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twistedtummies2 · 4 years ago

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Ele-May-ntary - Honorable Mentions

Welcome to Ele-May-ntary! All throughout May, I’ll be counting down my Top 31 Favorite Portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, from films, television, and even a few video games. Tomorrow, the countdown begins in earnest. But today, on the last day of April, we’ll be covering a few Honorable Mentions. These Ten Terrific Takes on the World’s Greatest Detective are decent, at least in my humble opinion, but ultimately didn’t make the cut.

1. Clive Brook.

Brook is a very “old school” Sherlock Holmes: he appeared as Holmes in the very first sound film featuring the character, “The Return of Sherlock Holmes,” and then again a couple years later in the 1932 film simply titled “Sherlock Holmes,” which was adapted from the popular play of the same title. Brook isn’t bad, but – like a lot of older portrayers of the character, to be honest – his adaptations haven’t really stood the test of time. His performance, and the pictures themselves, overall, are severely dated; when we get to the main list, there will be some actors from the early days of Holmesian cinema who DO still hold pretty strong today, but Brook, in my opinion, is not among them. He has his shining moments, though, and as the first Holmes whose voice we ever got to hear, he definitely deserves some historical credit.

2. Henry Cavill.

I have mixed feelings about the movie “Enola Holmes.” On the one hand, I like the title character, the villains are well done, the plot is pretty good…generally speaking, it’s a very solidly put-together movie. On the other hand, I’m not as fond of the way the Holmes brothers are portrayed: Mycroft, traditionally stated to be smarter than “Sherly,” is instead sort of a pompous buffoon. As for Henry Cavill as Sherlock himself…I give Cavill credit, he’s not shoehorning anything, and his relationship with his siblings is a good one, but I just can’t watch him without seeing Superman in a Sherlock Holmes costume. Cavill plays a more vulnerable, gentle Holmes – almost to a fault, as this nearly led to a lawsuit, believe it or not – and I think it would have been much better if we’d gotten to see him really dig into a take on the character closer to what Doyle wrote. As it stands, he’s not bad, I suppose, but he definitely takes a back seat to his fictional sister in this tale, and that mixed with the actor’s perpetual recognizability ultimately leaves him off the countdown.

3. Daffy Duck, a.k.a. “Dorlock Homes.”

I decided it wouldn’t hurt to include a few Holmes parodies on this list, and this is one of the earliest and still best. It’s hard to go wrong with Looney Tunes. Daffy Duck as Sherlock Holmes is about as ridiculous as it sounds, and part of the humor comes from Porky Pig as his straight man in the form of the eternally unfazed, fully-aware-his-friend-is-a-loon Dr. Watkins. Not much else to say, it’s just as funny as you’d hope.

4. Sherlock Hemlock.

Another Holmes parody! Performed by the late Jerry Nelson, Sherlock Hemlock was a spoof of Sherlock Holmes who appeared on Sesame Street for many, many years. As you might guess, his whole schtick was that he was a “brilliant” sleuth who always got things wrong. The way things happened was interesting, however: Hemlock actually could pick out details and observations, but the problem was he NEVER came to the right conclusions with his inferences. He was a lot of fun, no matter what age you were, and I actually really loved seeing him whenever he would pop up. However – perhaps at least partially due to Nelson’s passing, or the character just not being especially popular – Hemlock has not been seen nearly as frequently since at least the early 2000s, outside of a few surprise appearances or minor cameos.

5. Sherlock Hound.

This made-for-children series was an early success of the famed animator Hayao Miyazaki, and I should immediately state that the animation is the main reason I think this series has gained its cult following. Considering both the time period and the budget, the aesthetic design and the fluidity of the animation are really top notch; it is what you would hope for in a Miyazaki effort, even if it’s at a fraction of the cost as some of his more lauded works, such as his films for Studio Ghibli. However, in terms of the portrayal of Holmes himself, and the stories…it’s pretty basic and clearly watered-down from the source material. Sherlock himself is depicted as altruistic, polite, romantic…effectively everything Holmes is not. It doesn’t help that I’ve sadly only seen the dubbed version, and the dubbing on this show is AWFUL: it’s frankly one of the worst dubs I’ve ever heard in my life. Still, I can understand why some may enjoy it, and it’s not the worst version I’ve ever seen…I just find this Holmes and this interpretation in general to be more interesting than a true favorite.

