Re "Moriarty in this series is also about the most evil guy I have seen":
The series creator and writer Mark Gatiss also plays Mycroft. He's so snooty and superior he's a hoot and I always enjoy his appearances. Sherlock in the original stories was always passionately on the side of justice and defending the "little man". I think Benedict Cumberbatch (what a ghastly name!) plays Sherlock as a little *too* cold and aloof. (There is a new BBC TV series starring Mark Williams as G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown which I've also been enjoying. Father Brown faces moral dilemmas which most TV detectives steer well clear of. ) Re "They manage to integrate the technology with how the mind of Holmes operates and still make it seem true to the original concept.": Spot on. Re "Jeremy Brett really captured some great facial expressions and tonal eccentricities in his speech, not to mention his body language.": His body language really fascinated me. A relic of his stage experience in which exaggerated postures can compensate for the lack of the TV/film close-up. ---In [email protected], <awoelflebater@...> wrote: ---In [email protected], <s3raphita@...> wrote: The BBC "Sherlock" is a worldwide hit but I read that the USA is *not* so enamoured and viewing figures there are quite low. Shocking, I think the series is brilliant. And the Moriarty in this series is also about the most evil guy I have seen, utterly loathsome. I love the original Holmes tales (though Poe's Dupin is the original and the best) so I enjoy this modern updating but the series does strike me as a bit smug and self-congratulatory. Too much style over substance perhaps? Still, there are classy moments and I never miss an episode. Definitely a lot of style and very hip but nevertheless it all works for me. I like how they manage to integrate the technology with how the mind of Holmes operates and still make it seem true to the original concept. IMHO Jeremy Brett's Holmes is the best-ever representation. Astonishing performance. Truly brilliant. Popular entertainment as high art! Too true! My husband and I bought the whole series and still watch it. He loves how eccentric that version of Holmes is. Jeremy really captures some great facial expressions and tonal eccentricities in his speech, not to mention his body language. Very unique. My fave Holmes story was "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches". A key plot element is the auburn hair of the central character. A young woman applying for the job of a governess is offered excellent wages thanks to her red hair. Is the employer a sexual fetishist? Is something sleazy going on? Because Holmes is asexual the "Copper Beeches" plot adds an element of sexual frisson which is all the more effective thanks to the background of period respectability and decorum. On a side note: we Brits call the Sherlock period Edwardian. When we use labels like "Victorian" or "Edwardian" do Yanks (or Europeans for that matter) refer to it by some other designation? After all, Ed and Vicky were not *your* sovereigns. (Though you are always welcome to rejoin the club and become loyal subjects of Liz II.) I use the same terms but maybe because I lived there for as long as I did. I am not sure the average Yank is that educated on the various periods. As a former British Isles dweller and current Canadian, Liz II does hold sway in this country and, by default, with me. I've never seen US series "Elementary" - would you recommend that? I have never even heard of it but I am more likely to be watching Masterpiece Theatre or some History Channel thing than American sitcoms or series.
