasp for relevance and income for individuals who aren't even direct descendants. Surely they have other financial interests to keep them flush.<br />
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It's just sad to see that because of the overgenerous laws of the United States, the legal profession sees more of a payday than the Conan Doyle family.<br />
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What do you think of the latest kerfuffle? Perhaps we should change the hashtag to #FreeMrHolmes...<br />
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</i> <i>Image credit: Paxton Whitehead as Dr. Philip Barbay in <b>Back to School</b> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPb8ZjebUP8" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)</i><br />
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Conan Doyle Estate Sues Mr. Holmes

"the relentless threat" [VALL] Well, they're at it again. The Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. - that business entity that take...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

New Mr. Holmes Trailer

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"I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes" [SPEC]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlzN7p4lEIn049_4dh6rv0ykmAtMaKOOWidZyQNhWMgGKJU65hYJMnWwJWzdjH-rpuOWm-QL-Nvw_o4QkdxnS2yaa5b5ObqAP617hD6eo18pXvIGQvJ0oAf2sxqxZVzIvW2oVuhfG6aSm/s1600/mr-holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlzN7p4lEIn049_4dh6rv0ykmAtMaKOOWidZyQNhWMgGKJU65hYJMnWwJWzdjH-rpuOWm-QL-Nvw_o4QkdxnS2yaa5b5ObqAP617hD6eo18pXvIGQvJ0oAf2sxqxZVzIvW2oVuhfG6aSm/s1600/mr-holmes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As we prepare for Sir Ian McKellen to grace the theaters this summer in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3168230/" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a></i>, we've been afforded the opportunity to see <a href="https://youtu.be/KSsf17Exa4g" target="_blank">the latest trailer</a>.<br />
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The story is set in 1947, following a long-retired Sherlock Holmes living in Sussex with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her son (Milo Parker), who is showing some budding detective skills. Holmes finds himself haunted by an unsolved 50-year old case, but due to a deteriorating memory he remembers only fragments of the case: a confrontation with an angry husband, a secret bond with his beautiful but unstable wife.<br />
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The film is directed by Bill Condon, who also directed Gods and Monsters and Dreamgirls, among other films. It debuts in the US at the San Francisco Film Festival on April 25 and at the USA Film Festival on April 26. Wider distribution dates: June 19, 2015 in the UK and July 17, 2015 in the U.S.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KSsf17Exa4g?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0G1lIBgk4PA?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
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As an aside, the casting of Nicholas Rowe as Sherlock Holmes of the movies is sheer genius.<br />
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What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing <i>Mr. Holmes</i>?<br />
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New Mr. Holmes Trailer

"I have heard of you, Mr. Holmes" [SPEC] As we prepare for Sir Ian McKellen to grace the theaters this summer in Mr. Holmes ...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Mr. Holmes Trailer is Here, and It's Marvelous

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"You see, Mr. Holmes" [NOBL]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_uNTssPubeBB102te1xZZmClg42IMvdRlMmXE71psU5DR7NYN-LSTpXwmyA6pbIeX71LR1tJQ10Lxfivl7cJngCkffzXWPm74azC22QeljC6KN58OKlzO7nxxOsr4re0GWpN28fGwCra/s1600/Ian+McKellen+-+Mr.+Holmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes" border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_uNTssPubeBB102te1xZZmClg42IMvdRlMmXE71psU5DR7NYN-LSTpXwmyA6pbIeX71LR1tJQ10Lxfivl7cJngCkffzXWPm74azC22QeljC6KN58OKlzO7nxxOsr4re0GWpN28fGwCra/s1600/Ian+McKellen+-+Mr.+Holmes.jpg" title="Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today on his Facebook page, actor <a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152710470908601" target="_blank">Ian McKellen shared the trailer</a> for the upcoming film <i><a href="http://www.mrholmesfilm.com/" target="_blank">Mr. Holmes</a></i>.<br />
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The film is based on the book <i>A Slight Trick of the Mind</i> by Mitch Cullen, and concerns a nonagenarian Sherlock Holmes. In<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span>1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his retirement cottage on the South Downs, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger.  Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it's too late.<br />
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Take a look at the new trailer and see what you think.<br />
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U.S. version:<br />
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<script>(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1";  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152710470908601" data-width="600">
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152710470908601">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ianmckellen">Ian McKellen</a>.</div>
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It is also available on YouTube:<br />
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Mr. Holmes will be in theaters during the summer of 2015. More information is available at <a href="http://mrholmesfilm.com/">mrholmesfilm.com</a> and from our <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Ian%20McKellen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">previous coverage of <i>Mr. Holmes</i> here</a> on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.<br />
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#MrHolmes<br />
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