| Culturewatch DVD Review |
 Sherlock Holmes (released 17 May 2010) Sherlock Holmes is such an iconic character that he’s a byword for brilliant investigation and razor-sharp logical deduction. Many people have a very fixed idea of what he’s like, probably from Jeremy Brett’s portrayal of him in the ITV series from the 80s and 90s, or from Sidney Paget’s original illustrations. It was Paget who gave Holmes the familiar dearstalker hat and cape. Guy Ritchie’s casting of Robert Downey Jr as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr Watson seemed rather surprising. Downey takes his roles seriously, but isn’t he too short? He’s much more like the Watson I imagine. Still, both men give fine performances, and the on-screen chemistry between them is palpable. There are big challenges in filming Sherlock Holmes yet again, partly because there have been so many previous versions, and partly because there are countless dedicated fans with very high expectations. In some ways director Guy Ritchie has stuck closer to the Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle than many of his predecessors. I don’t remember the earlier versions showing the great detective as a formidable bare-knuckle fighter, yet that’s what he is in some of the original stories, as well as being a martial arts expert. In other ways, Ritchie has diverged from the original material with a ridiculous plot and too much emphasis on action rather than Holmes’s intellectual investigation. It’s odd that someone like Sherlock Holmes should be such a popular figure, when he is so cold, patronising and arrogant. He cannot engage with other people at an emotional level; they are simply objects of study. Watson is altogether a much nicer character. It seems that what we do love about Holmes is his clear-eyed pursuit of truth. He examines the evidence coolly and objectively, following the truth wherever it leads. He’s a great example for us at a time when truth is not always valued highly in our society. One area where there are sharp disagreements about truth is over whether or not Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was killed on a Roman cross but rose again. If it’s true, it’s the most important event in history – and we owe it to ourselves to investigate the evidence as carefully as Sherlock Holmes would. There is evidence for this enormous claim, and it does stand up to scrutiny. It’s vital that, like Holmes, we discover the truth. Tony Watkins, Damaris Trust (www.culturewatch.co.uk) |
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