After my disappointing experience with 2012 Best American Mystery Stories, I decided to play it safe and began reading The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
In this volume there are twelve adventures including "Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", and "The Man with the Twisted Lip". There are also twelve memoirs including "The Cardboard Box", "Silver Blaze", and "The Crooked Man".
Sir Arthur seemed to love titles featuring colors and disfiguring features.
Although I have watched both of the Sherlock movies starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, I admit I could never really figure out what was going on there.
More recently I have watched the first two seasons of the BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern Sherlock along with Martin Freeman as the blogging Dr. Watson.
I must say I thought there would never be a Sherlock to replace Jeremy Brett's brooding portrayal in the 1980s and '90s, but in reading the first couple of adventures last night I found I was picturing the strange yet fascinating Mr. Cumberbatch.
Perhaps this renewed interest in the brilliant detective has been sparked by reading The Baker Street Letters and The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson, the plots of which revolve around letters written to the fictitious Holmes by people in distress.
In any case, I feel I am in good company with Sherlock and Watson as they track down clues and solve their baffling cases.
You should supplement it with watching Elementary... a modern day Sherlock and Holmes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I see that "Elementary" is out on DVD. I will investigate.
DeleteIt is fascinating to see the many interpretations of the characters, don't you think?
I've seen Elementary and have enjoyed it, though always forget when it is on and am more partial to Benedict Cumberbatch's peculiar modern portrayal. The only episode I did not enjoy was the modern version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, which I find to be one of the most suspenseful stories ever.
ReplyDeleteMr. Cumberbatch took a bit of getting used to, but now I am a great fan. I understand that production on Season 3 has been delayed due to the actors' busy schedules. I guess we will just have to wait. Or watch the reruns.
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