by Jade Lindley There have been so many film incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, that we have lost count. But there is one actor who made Holmes relevant again, and made him appeal to a wider audience, and that was Robert Downey Jr. Sure he is definitely a nice piece of eye candy, but his overall cockiness, wit and charm is a nice gloss to the character which just gives Holmes’s personality all the more bite. Also having been directed by Guy Ritchie who is famous for Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it reminded audiences that if there is anyone that can pull off Holmes with having definite edge it was him. And let’s face it Ritchie still had a lot of making up to do after he directed then wife Madonna in the abortion that is, Swept Away. by Paul Costello Here’s a fun fact for all you trivia gatherers: according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the single most adapted character in all of fiction, beating out competition from the likes of Dracula, Zorro, Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Frankenstein’s Monster (the latest version of which hit cinemas last month with I, Frankenstein). The number of incarnations of the great detective across all mediums is frankly astounding (over 1,100 adaptations by the estimate of at least one source), with the number of his more specifically film-derived personifications reaching over 200 titles and spanning over a century. What we shall do here and now is look over that vast expanse of filmic adaptation, considering the successes and failures in bringing to life the distinctive detective, and how the character has been drawn in his ever-changing relationship with audiences. by Hayley Charlesworth The Great Mouse Detective is not only a great pseudo-adaptation of Conan Doyle's works, but it is also one of the most intelligent films in the Disney canon. It is actually an adaptation of the children's book Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus, though spiritually, it is a Sherlock Holmes film. But unlike many of Disney's other straight adaptations, it has enough originality and flair to earn the title homage. |
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