Sherlock Holmes (Special Edition with Exclusive Artwork & Comic Book)

Sherlock Holmes (Special Edition with Exclusive Artwork & Comic Book) Review

Special edition features limited edition Sherlock Holmes artwork, a collectible comic book, and an inside look at how the film was pitched to Warner Bros.

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country. The action-adventure mystery Sherlock Holmes is helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective with Jude Law as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson. Rachel McAdams stars as Iren Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood and Kelly Reilly plays Watson's love interest, Mary.

Murder By Decree [VHS]

Murder By Decree [VHS] Review

Murder by Decree has the distinction of being not only one of the best Sherlock Holmes films, but one of the best pastiches (i.e., a Holmes fiction created by someone other than author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) featuring the late-Victorian Era detective. Christopher Plummer is very good as Holmes, and James Mason redeems the many mishandled screen portrayals of Dr. John Watson with a rare, insightful performance. The story may not be unique in post-Doyle Holmes adventures--the private investigator pursues Jack the Ripper during the latter's reign of monstrous murders in foggy London--but the script by John Hopkins (Thunderball) is keenly intelligent, developing concentric circles of power and evil with great subtlety. Before losing himself in Porky's, director Bob Clark did a masterful job of surprising audiences with Murder by Decree, convincing viewers they were watching one kind of drama but then unleashing something very different, very unsettling. --Tom Keogh

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death Review

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death Feature

• The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of theic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual

SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH
Digitally Restored in 35mm

The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning.

SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) is an intriguing mystery based upon Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Musgrave Ritual." Dr. Watson, tending recuperating soldiers housed at centuries-old Musgrave Manor, summons Sherlock Holmes to investigate strange happenings. What follows is a bizarre series of events, including murders, secret passages, a game of chess and a mysterious family ritual.

Even Inspector Lestrade is on hand, as well as lovely Hillary Brooke as Sally Musgrave. But only Sherlock Holmes, in a race against time and a desperate killer, can decipher the ancient riddle and uncover the treasure it hides. Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

The Sherlock Holmes Animated Collection

The Sherlock Holmes Animated Collection Review

Follow the adventures of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, from his very first case, A Study in Scarlet, to a dangerous expedition into The Valley of Fear. Witness with Dr. Watson the unraveling of The Sign of Four, and beware of The Baskerville Curse! Here in one package for the very first time are four of the all-time greatest mysteries starring the original crime scene investigator!

Sherlock Holmes: The Classic BBC Series Starring Douglas Wilmer

Sherlock Holmes: The Classic BBC Series Starring Douglas Wilmer Review

Sherlock Holmes: The Classic BBC Series Starring Douglas Wilmer Feature

• SHERLOCK HOLMES BBC 1964-65 (DVD MOVIE)

The 1960s BBC series Sherlock Holmes has all the virtues of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective--shrewd and efficient, with flashes of visual panache but never at the expense of sturdy, straightforward storytelling. The 13 episodes on this DVD set include such favorites as "The Red-Headed League" and "The Six Napoleons," as well as lesser-known stories like "The Beryl Coronet" and "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax." Douglas Wilmer plays Holmes with all the traditional accouterments: the deerstalker cap, the pipe, the aquiline nose, the obsessive and abrasive nature, the mix of haughty superiority and moral compassion. Nigel Stock is a typically affable but dense Watson. The supporting casts feature an abundance of unknown but capable character actors who bring flavor and zest to their roles. Some episodes have a hint of film noir or the pulp surrealism of Fantomas, with good use of shadows and things not quite seen. The best stories traffic in the macabre. In "The Devil's Foot," a woman dies overnight while playing cards with her brothers, who each went mad; they sit at a round table, the woman's hand covered in melted wax from the candle, the men grinning, twitching, and laughing. Holmes, of course, will suss out the truth--but the truth is less likely to stick in the mind than that weird domestic image. Sherlock Holmes walks that fine line between morbid imagination and complete faith in the power of the rational mind. --Bret Fetzer The classic BBC run of Sherlock Holmes starring Douglas Wilmer is finally available on DVD! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective has enthralled generations since his first appearance in 1887. In 1964 BBC commissioned a series with Douglas Wilmer as Holmes and Nigel Stock as his faithful friend Dr. Watson. This DVD, never before released, includes some of the best stories from the canon. Whether it’s the horrifying case of The Speckled Band or the fascinating story behind The Red Headed League, this is a DVD must have for all Sherlock and mystery fans. Note: Of the original 13 episodes in this series, no source material exists for "The Abbey Grange" or "The Bruce-Partington Plans," so they are regrettably not included here.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes Review

Sherlock Holmes Feature

• SHERLOCK HOLMES (DVD MOVIE)

Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla) attempts to reinvent one of the world's most iconic literary figures as an action hero in this brawny, visually arresting period adventure. Robert Downey Jr. is an intriguing choice for the Great Detective, and if he occasionally murmurs his lines a pitch or two out of hearing range, his trademark bristling energy and off-kilter humor do much to sell Ritchie's notion of Holmes. Jude Law is equally well-equipped as a more active Dr. Watson--he's closer to Robert Duvall's vigorous portrayal in The Seven Per-Cent Solution than to Nigel Bruce--and together, they make for an engaging team. Too bad the plot they're thrust into is such a mess--a bustling and disorganized flurry of martial arts, black magic, and overwhelming set pieces centered around Mark Strong's Crowley-esque cult leader (no Professor Moriarty, he), who returns from the grave to exact revenge. Downey and Law's amped-up Holmes and Watson are built for the challenge of riding this roller coaster with the audience; however, Rachel McAdams as Holmes's love interest, Irene Adler (here a markedly different character than the one in Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia"), and Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan, the future Mrs. Watson, are cast to the wind in the wake of Ritchie's hurricane pace. One can imagine this not sitting well with ardent Sherlockians; all others may find this Sherlock Holmes marvelous if calorie-free popcorn entertainment, with the CGI rendering of Victorian-era London particularly appealing eye candy. --Paul Gaita The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead...yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It's a mystery macabre--and only Sherlock Holmes can master it.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law put memorable imprints on Holmes and Watson in this bold new reimagining that makes the legendary sleuth a daring man of action as well as a peerless man of intellect. Baffling clues, astonishing Holmesian deductions, nimble repartee, catch-your-breath scenes of one slam thing after another--director Guy Ritchie helms the excitement reintroducing the great detective to the world. Meet the new Sherlock Holmes!

