The Holocene Mass Exinction Event

Hmmm. Have finally seen The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone, and I can confidently say this is definitely the best of all the Rathbone/Bruce films. Starting a film off with Moriarty in the dock, and getting out of a murder charge on a technicality. Oh yes, very good. Though it was strange that everyone in the room was like, "My god, what a monster you are! Because we all apparently know the inner workings of your organisation!". But, well. 1939. And the banter between Holmes and Moriarty! Too bad Nigel Bruce has to act like, well, the way he does. Although he has a few fine moments (there's a very good one where he is lying in the middle of the street, and I swear Holmes only had him do it because he thought it would be funny). Basil Rathbone is still good, not tired of the role yet and merely going through the motions, and of course, having the film actually be set 1894 is quite nice. *ponders visual treat of Basil Rathbone wearing a high collar* Too bad he has to wear that dreadful hat at the end.

George Zucco is one of the best Moriarty's I've ever seen; this is like saying Edward Hardwicke is one of the best Watson's I've ever seen, in that most Watsons are rather unsatifactory, though not neccessarily bad. George Zucco, though, especially for a film of that time period, was quite good at playing Moriarty as quiet, smiling scholar, who also happened to be a sociopath. This was a fine passage between the professor and his butler (imagine Moriarty speaking very carefully, and the butler speaking with a note of rising panic in his voice):

"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"I am away for a few weeks, Dawes, and I come back to find my infurium magenta, my incomparable infurium magenta, withered. Ruined."
"I can't understand it sir, I took good care of all the plants."
"Did you water them?"
"Every day sir, just as you told me."
"Then how does it happen that I find a spider's web spun across the spout of the watering can?"
"That can happen overnight, sir --"
"Overnight, eh? Then you didn't water them today."
"There's been so much to do, sir, preparing for your coming back and --"
"Nothing is as important as the care of my flowers. Through your neglect this flower has died. You have murdered a flower."
"Why, I am sorry sir."
"And to think that for merely murdering a man I was incarcerated for six whole weeks in a filthy prison cell."
"A pity sir."
"A travesty on justice."
"Quite so, sir."

An underling questions Moriarty's plan to break Holmes by pulling off the most daring criminal act right beneath his nose:

"Holmes again?"
"Always Holmes, until the end."

...

Just found this on fanfiction.net, and I thought I would share (mostly to confirm that I had actually seen the following sentence):

The Case of the Murdered Maharaja by Lola Falafel
Sherlock Holmes and Watson embark on a trip to India to investigate the murder of a Maharaja. PLACED ON HIATUS UNTIL PRINCESS DIARIES FIC IS COMPLETE


... Um?

This is long and pointless, but it struck me for some reason.

( Why did I just transcribe all of this? Who can say. )

As I mentioned before, BBC7 is playing Sherlock Holmes every weekday now (they are my heroes again for this valiant act). I just listened to The Blue Carbuncle, which was quite good, until I got to the last two minutes, which were BRILLIANT. Oh, go and listen to it. Even if you don't listen to the whole thing, listen to the last couple minutes (starts about 40 minutes in to the recording), because well, guh.

It really is a fantastic example of all that the Granada series could never do, because they never married Watson off to Mary. Here's a bit of the dialogue I've written up. What I would normally say is, you should go and LISTEN TO THE AMAZING ACTING, but they seem to have removed CARB from the playlist as the day has already switched over there. Curses! You'll have to supply the best part yourself then:

( Christmas Angst )

And here is the site for all future (and other past) episodes. Go! Listen! You will be happy to have done so!

www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain

From The Tragedy of Hanbury Street:


Holmes: "He was a perfectly respectable market-porter 'til he took to drink."
Watson: "Hmm. I'm glad you took the time to notice that while he was beating the living daylights out of me."
Holmes: "Now really, doctor, don't exaggerate."

Randomly found this quote (from the BBC radio Holmes series) written on the back of a pad of tracing paper:

Watson: "If you asked me for an image that summed up my life here, a half-smoked cigar in the sugar bowl would be as good as any."

New Holmes radio programme from the American Imagination Theatre. Here is their site:
http://www.transmediasf.com/imag.html

You can hear the show (The Problem of Pennington Flash) here:
http://www.transmediasf.com/sorry.htm


Mary: "Goodnight Mr. Holmes. Good luck for tomorrow."
[door closes]
Watson: "I'll be going too, remember?"
Mary: "Yes dear, but it's Mr. Holmes who'll need all the luck, isn't it?"
Watson: "You know Mary, it is just possible that I might solve this crime before Holmes does."
Mary: "Of course it is dear. Make sure you keep your hat on outdoors."

Holmes: "You are much too hard on yourself Watson. You underestimate your own excellent qualities."
Watson: "Such as?"
Holmes: "Well, you have a splendid lack of imagination."
Watson: "Oh, thank you, Holmes, that's a compliment I'll always treaure."

(Holmes does redeem himself by then saying, "The fact that there are still people such as you in this world gives me hope for mankind.")

The show seemed quite like the old Rathbone/Bruce series in tone (except for the fact that Watson wasn't bumbling about in that peculiar Bruce-ian manner). This effect was heightened by the fact that the actor playing Holmes sounds quite a bit like Rathbone himself!

It's worth a listen, but it does make one that much more excited for the upcoming BBC series, to hear the "real" Holmes and Watson.