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Sherlock Holmes on Screen

Posted on December 14, 2011 at 3:58 pm

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular fictional characters of all time.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a physician who also write science fiction, romance, and poetry, but he is best remembered for his creation of the detective with the prodigious powers of observation and deductive reasoning.  The most famous resident of 221B Baker Street has been portrayed in movies more than any other character, sometimes old, sometimes young, sometimes in Conan Doyle’s Victorian era, sometimes in modern times, in movies from Disney to Billy Wilder, portrayed by Oscar-winners and unknowns.  He inspired many other hyper-rational, hyper-observant characters like Nero Wolfe, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, House, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo herself, Lisbeth Salander.  Reverend Desmond Tutu recently told Vanity Fair that Sherlock Holmes was his favorite fictional character.

As we prepare for the second film with Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and Jude Law as his partner in crime-solving, Dr. Watson, it’s a good time to look at some of the best — and some of the strangest portrayers of the detective in the deerstalker hat and his doctor sidekick.  And let’s not forget O. Henry’s parody, Shamrock Jolnes and “Sesame Street’s” Sherlock Hemlock.

1. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce portrayed Holmes and Watson in 14 films released between 1939-46.  The early films are true to the books but the later ones update the characters to the 1940’s, with plots related to WWII.

2. Nicolas Rowe and Alan Cox appeared in “Young Sherlock Holmes,” an underrated origin story film that has our heroes solving their first mystery together while they are still in boarding school.

3. George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward In “They Might be Giants” a mental patient who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes and his doctor (she’s a woman, but she is named Watson) investigate the mystery of reality and what we call sanity.

4. Barrie Ingham and Val Bettin Disney’s animated “The Great Mouse Detective” is the story of mice who live on Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes (voiced by Basil Rathbone).  Inspired by their flatmate, they solve the mystery of a clockwork creation that was substituted for the Queen of the Mice.  The villain is portrayed by the silky-voiced Vincent Price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=004282khD1E

5. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman A British miniseries updates the setting to the 21st century, with Holmes and Watson solving mysteries in the era of laptops and cell phones.

6. Nicol Williamson and Robert Duvall One of the most fascinating versions of the Holmes stories is “The Seven Percent Solution,” which has Watson doing an intervention and taking Holmes to consult with Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) about his use of cocaine.  Of course once he is there he gets involved in another mystery, the kidnapping of another of Freud’s patients.

7. Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke The popular British minseries is a perennial favorite on PBS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX6a–uu6QM

8. Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely Legendary writer-director Billy Wilder co-wrote and directed “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes,” with a story inspired in part by Conan Doyle’s “The Bruce-Partington Plans.”  There is an excellent score by Miklos Rozsa.

9. Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman Douglas Wilmer and Thorley Walters play Holmes and Watson but the stars of “Young Frankenstein” have the lead roles in “Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother,” a wild comedy about “Sigerson Holmes” and his efforts to surpass his famous older sibling.

10. Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee Made-for-British-television movies show us an older Holmes and Watson in “Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady” and “Sherlock Holmes and the Incident at Victoria Falls.”

Special bonus radio version: Sir John Gielgud as Holmes, Sir Ralph Richardson as Watson and Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty.

 

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Great Character Actors: Denis O’Hare

Posted on July 7, 2011 at 3:05 pm

I love character actors, those utility infielders who have to create a complete character in seconds and hold a scene opposite a superstar.   They’re the ones who always seem vaguely familiar but are so chameleon-like that we never quite place them.

One of my favorites is the astoundingly versatile Denis O’Hare, who seems to be in everything these days.  He’s a testy judge in “The Good Wife” and the vampire King of Mississippi in “True Blood” (very mature material).  He has played officious bureaucrats in “The Proposal” (watch the closing credit outtakes) and “Charlie Wilson’s War” and a singing, dancing prince in “Once Upon a Mattress.”  He has appeared in “Brothers and Sisters” and “CSI: Miami.”  It is a pleasure to be able to pay tribute to such a versatile performer.

