Wednesday 1 January 2014

SHERLOCK HOLMES


So!  Series 3... Sherlock HOLMES is Not Dead... Benedict CUMBERBATCH is Back... My obsession with Sherlock HOLMES continues... What a way to start the New Year.


Regarding Sherlock HOLMES.  Where do I start?  A family holiday to Norfolk (Mundeslay - we stayed in a chalet).  It is c. 1986 and I am c.13 years old. I spent my entire week's pocket money of £5 in one go on the first day and bought myself the 'Canon'.  I still remember the excitement of owning my very own Canon, and this far outweighed the fact that I had no pocket money left for the rest of the week, as I had more that a week's worth of reading, and I felt like the luckiest person alive.  Luckily for me, my Grandma had come away with us, and she spoiled me terribly and despite my having no pocket money left I was still afforded ice-cream by my ever loving and most glorious Granny.


But, from that point on, that was the end of life as I knew it. As I turned the pages, I fell hopelessly in love with Sherlock HOLMES.  I didn't see the point of 'Heathcliffe' or 'Darcy'; it was all about SH.  I joined various Sherlock Holmes Societies, read articles, contributed articles and met some of the most wonderful and, if I am honest, really quite delightfully weird people.  But I didn't even notice they were strange, verging on bonkers, because I was one of them, and actually I was perhaps somewhat unconventional myself.  Yes, my summer holiday in 1996 (by which time I was 23 and really perhaps should have known better), I adopted the character of Miss. Mary MORSTAN (SIGN) and travelled to Reichenbach on a coach with c.50 other Holmesians, and didn't once, at the time, stop to consider that perhaps this was a little bit of an unusual thing to do.
 

Growing up, for me, Jeremy BRETT was obviously a near 'God-Like' figure in my existence.  I was the original 'FAN-GIRL'; although I am sure I said 'OMFG' less often and there were not social media sites for me to channel and share my obsession through.  And for me Edward HARDWICKE was the ideal Watson.  I obviously wrote (probably incoherently) to them both and received charming hand-written replies.  When 'The Secret of Sherlock Holmes' ran in London, at the Wyndham Theatre in the 1988-1989 season for a couple hundred performances, not only did I go and see it twice (apparently it had terribly harsh reviews, but I didn't read them, and if I had I wouldn't have cared one jot!) but I stood outside the stage door to shake their hands, and to give Jeremy BRETT a red rose.  You see I was very taken with the scene in The Navel Treaty (NAVA) where Holmes says:
 “What a lovely thing a rose is! There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as religion, it can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its colour are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”

Anyway, in 'A Scandal in Bohemia' (SCAN), Watson comments, "To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman". So, to me Jeremy BRETT is always the Sherlock HOLMES."... and then Benedict CUMBERBATCH came along... and I fell in love with Sherlock HOLMES all over again.  Sherlock HOLMES isn't loveable. He is damaged.  "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love... All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind." (SCAN), but yet somehow, there is something about his 'alone' that is quite upsetting, heart breaking, and I wanted to alleviate his pain.  He doesn't want to need anyone.  He doesn't trust, and he doesn't need, and he doesn't love - or perhaps he fears trusting and fears needing and fears loving someone, in case that trust is broken and that need is violated or abused, and the love not returned.  We all fear that don't we? I don't know, but it is compelling.  And Benedict plays the part fantastically well.


The idea of updating the adventures to a 21st Century London is just absolute genius, and obviously I would expect nothing less from Mark GATISS (and Steven MOFFAT). I can completely believe in the modern age that HOLMES would be texting, “WATSON. Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same.” (CREE). Making Moriarty the 'camp' arch-enemy Mastermind is a also a stroke of genius, but there are so many subtle little touches that pay homage to Conan DOYLE's original text; everyone involved fully deserves the praise that may have been lavished upon them. "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius" (VALL).

Anyway it is on tonight on BBC1 at 9pm.  And I cannot wait.
 
 

6 comments:

  1. Very good intro to the (not so weird!) world of Holmesian enthusiasts, and as part of that world I too was eagerly awaiting the "Sherlock" episode last night. The writers (well, Mark G this time) have delightfully raided the Canon for names and quotes, and "British Birds" (EMPT) is NEVER going to be the same again!! Very clever script, beautifully acted by all, and if it encourages new readers of the original stories, that will be an added bonus. Holmesian Greetings. Jane

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    1. Thanks for leaving a comment Jane. Wasn't it clever, and yes, beautifully acted and Benedict CUMBERBATCH crashing through the window, ruffling his hair to brush the glass away and kissing Molly HOOPER! *swoon* It has encouraged me to return to the original stories

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  2. Hello Hanya - I so enjoyed reading your blog about SH. Much of what you say applies to me: I discovered the stories & read them all when young; I adored the Jeremy Brett/Granada TV Holmes; I saw The Secret of Sherlock Holmes twice at The Wyndam Theatre; met JB & EH after 2nd time & they were delightful. Have belonged to the SH Society of London for yrs; I absolutely love Sherlock & feel that Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman are just perfect casting - & everyone! - no wonder the series is such a success! I loved this 3rd series so much, for so many reasons-hope you did too.

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    1. Always great to hear from a fellow Holmesian (still can't quite get used to SHERLOCK). Ready for Series4 now. Hear talk about a film. Very exciting! My friend went to the recent SH London Society Dinner recently. Do pop back. I'm sure there will be more SH in the future. x

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  3. I loved reading your blog about SH. I fell in love with Holmes when I was 13 and spent my entire vacation reading the Canon in my Grandma's garden. Jeremy Brett was my first Holmes, and I watched/ read whatever I could get my hands on. I live in a place where the closest known society is 2.5 hours away, so I felt quite isolated in my love of the character until this new series became so popular. After taking backseat to life for the last several years, I am back full force in the fandom. I get excited to see all of the new people reading and falling in love with a character that I love so dearly. I watched my facebook feed with inexhaustible joy Sunday night, as I counted the number of friends commenting on the show's PBS premier. I also promptly issued a reading list for them. ;) Thank you for your post.

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    1. Glad that you enjoyed the post. Love the name Scout - was it influenced by To Kill A Mockingbird? I am torn between the old and the new, Jeremy or Benedict - then I remember I don't have to choose I can love them BOTH! There is a real joy in sharing the love of the character of Holmes. Enjoy the other new episodes on PBS x

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