# The Eligible Bachelor (Sherlock Holmes)



## ravenus

*THE ELIGIBLE BACHELOR - Peter Hammond*

Although one appreciates most of the *Granada* Sherlock Holmes series for its faithful evocation of the ACD stories, this hugely expanded and utterly loose adaptation of _‘The Noble Bachelor’_ (surely one of the lesser adventures as even the purists must admit) scores as a weird, mostly brilliant and vastly improved version of the original tale.

To the original flimsy story of the American bride-to-be of a nobleman, who goes suddenly missing on her wedding, we are given a Holmes who is ill and suffering from a singular grotesque dream that repeatedly plagues him, and a nobleman who may not be quite as noble. In this story the director has actually taken advantage of Brett’s bloated and haggard frame to give us a haunted, beleaguered Holmes who must pursue a case if only to keep off his own demons. The story is rich with interestingly flawed characters that function as more than the usual mouthpiece of information. Even old Mrs. Hudson is given more depth with an affectionate glance at her quasi-matronly relationship with Holmes.

The film has been crafted with great visual flair, noticeably more than the short episodes of the series. Holmes’ hallucination and his attempt to transcribe it into sketches make for some awesome viewing. There’s a very stylish use of color and lighting (DoP *David Odd*), and the camera movements and cutting are often eye-catching. It’s really the most ‘cinematic’ of all the Brett-Holmes series I've so far seen.

Some people may not like it as much since Holmes is not here the imperturbable sleuth, and most of the story moves along without him playing a very active role. A few scenes are contrived to the limits of credibility. But I thought it was all the same a very interesting and visually ravishing attempt to stage an originally mediocre story.


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## Foxbat

I'm more of a Rathbone Holmes myself but I noticed the BBC are repeating the Jeremy Brett versions at the weekends just now so I might manage to catch this one if it airs. It certainly sounds a bit more 3D than usual


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## ravenus

Haven't seen any of the Rathbone movies...what cautions me against them is the fact that most of the films aren't from the actual Doyle stories and I've heard very bad reports about Nigel Bruce as Watson...apparently he's played in a very buffoonish manner.
The Granada series is very authentic wrt the original stories (none of that wrong archetype of Holmes walking about everywhere in a deer-stalker and smoking that curved pipe) and I of course love Jeremy Brett as Holmes. My favorite Watson is Edward Hardwicke who first made his appearance in the _Return of Sherlock Holmes_ series...a cheerful soft-spoken man who suggests an appreciable depth beneath his gentle exterior.


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## Foxbat

> I've heard very bad reports about Nigel Bruce as Watson...apparently he's played in a very buffoonish manner.



It just goes to show that one man's pudding is another man's poison. Nigel Bruce is the very reason I love the Rathbone films. He's absolutely wonderful as a buffoon. I suppose if you are a real Holmesophile then this might be annoying but I find that it actually makes the movie. 

On the plot point, most of them were made around the time of WW2 and are full of proaganda with quotes from Henry V and such like being thrown into the mix. Good stuff if you like that sort of thing


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## Brian G Turner

Jeremy Brett played a startling Holmes - it was most refreshing to be almost scared by the way he played the character.


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I agree with both ravenus and Brian about Brett's Holmes. Also, I liked the fact that Watson wasn't played for a bufoon in this series - sorry Foxbat!

The Granada tv series was something of a childhood landmark - for a whole season, the half-hour Sherlock Holmes story on sunday morning was the best thing on tv, and a real highlight of the week.


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## Foxbat

Ah well. You can't win 'em all


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## steve12553

I loved Brett as Holmes. It was like reading the stories. He was irritating and cocky and most always right. Basil Rathbone could have been a wonderful Holmes if he'd been directed properly with a good screenplay but the movie industry was looking for dashing heroes back then. On the Watson subject, many years ago there was a TV movie with Roger Moore as Holmes and Patrick McNee as Watson. I anticipated a reasonably intelligent Watson and a less than wonderfull Holmes but unfortunately McNee played Nigel Bruce instead of Watson. It  just occurred to me this second that the charater of Barney Fife may have been modeled after Bruce's Watson.


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## j d worthington

Hadn't thought of that; that's a rather scary idea...

As for Brett as Holmes: He wins, hands down. I'm very fond of Rathbone as Holmes (and I like Nigel Bruce just fine in many other things), but Brett played the character eerily well; and there were also glimpses of Holmes through his armor, so to speak, that were played just right, so that what could have so easily been ludicrously sentimental became instead very moving. Haven't seen any of these in far too long -- I'll have to keep an eye out for them. Once again, thanks for the info.


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## steve12553

j. d. worthington said:
			
		

> Haven't seen any of these in far too long -- I'll have to keep an eye out for them. Once again, thanks for the info.


 
I think we're talking worthy DVD purchases. I had all or most of them on tape from their PBS broadcast in the US but after about 9 years tapes degrade terribly and become nearly unwatchable.


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