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Mildred Pierce

Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:00 am

B+
Lowest Recommended Age: High School
MPAA Rating: NR
Profanity: None
Alcohol/ Drugs: Drinking, alcohol abuse, smoking
Violence/ Scariness: Murder
Diversity Issues: A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters: 1945
Date Released to DVD: 2005
Amazon.com ASIN: B0008ENIAC

The upcoming five-part miniseries starring Kate Winslet is a good reason to visit the original movie version of Mildred Pierce, with an Oscar-winning performance by Joan Crawford. She plays the title character, who sacrifices everything to give her daughter the benefits of wealth and status only to find that she has raised a shallow, selfish monster.

Based on the book by noir novelist James M. Cain and directed by Michael Curtiz (“Casablanca,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood”), it is the story of a woman who is determined that her daughters will have money and social position. She leaves her out-of-work husband and hides from her daughters her job as a waitress. Veda (Ann Blyth), the older daughter, is a snob who is furious when she finds out the truth. The younger daughter dies of pneumonia. Through sheer determination (and the manipulation of the men around her), Mildred establishes a chain of restaurants and marries an upper-class, though impoverished, playboy to help Veda’s social climbing. When Veda turns out to be just as ruthless as Mildred — on her own behalf rather than to care for someone else, Mildred is called upon for one final sacrifice.

This was Joan Crawford’s first starring role at Warner Brothers following a humiliating termination of her contract at MGM. Curtiz did not want her for the part (he wanted Bette Davis, who turned it down because the character had a teenage daughter). Crawford’s own sense of determination and resentment is part of what made this her best-remembered performance. Carol Burnett’s funny “Mildred Fierce” parody is a loving tribute to this classic film.

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List: Movies for Women’s History Month

Posted on March 7, 2011 at 3:59 pm

For Women’s History Month, try some of these feature films about women of extraordinary courage, intelligence, determination, and achievement.

1. Erin Brockovich Julia Roberts won an Oscar for this story about a clerk in a law firm who helped win the largest toxic tort settlement in U.S. history for the people who had been damaged by inappropriately and illegally disposed chemicals.

2. Norma Rae Sally Field won an Oscar for this story based on union organizer Chrystal Lee Jordan.

3. The Miracle Worker Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke both won Oscars for this story of two extraordinary women, teacher Annie Sullivan and her deaf and blind student Helen Keller.

4. A League of Their Own While the men were at war for a brief time in the 1940’s there was a women’s professional baseball league and this is their story.

5. Funny Girl Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for playing Fanny Brice, one of the most popular performing artists of the early 20th century.

6. The Rosa Parks Story Angela Bassett stars as the woman whose refusal to give up her seat on the bus began the Civil Rights movement.

And try these documentaries, too:

1. Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Stanton & Anthony The lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and their fight for women’s right to vote is much more accurately depicted in this documentary than in the fictionalized “Iron-Jawed Angels.”

2. Life of Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? Has there ever been a better name for someone who fought for justice? Sojourner Truth was a slave who became an activist for the rights of African-Americans and women.

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3. The Spirit of Sacajawea Native American Sacajawea and her infant son guided Lewis and Clark in their expedition through the western United States.

4. American Experience – Eleanor Roosevelt The niece and wife of Presidents, Eleanor Roosevelt was a shy, bookish girl who became a world-traveling advocate for peace and for human rights.

5. Following Amelia Earhart: Heroines of the Sky Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded by Congress.

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Happy Birthday, Lou Costello!

Posted on March 6, 2011 at 9:16 am

Lou Costello was born on this day in 1906. His work with Bud Abbot made them one of the most successful comedy teams of all time, and their “Who’s on First” sketch is still one of the funniest exchanges ever put on film.

This is another one of my favorites, as Lou tries to get some sleep:

And here he is re-creating a vaudeville routine performed by many comedians, including the Three Stooges. His co-star is Sid Fields.

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