Product Description The celebrated duo of Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are back as the masterful Sherlock Holmes and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson. Based on the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES features six tales of mystery, deduction and suspense. Join the famous sleuth and the good doctor on yet another round of adventures. Quick, the game's afoot! Includes: Disc 1 Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax The Problem of Thor Bridge Disc 2 The Boscombe Valley Mystery The Illustrious Client Disc 3 Shouscombe Old Place The Creeping Man Bonus Features: Commentary Track with Director John Madden (Shakespeare In Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin) 1980?? Interview with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke Sherlock Museum Short Production Notes .com The six episodes of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes continue Granda Television's excellent series starring Jeremy Brett as as the ideal incarnation of Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional hero, while Edward Hardwicke brings stellar support as the courageous, good-hearted Dr. Watson. The suspense is strong and the acting superb in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax. Watson is taking a holiday in the English countryside, where he meets the charming Lady Frances and then worries after she vanishes from sight. As in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes puts Watson on the case and instructs him from afar. In The Problem of Thor Bridge, Holmes is approached by an American senator (Daniel Massey, Brett's one-time, real-life brother-in-law) to clear the name of a governess in his employ, the lady having been accused of murdering the senator's wife on his estate and leaving her body on Thor Bridge. The solution is among the most complex and satisfying of the Great Detective's career. Watson's proclivities toward gambling on horses open the door to the sprawling mystery The Shoscombe Old Place, which finds a famous playboy and equestrian, Sir Robert Norberton (Robin Ellis), in multiple jeopardy. In Boscombe Valley Mystery, Holmes and Watson are brought into an investigation of the murder of a farmer, whose body is found in the woods adjoining land owned by a wealthy property magnate. Holmes's investigation pulls the search in a wide direction, but the revelations are no less ghastly. In the next story, based on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal favorites from his Holmes canon, Sir James Damery approaches Holmes with a special request from an "illustrious client" (read: King Edward) to intercede in the marriage of an Austrian nobleman who almost certainly murdered his first wife. When Holmes is himself the object of a murderous attack; an outraged Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) has to channel his thoughts of revenge into a bit of undercover work on behalf of the detective. Finally, Holmes and Watson tackle one of their strangest cases in The Creeping Man, which borders on science fiction. The Great Detective meets an eminent, aging physiologist who has been behaving oddly of late, but the greater mystery concerns who or what may be behind the nocturnal appearances of an ape-like figure that moves rapidly through trees, terrifying the locals. Holmes's pursuit of the solution leads to a stunning revelation in this taut and imaginative thriller that Edgar Allen Poe himself might have appreciated. --Tom Keogh
A**R
Finally!
Finally, MPI media is releasing the fourth installment of the critically-acclaimed Granada Television "Sherlock Holmes" series on DVD! Suffice it to say these are the finest and most "authentic" productions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes ever made. Most fans consider the late Jeremy Brett to be the quintessential Holmes, and Edward Hardwicke is a fine actor in his own right and a most excellent Dr. Watson.Sadly, Jeremy Brett was in quite bad health when these final episodes were created and would die several years after. Too bad. He was a gifted actor and should rightly be credited with "bringing to life" one of the 20th Century's most beloved fictional characters.People may quibble about liberties taken here and there with the stories, but for the most part the "Casebook" series, like all the others, is very high quality, well-written, produced, and acted. Again, I'm anticipating techno-files may complain about the "transfer" as they have on past releases, but I believe MPI has done the best they can and the DVD is still FAR superior to owning these on videocassette.Don't purchase these as an introduction to the series, start with the "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." However, if you're here, its probably because you already own the 3 prior DVD packages, "Adventures," "Feature Film Collection," and "Return," all of which are excellent.Are these worth purchasing? Absolutely. High quality, intelligent, and family-friendly entertainment you can enjoy for a lifetime. Pull out every couple of years to watch them over and share with friends and family.
H**E
Six Cases from the Casebook....
"The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes" is the third installment of Grenada Television's one hour episodes featuring Jeremy Brett as the superlative master sleuth and Edward Hardwicke as his faithful and patient collaborator Dr. Watson. This DVD set features six episodes, adapted for television from the originals scattered across Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories."The Disappearence of Lady Frances Carfax" actually comes from the "His Last Bow" collection and centers on the mysterious disappearance of a gentlewoman from a lakeside resort. Dr. Watson carries much of the load in this case for a mostly off-screen Sherlock Holmes. "The Problem of Thor Bridge", "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place", and "The Illustrious Client", all from "The Casebook", are classic and fairly straightforward cases of detection in the best Holmes tradition. "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", from "The Adventures", concerns a murder perhaps motivated by the mysterious past of two men in Australia. "The Creeping Man", also from "The Casebook", may be the most unique story of this series. Holmes investigates the strange case of a mysterious simian creature menacing the inhabitants of a country home. As presented, it is something more of a horror story than a straight-up tale of detection.Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are old hands at their increasingly nuanced partnership as Holmes and Watson by this series. As the stories bring out, Holmes depends on having an audience in Watson and ocassionally imposes on that long-suffering and loyal gentleman. The disease that would ultimately take Jeremy Brett's life has by this series made him look increasingly haggard and begun to erode his screen time and energy. Fans can rest assured, however, that Brett's characterization of Holmes continues to be absolutely first-rate.This DVD collection is very highly recommended to fans of the Grenada Television series on Sherlock Holmes.
F**K
Elementery!!! Jeremy Brett is outstanding!
Having seen the original series on pbs years ago-I was reaquainted with the series on dvd last month ordering the first 3 dvd's from Amazon. These episodes have not been on public tv for years, in NYC at least. so I was overjoyed to see them. Even seeing Jeremy older and bloated and more haggard-with what he had to endure -no wonder!!,his dynamic and mercurial persona are undiminished.All kudos to Basil Rathbone, who was a different Holmes-his radio episodes and films were excellent in their time.!!The stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are not as strong and dynamic in these later episodes-taken from after the turn of the century-so it is not fair to blame the somewhat diminished quality on these episodes on Jeremy and Edward. The acting is superb. Frankly, There really was no was no story with the dynamic appeal of the adventure of the Adventure of the Speckled Band written by Conan Doyle after 1900.I would like to think Jeremy's Brett stuggle with life's hurdles would somehow mirror Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps it does, since Holmes is a work of fiction, we can imagine his end in any way we wish. But I wish to imagine Jeremy, like Holmes fighting the good fight to the end. God bless you Jeremy for the gift you gave us.
Trustpilot
1 week ago
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