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Arthur Conan Doyle


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I think Hound of the Baskerville's is his best story, and for the shorter fiction I love The Solitary Cyclist and Silver Blaze.

 

As for adaptations it has to be Jeremy Brett. The new film was fun in a silly, "don't take it seriously" sort of way. Have you seen the BBC are doing a modern take on SH with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, co-written by Mark Gatiss, I think?

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As for adaptations it has to be Jeremy Brett. The new film was fun in a silly, "don't take it seriously" sort of way. Have you seen the BBC are doing a modern take on SH with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, co-written by Mark Gatiss, I think?

 

Yes, I've been intriguied by the clip that BBC have shown as part of Drama for the Autumn. I was surprised, however, to read this paragraph on Wikipedia:

 

In May 2010, The Sun tabloid newspaper reported that the pilot episode, said to have cost

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  • 1 year later...

I think Hound of the Baskerville's is his best story, and for the shorter fiction I love The Solitary Cyclist and Silver Blaze.

 

As for adaptations it has to be Jeremy Brett. The new film was fun in a silly, "don't take it seriously" sort of way. Have you seen the BBC are doing a modern take on SH with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, co-written by Mark Gatiss, I think?

 

Having seen the modern take of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' first and then the novel, I think that the two versions are very different. Usually when films/programmes change elements from an original text, it really annoys me. However, I really enjoyed both the programme and the book. The tv version was able to capture the essence of the story, but also bring something new.

 

'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is the first of the Sherlock Holmes novels I have read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

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  • 5 months later...

My dad bought the DVD of Sherlock Holmes last weekend and I might watch it at some point but for me SH will always be the man in my avatar.

 

I'm sure Robert Downey Jnr is good but for me he will always be Chaplin - how can you go from Chaplin to SH? :blush2: To be fair though, I should reserve judgement until I've seen the DVD.

 

Back to the SH books though, a friend found a wonderful copy of the Adventures of SH in illustrated form as they appeared in Strand Magazine and she has given it to me. I shall always treasure it.

 

You're spot on. Brett WAS Holmes. I imagined him that way before I ever saw any of the films. I'm quite pleased to have the same DOB as Jeremy Brett. Rathbone was quite good in his character protrayal, but the stories were pretty much made up. I didn't even care for saome in the Brett series that were expanded way beyond Doyle's original story line, I think tha blackmailer and the "vampire" one.

About RDJ, I'm trying to be neutral about him because I don't know enough. But knowing the books and Brett's portrayal his rendition is a sacrilege. Though I might have enjoyed it for what it was if they hadn't presumed to capitalize on a well-known name.

What do you think of the modern day BBC series? I was quite impressed, though I found him too erratic in the second season.

 

Back to the main topic, Doyle's Holmes stories are the holy grail of suspense writing for me. I find all the graphic descriptions of violence to be weak attempts at creating shock value by comparison. I have read so many modern thrillers. But nothing is as effective and atmospheric as when Dr Mortimer says

"Mr Holmes, they were to foot steps of a gigantic hound."

The only other author I've found that was capable of such minimalistic suspense is Tony Hillerman.

 

I haven't read The Lost World, and I don't have the nerve. Seeing a scene in the film version spooked me too much. :D

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  • 6 months later...

I've read both A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four. I have to say I didn't really enjoy A Study in Scarlet I didn't like the way it moved away from Sherlock and Watson for such a long time. On the other hand I really liked The Sign of the Four.

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I recently finished a novella on my Kindle called "The Baskerville Legacy: A confession" by John o' Connell.  It basically tells the story of a young journalist called Fletcher Bertram Robinson who met Conan Doyle on a boat coming back from South Africa to UK in 1901.  They became friends and collaborated on the Hound of the Baskervilles. Robinson had already given him the idea for the Norwood Builder.  I was surprised to read that it was a true story (this is in novel form) and very well worth a read if you are interested.

Edited by SueK
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  • 4 weeks later...

I recently finished a novella on my Kindle called "The Baskerville Legacy: A confession" by John o' Connell.  It basically tells the story of a young journalist called Fletcher Bertram Robinson who met Conan Doyle on a boat coming back from South Africa to UK in 1901.  They became friends and collaborated on the Hound of the Baskervilles. Robinson had already given him the idea for the Norwood Builder.  I was surprised to read that it was a true story (this is in novel form) and very well worth a read if you are interested.

I might just do that. Thank you!

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