It appears that somehow the adventures of Sherlock Holmes managed to break
through the Iron Curtain in a series of nine or so TV movies produced in
Russia starting in 1979 and ending in 2000. They all star Vasiliy Livanov
as Holmes and Vitali Solomin as Watson. This is the first one in the series
and the first that I have seen. It is up on Youtube along with a few of the
others with English subtitles (apparently they were on Amazon Prime at one
time). If this first one at 67 minutes is to go by these will be enjoyable
additions to the Holmes canon. The interesting thing to me is that the makers
of the films didn't try to transfer Holmes to Russia but keep the setting
in London at 221 Baker Street with Mrs. Hudson as the landlady in the time
period of the books. The production values are solid and Russia - probably
St. Petersburg - is close enough to be made to look like London.
This first one takes parts of the Study in Scarlet and mixes it with The
Adventure of the Speckled Band. The part from Scarlet is the introduction
of Watson to Holmes who is looking for someone to share the expenses of
the apartment. We have seen this same chapter in their friendship play out
in the first episode of the Sherlock TV series. Watson is a bit of a stiff
prig who is shocked that Holmes has no idea who Copernicus is and his theory
of the earth revolving around the sun. How does that help me in my work
replies Holmes. Watson suspects his work is crime - doing it. Only when
a young lady comes to Holmes with a problem does he fully believe that he
is in fact a detective. This leads into the Adventure of the Speckled Band
which if you are not familiar with you, should read the story.
This was a two-parter on TV and the second part titled The Bloody Inscription
returns to the plot of The Study in Scarlet, which was the first Holmes
story written by Doyle. A man is found murdered by Scotland Yard - the damn
Lestrade - with the word revenge written in blood. Holmes is called in to
solve it. When he gets no credit by the newspapers in the end, Watson exclaims
that he will write it down and show the world that Holmes caught the killer.
This displays a very nice relationship between the two men - Watson is not
portrayed as a dimwit as he was so often - which has always annoyed me since
he was the one who wrote these fabulous stories (in theory). Their friendship
is developing and there is a jovial comradery feeling between the two. Of
course, Holmes still beats him in chess and mystifies and annoys Watson
with his observations.
I look forward to seeing more of these being the Holmes groupie that I
am.