6. Jeremy Irons.

Oh, yes! Scar himself played Sherlock Holmes…kind of. In 1991, Irons appeared in an SNL skit entitled “Sherlock Holmes’ Surprise Party,” which was a loving parody of the Jeremy Brett series. In it, Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Irene Adler, Sir Reginald Musgrave, and Mrs. Hudson prepare a surprise birthday party for Holmes. (They apparently conspire with Professor Moriarty to make it happen, as Holmes’ arch-enemy evidently promised to keep him busy till the appointed time. I think the snicker-worthiness of that speaks for itself.) Unfortunately, the party is thoroughly ruined by Holmes’ powers of observation, as pretty much the moment he walks in he realizes where the guests are hiding, and then proceeds to guess what each of his gifts are before opening them. Watching this sketch, I have to say that Irons – at least in his younger days – really could have made a GREAT Holmes in a more serious work…but he certainly pulls it off here, too. If Irons alone isn’t enough to make you want to watch this sketch, it may be interesting to note that Mike Meyers, of all people, plays Inspector Lestrade, with Phil Hartman as Dr. Watson. I need not say more, I think.

7. Takahiro Mizushima.

Japan strikes again! Mizushima is the voice actor for Holmes in the game “Fate/Grand Order,” part of the Fate franchise. In Fate, every sixty years, mages from around the world compete in what is called “The Holy Grail War” (which explains itself). For this war, they are able to summon Heroic Spirits who will aid them and do battle for them: these Spirits are all the greatest heroes AND villains of both history and literature. In “Grand Order,” Holmes is depicted as one of the Heroic Spirits. Fittingly, his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty, is also a Spirit that can be summoned. Not a bad portrayal (though I find some design elements a bit…odd), but since I haven’t played Grand Order, I didn’t think it was fair to include this Holmes on the list.

8. Roger Moore.

Roger Moore, of course, is most famous for playing James Bond, and before that, made a name for himself as the dashing Robin Hood of Modern Crime, The Saint. Moore was always a fan of crime stories, and in fact really loved the Conan Doyle classics. Naturally, he was enthusiastic when he got the role of Holmes in the film “Sherlock Holmes in New York.” However, the picture was not well-received, and most people – even to this day – remain unimpressed by Moore’s Holmes. Personally, I don’t think his work as Holmes is that bad, but the script and the rest of the cast around him don’t really do him many favors. Had he been in a better picture overall, he perhaps could have been a better take on the Master Detective.

9. Richard Roxburgh.

I love Richard Roxburgh as an actor, and I feel a bit bad for not including him in the Top 31. Roxburgh played the character in a 2002 TV adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” – the most famous and my personal favorite Holmes story. The TV movie takes many significant liberties with the source material, and hyper-fixates, in my opinion, on Sherlock’s drug addiction for no clear reason at all. The overall product is not terrible, but it’s not brilliant, either; it’s just okay, and ultimately, Roxburgh’s performance in the role matches suit. He works well with what he’s got, but he’s ultimately not a portrayal I feel worthy of the Top 31. I do, however, have to give a great deal of credit to his Watson: Ian Hart, one of the more underappreciated takes on the good doctor, in my opinion. Hart played Watson again in the semi-sequel “The Silk Stocking.” That movie is decidedly less impressive than “Hound,” and Rupert Everett’s Holmes there really does just leave you wishing Roxburgh had come back.

10. George C. Scott.

Ahhhh, George C. Scott…it almost hurt leaving this one off the list. Scott’s Holmes is interesting because he’s not TECHNICALLY Holmes. In fact, if you look up “actors who have played Sherlock Holmes” on Wikipedia, I don’t think he’s mentioned. Scott appeared in a film called “They Might Be Giants,” which actually features him as a man who suffers from delusions of being Sherlock Holmes. The movie is part psychological drama and part mystery/comedy blend. It’s a very interesting picture, and Scott plays his role brilliantly – definitely a favorite of his performances for me – but because the whole point of the film is that Scott’s character is NOT Holmes, but just someone who THINKS he’s Holmes, I didn’t think he counted for the main countdown.

Next time, the countdown truly begins! I won’t be leaving hints this time, like I did with my past two countdowns; you’ll just have to wait and see who starts us off. ;)

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