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Vol. 1: (A Scandal in Bohemia/ The Dancing Men/ The Naval Treaty/ The Solitary Cyclist)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Vol. 1: (A Scandal in Bohemia/ The Dancing Men/ The Naval Treaty/ The Solitary Cyclist) Review

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Vol. 1: (A Scandal in Bohemia/ The Dancing Men/ The Naval Treaty/ The Solitary Cyclist) Feature

• Four episodes of the acclaimed series together on one DVD. Originally produced by Grenada Television of England, this fine dramatic series aired on public television in 1985. Based on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "A Scandal In Bohemia": This episode finds a man claiming to be the King of Bohemia, who enlists the aid of Holmes and Watson in tracking down a photograph which inc

"A Scandal in Bohemia"
The very first Sherlock Holmes short story (following the detective's introduction in the novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four) was also the first Granada Television production in the long-running Holmes series featuring Jeremy Brett's definitive performance as the famous sleuth. No deerstalker cap, cape, curved meerschaum pipe, or Basil Rathbone mannerisms for this Holmes: Brett's portrayal went straight to the heart of the character Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created, with all the manic-depressive, coldly clinical, drug-dependent, and unnervingly focused brilliance intact. Just as on-the-money is David Burke's Dr. John Watson, who is hardly the loyal puppy of widespread assumption but rather a dedicated ally and determined chronicler of the publicity-wary Holmes. "A Scandal in Bohemia," ironically, is one of the few instances of Holmes being bested by an equally intelligent adversary--an actress by the name of Irene Adler (Gayle Hunnicutt), who has threatened to reveal damaging evidence of her own affair with the king of Bohemia (Wolf Kahler), a ridiculous pseudonym invented by Watson to protect the real royal personage in trouble. It's Holmes to the rescue, going undercover in disguise to take away the blackmailer's trump, though it's he whose head will ultimately be turned by the extraordinary Irene. The cast is wonderful (meet Rosalie Williams as Baker Street housekeeper Mrs. Hudson), and the drama is great fun. (For a contemporary movie reinvention of this story, check out the 1998 feature Zero Effect, starring Bill Pullman as a whacked-out variation on Holmes, Ben Stiller as his long-suffering Watson, and Kim Dickens as an updated Irene.) --Tom Keogh

"The Dancing Men"
What is the meaning of the stick figures that appear scrawled one day on the exterior wall of a Northfolk manor? Why do they so terribly upset the American wife (Betsy Brantley) of the gentleman (Tenniel Evans) who lives there? The case proves one of the most tantalizing for Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and his ally and chronicler, Dr. Watson (David Burke). Then it proves among the gravest of Holmes's career when murder enters the picture and the distraught woman is charged with the crime. This is one of those stories from the Holmes canon that practically invites an adaptation; Sherlockians will enjoy seeing the oddly disturbing "dancing men" on screen, while newcomers to Holmes will find the tale particularly compelling. As always, Brett remains the definitive Holmes. --Tom Keogh

"The Naval Treaty"
An old schoolmate of Dr. Watson's, Percy Phelps (David Gwillim), has asked the longtime friend of Sherlock Holmes to intercede on his behalf with the famous detective. Phelps, a member of the Foreign Office, has stolen a copy of a naval treaty with serious international consequences, but the document has been missing for two months. His nerves shattered from worry, Phelps is under the care of his fiancée (Alison Skilbeck), but so far the treaty has not surfaced. Holmes (Jeremy Brett), aided by Watson (David Burke), agrees to take the case, which is handsomely adapted in this episode from the Granada Television series. As usual, Brett is the most fascinating, most complex, and truest of the many Holmes portrayals in film and TV history, Burke is solid as the good doctor, and Rosalie Williams is delightful in her fleeting appearance as the Baker Street housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. --Tom Keogh

"The Solitary Cyclist"
Sherlock Holmes (the incomparable Jeremy Brett) is unhappily interrupted during a major investigation by the appearance at Baker Street of a young, regal-looking woman named Violet Smith (Barbara Wilshere). Frightened for her safety, Smith tells the busy sleuth and his friend Dr. Watson (David Burke) of her recent life since being left penniless. Employed as a music teacher in the Charlington home of one Bob Carruthers (John Castle)--a man who, along with a quite dangerous and "hideous" fellow named Woodley (Michael Siberry)--knew her late father in South Africa, Smith has lately been harassed by Woodley and followed on bicycle by a mysterious, bearded fellow. Watson is dispatched to look into the matter, but the mystery only deepens and darkens even after the Master finally arrives. One of the strongest episodes in the long-running Holmes series from Granada Television, "The Solitary Cyclist" never lets up its taut suspense. Brett and Burke are magnificent, as always, but even the most loyal fans are taken aback by the rare sight of Holmes throwing punches, as he does in a boxing duel with the beastly Woodley. --Tom Keogh ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES VOL. 1 - DVD Movie