The Films
Mr. Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Sherlock Holmes, Without a Clue, The Great Mouse Detective, Young Sherlock Holmes, Murder by Decree, Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
I spend a lot of time thinking about the world of cinema, reading reviews, absorbing audience reactions, and attempting to understand the future of my favorite art form. In my opinion, the world of cinema currently finds itself divided into two camps. On one side, you will find a group of movie lovers who crave original stories and new properties based on a never-before-seen story. On the other side, there is a group of fans fully devoted to familiar subjects and worlds that stretch from one movie to the next. I stand in an odd purgatory between the two groups. I crave fresh stories, unfamiliar voices, and cinematic experiences I have never had before in a movie theater. Yet, there is also a nostalgic version of myself who explodes with joy when a comic book trailer or some world from my youth is released.
Standing in this place made me wonder, for all the space dominated by the Marvel and DC cinematic universes, have there been other characters who have consumed so many hours of our collective time? Instantly, my mind landed on James Bond and the adventures of 007. Knowing that I have spent a significant amount of time with that character, I encouraged myself to dig deeper into a character I do not know so well.
A quick and crude Google search revealed that “Sherlock Holmes is the most prolific character in the history of cinema.” While some websites disagree on how “prolific” this character is, I counted at least 50 films. Baffled because I have only seen a few of the films on the list, I spent time with the then films listed above. My mission was simple. I wanted to seek a through-line connecting all these adaptations together to better understand the public’s fascination with this character.
Before tracing the similarities between each film, I think it is necessary to highlight a point to understand about each film I chose.
Mr. Holmes attempts to understand an aging Sherlock Holmes as time betrays his greatest weapon.
Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows reintroduce the detective to a new generation of fans, but with more violence and brutality.
Without a Clue changes the formula and shines a light on Dr. Watson.
The Great Mouse Detective is an animated film introducing a Holmes-like character to a generation of kids.
Young Sherlock Holmes gives us an origin story.
Murder by Decree combines the worlds of Sherlock and Jack the Ripper.
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the detective at his very best.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother introduces a little comedy and levity to our familiar tale.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes combines some of Britain’s best folk lore.
There is more to this character than his pipe, hat, coat, famous address, and loyal sidekick. There is a hero who has withstood the test of time. By why? As much as we love superheroes and seemingly normal people who save the world with brute force, I think we secretly long for heroes who solve complex problems with nothing more than sharp analytical skills (unless we are talking about the Guy Ritchie movies—then he does both). I believe this is the reason most people prefer Batman over Superman. We long for heroes who are just like us. We long for normal men and women using powers earned through hard work and sheer talent. Sherlock Holmes is one of those characters.
He is also a man cursed by deduction and unbearably smug. Holmes is an all-knowing detective who knows it. He is more myth than man and possesses a reputation that arrives before he does. Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential English superhero. For all his exploits, we know very little about his origin or why he chose this path. This unknown element opens the door to countless adaptations and retellings of a story we have all come to know.
In the ten films above, this meant watching Holmes lose his memory and the power of deduction as age becomes a mystery he cannot solve. I also watched as this character had his greatest strength used against him. In others still, I watched creators wrestle with his origin, struggle with adapting the character for a new generation, make light of our obsession, place Holmes on a pedestal, and give Dr. Watson some of the spotlight.
This character endures because there is so much about the world we do not understand. We long for someone just like us to rise above it all and solve complex challenges of injustice and the unknown. We also want and need our characters to have faults. There must be mysteries they cannot solve, love interests they cannot have, and flaws constructed as tools meant to humble the skilled detective. Sherlock Holmes must have a kryptonite or people will not relate to the character. To care, we must be able to see ourselves in him and his powers.
The world is not finished telling stories about Sherlock Holmes. His legend will continue to grow. With each adaptation, a new generation will discover themselves in this flawed, but magnificent detective. Much like Bond or any of the countless superheroes currently dominating the big screen, Holmes will serve as a reflection of the times. The world will always long for heroes, therefore we will always call on the detective living at 221B Baker St.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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