Sherlock on the Screen

Sherlock Holmes has definitely been a character that people have connected with or at least been intrigued by. Through his actions, behavior, and characteristics he follows the cliche of a man you love to hate. Sherlock's character has been transported from books to television and movies, and has been done and redone, adapted, and modernized over time.

http://the-final-problem.tumblr.com/post/47846214360/
new-gifs-for-a-new-theme-header-background-by

Looking at the different screen versions we looked into in class, it's interesting to see how creative teams each portray Sherlock as a different type of character, but still highlight his intelligence and sarcasm.

BBC Sherlock-

This had to be my favorite version of Sherlock. I really liked Sherlock's confidence (even though he's a jerk). He's completely assured in his abilities and how smart he is, so the behavior of those around him does not seem to surprise him. Out of version of Sherlock, he does seem to be the most unaware of how to interact with other people. I do not believe he's uncomfortable with others, but rather he believe that he's superior to them. He's socially awkward, but content to be that way.

                                      http://youtu.be/Rl41VkyXUmk- Sherlock-Arch Enemy
This clip does a good job showing Sherlocks relationships with others. He knows he arrogant and knows his flaws, he just doesn't care. He seems surprised by the idea that he would have a friend, but it's personally understandable to him that he would have an enemy.

Sherlock Holmes (movie) -
We talked in class about what makes Sherlock Holmes a British story vs an American one. I feel like the movie is more American just placed in Britain. The movie being more focused on action than anything makes me first think of it as an American movie. I also think Sherlock's character is very different from the BBC portrayal. While he's confident and rude, Sherlock in the movie is so (knowingly) dependent on Watson. He is focused on sabotage, so not to lose his friend, and in the movie I believe that Holmes really considered Watson his friend. The two have an interesting dynamic because of Holmes' dependency, which is different because I had always felt that Sherlock was independent and Watson was more of a sidekick.

http://ruhsuzkukla.tumblr.com/post/29631786455

Elementary (Television Show)

This depiction of Sherlock was pretty surprising to me. Forget the fact that Watson is a Woman named Joan who plays a role resembling a social worker, but it's kind of strange to think that Sherlock is using a social worker. This version of Holmes had him coming out of rehab and attending support groups. The show was smart to make all of that involuntary rather than voluntary because I do not believe that Sherlock's character would have gone to rehab or support groups willingly. This version of Sherlock humanized the most. He was fragile in the tv show than in other renditions of Sherlock stories. He still was incredible smart and sarcastic, but he needed a lot more emotional support.

http://i2.cdnds.net/12/37/300x225/ustv_elementary_1.jpg

What the deuce?

I found that phrase incredibly funny for some reason.  I tend to be amused by the small things in life.

So this was my first literary exposure to the Sherlock Holmes series.  I had seen the Robert Downey Junior movie a few years ago, but I honestly remember nothing about it except maybe people riding a train, that’s about it.

I found the first couple short stories to be rather dull but I appreciated that I got to be introduced to the characters and get to know them a little better.  The two stories I liked best were “The Speckled Band” and “The Dancing Men.”  These were the two stories that I felt had the most action and suspense, which I enjoyed a lot.

“The Speckled Band” had me in suspense the entire time and I was dying to know what the band was and how the girl had died.  But I have to say, the ending was a little disappointing.  I mean, it was interesting and a little unexpected that the “band” was actually a snake, but I was expecting some kind of huge scandal or elaborate scheme that led to the girl’s death.  Instead, it was just a snake that was fed through the wall and happened to eventually bite and poison her.  It was kind of a letdown, but I still enjoyed it.

“The Dancing Men” was super interesting.  I really like mystery/suspense stories that involve cryptic symbolism or secret codes, so I really liked the fact that a hieroglyphic alphabet was included.  But again, the ending disappointed me.  I was expecting Abe to get angry that he was caught and cause a big scene.  But instead, he just willingly gave up and conveniently told us exactly what happened.  I don’t know, maybe I’m too used to today’s twist endings on crime shows, but Doyle’s plots aren’t very interesting.  I think the only reason he’s maintained such a strong readership is his ability to maintain suspense.

Also, just a sidebar, Holmes is a total jerk.  Especially in “Charles Augustus Milverton.”  Who gets engaged to a woman just for the sole purpose of solving a case? A jerk, that’s who.

But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by BBC’s Sherlock.  I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, but knowing it was something produced by BBC, it had to have been good.  And it really was.

I loved how they managed to convert the series to a modern setting while still maintaining that vintage feel.  For instance, just with Sherlock’s clothing, the trench coat and the scarf made his character seem like he just stepped out of 1878.

The extremely modern touches, like the cell phones, text messaging and GPS tracking devices gave the story exactly what it needed.  I really loved how the viewers could see the text messages throughout the show by having them pop up beside the character as he/she is reading rather than just showing the phone screen with the text on it.  I thought that was very creative and a refreshingly different way of showing something so simple to the audience.

I also liked how the show portrayed Sherlock’s character as finding joy in what he does.  Doyle’s story shows some of this, but it was particularly highlighted in the show.  It was kind of funny watching Sherlock become giddy and jump up and down in excitement after making a breakthrough in a case.

Overall, my second experience with Sherlock Holmes has been a good one and now I’m going to go binge watch more episodes of Sherlock.