In 1968, Peter Cushing took up the mantle as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC television series that had already had a few issues plaguing it. Cushing had of course already played Holmes before, and here jumps right back into the persona with aplomb alongside his Watson played by Nigel Stock. Unfortunately, due to tape overwrites, much of the entirety of the Sherlock Holmes series is lost to time, but six full-length episodes remain preserved on various tape sources, including Cushing’s return to the Baskerville moors with the two-part “The Hound of the Baskervilles” episode, The Sign of Four, a rendition of A Study in Scarlet, “The Blue Carbuncle,” and “The Boscombe Valley Mystery.”
These 50-minute episodes from BBC play out nearly like a stage play in parts, with much of the action situated around static set pieces like 221B Baker Street, pubs, or other low-cost backdrops. This does allow the script to enact much of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s dialogue and showcase Sherlock’s effective deductions, sometimes at the expense of visual stagnation. Both Cushing and Stock trade off each other well, but the show often uses Watson as a punching bag rather than truly a part of the team – sometimes for comedic effect, at other times for annoyance.
The show’s slow-paced plotting and lack of suspenseful building begin to add up; over the course of six episodes, the overall feeling is that Sherlock Holmes has pieces of quality, but it never really comes to a satisfying boil. Part of this is the relatively cheap production, but the overt attempts at faithfully reproducing Doyle’s work on-screen often leave the viewer champing at the bit for something more visual (see for instance “The Hound of the Baskervilles” which mostly elides any on-screen doings). Occasionally the show will boast some giallo-esque elements, like the well-crafted murder sequence from the killer’s point-0f-view in “A Study in Scarlet”; but this viewer found that Sherlock Holmes could very well have been a radio performance without losing much.
Blu-ray
Sherlock Holmes has been released in the Cushing Curiosities boxset from Severin Films.
Sherlock Holmes is the anomaly in the Cushing Curiosities boxset as a television series; here Severin has scanned each surviving episode from BBC masters, a problematic source but the only option available. The series episodes were previously released on DVD as well, and this Blu-ray option slightly improves on the visual material while still featuring similar issues. One such is the condition of the tapes, an inconsistency throughout the six episodes; some are in relatively good shape while others, namely “A Study in Scarlet,” occasionally suffer from tracking issues. For the most part, there is good detail in the close-up facial features, especially when the show is on-set at Baker Street. Other filmed moments, and especially darker scenes, do suffer more with inconsistent softness and color grading. However, most viewers should not expect a pristine representation from this surviving material, and it’s likely the best (only?) way fans will ever be able to watch these episodes.
Each episode features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track, and these have fared well, with no real issues besides a couple of inconsistent warbles. The dialogue itself comes through strong, and even the rousing score sounds great here.
Extras include audio commentaries for every episode, which adds a lot of value to the experience. Film historians Kim Newman, Barry Forshaw, and David Stuart Davies all contribute excellent commentary tracks that are arguably the best way to experience the episodes, especially if you’ve seen them before. Also included for each episode is the original BBC Countdown Clock, an irreverent but fun addition. Jonathan Rigby contributes commentary to the newly-provided lost segments feature, which contains the only surviving material of the other Sherlock Holmes episodes. Finally, another Peter Cushing interview conducted by David Stuart Davies is included on the second disc of episodes.
Extra Features
- NEW scanned from BBC tape protection masters
- NEW Audio Commentaries For All Episodes Featuring Kim Newman, Author Of Anno Dracula, Barry Forshaw, Author Of Brit Noir And David Stuart Davies, Author Of Starring Sherlock Holmes: A Century Of The Master Detective On Screen
- All Episodes Available With BBC Countdown Clock
- Illustrated Peter Cushing Audio Interview With David Stuart Davies (1080p; 18:09)
- NEW Lost Segments With Optional Commentary By Jonathan Rigby, Author Of English Gothic, And Horror Historian Kevin Lyons (1080p; 8:21)
Verdict
Fans of Cushing’s Sherlock Holmes material will likely find him as engaging as ever in these BBC episodes, but the production itself leaves something to be desired. Severin has assembled a master assortment of extras, though, so even if the show itself doesn’t inspire, at least the additional commentaries and interview does provide historical context for this work.
