Sherlock Holmes - Der Schatz der Agra

When you visit museum of Sherlock Holmes in London, Baker St., first thing that you see on the second floor is a number of pictures of all actors who ever played Holmes in the movies, and in the middle of that compilation you can see the biggest photo - the photo of Vasiliy Livanov.

All world cinematographers (including British ones) have admitted that Vasiliy Livanov is the best Sherlock Holmes that ever appeared on screen. And it is true. There were made several movies about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson for Russian TV in the late 70-ies and early 80-ies, including such films as The Meeting, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Bloody Script and many more (about 10 total number). Livanov as Sherlock, Vitaliy Solomin as Watson, Rina Zelenaya as Mrs.Hudson, Borislav Brondukov as Inspector Lestrade all make these series directed by Igor Maslennikov an all-time masterpiece. Almost all of actors started their careers in theaters (Livanov, Solomin and Zelenaya continued giving performances even after their success on the big screen) which gave films amazing atmosphere of reality. The images of old London were carefully reconstructed in Baltic cities almost untouched by time which gave movies a lot of similarities with real XIX century London. All movies (it wouldn't be right to call them episodes) are set on very high level, and from the opening unforgettable music score they charm every viewer. It's very hard to distinguish the best film of the series, every of them has something unique. The Hound of the Baskervilles for example has the greatest number of participating celebrities, including Nikita Mikhalkov (internationally known for directing and playing in such movies like An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, The Barber of Siberia, Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun etc.), Oleg Yankovskiy (Nostalgia by Tarkovskiy), Evgeniy Steblov and many more. This set of movies is a must-see for everyone whether you've read the book or not. It's rather difficult to find these movies with English subtitles but they exist and trust me, they worth searching for them. 10 out of 10 for all films.

The whole generation grew up together with this TV series and I am happy to be in that number. There's not really much to say. Great acting, great direction, great atmosphere... Then were the times when TV films brought art and weren't just another way of making people to see more ads.

The Agra Treasure is a faithful adaption of one of four Conan Doyle novels featuring Sherlock Holmes - The Sign of the Four. Miss Mary Morstan comes to see Holmes and Watson and tells them a strange story. Ten years previously her father, who had just returned to England after years of service in India, disappeared. Four years after his disappearance, she began receiving an annual package containing a valuable pearl. Holmes and Watson (who is quite smitten with Miss Morstan) agree to help her. They meet with Thadeus Sholto, the son of Major Sholto who had served with Morstan in India. Thadeus relates to them a tale of how Morstan and his father brought to England from India a magnificent treasure of which only a string of pearls had been found until recently. Holmes and Watson are soon on the trail of both the treasure and a murderer. Interestingly, the storyline is interrupted by a flashback account of the story 'A Scandal in Bohemia' in which Holmes meets Irene Adler, a woman who thereafter Holmes would refer to as The Woman. This story within the story is the best part of the movie. The movie has much to recommend it: the production values, the music, the sometimes eerie atmosphere, the well developed characters and the odd plot. It is faithful to the book and to the times, including Holmes' unattractive and tiresome misogyny. Linanov as Holmes and Solomin as Watson were very good in their roles. Livanov did not look as I picture Holmes' looking (nor as illustrator Sidney Paget depicted him); he was older, heavier, and shorter. However, his demeanor, body language and air of confidence and coolness were right on target. A highly recommended movie that is well worth watching more than once.

"Treasures of Agra," an adaptation of Conan Doyle's "The Sign of the Four" (with "A Scandal in Bohemia" folded into it) comes from a series of Soviet Sherlock Holmes television films from the late 1970s and 1980s that were consistently extraordinary in quality, and this two-part entry lives entirely up to its predecessors, if not surpassing them.

As usual, the direction is original, atmospheric and stylish, the appearance of the film is gorgeous, and Vasily Livanov and Vitali Solomin breathe great depth into their consistently fascinating portrayals of Holmes and Watson. Compared with previous films in the series, "Treasures of Agra" takes advantage of an almost dreamlike quality that makes an extraordinary compliment to the kind of atmospheric realism in the series itself. The first part of the film, with its Indian intrigues has a strange, dark, and macabrely nightmarish quality to it that creates a very effective sense of unease, and the second creates a positively dreamlike haze around the apparition of Irene Adler, masterfully playing up Holmes' infatuation with "THE woman" while refraining from interpolating anything unnecessarily specific with regards to his feeling for her.

As a whole the adaptation into film-script form was key here, and achieved sublimely and subtly. The Conan Doyle stories are presented in such a way as to highlight intriguingly and touching but not intrusively the protagonists' love lives. The first scene, for instance, which could have been a straightforward exposition scene setting out the case before Holmes, becomes a little masterpiece of humor and character as Watson tries in vain to leave and allow his friend some alone time with their beautiful client, but finds himself ever more attracted to her for his own part.

This theme is drawn out just as skillfully throughout the running time, and as such the film is not just an excellent mystery story but a very subtle and quite effective character piece as well. I'd recommend this to anyone, regardless of their interest level in Sherlock Holmes or productions from Russia.

Detective. A screen version of the works of the famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle about the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson. Well, here is the penultimate part of the Soviet series of paintings, sad of course, because I love it very much, like the original source, which I read several years ago. And here's my short opinion - The Best Sherlock Holmes. Do not expect an analysis of the minuses here, since there are none, because petty quibbles due to the fact that everything was filmed not in London are simply inappropriate here, so let your humble servant tell you about the expressive merits of this part of the magnificent series. So, here they are: 1. Atmosphere - there is even more of it than in the previous parts, or so it seemed to me. And the manner of shooting is to blame for this, where shots of real London were combined with filming locations. It may not look too chic today, but it works, you can't argue with that. And the costumes, furnishings, decorations - all once again plunge the viewer into Victorian England. The creators did not drop the quality bar - I praise for that. 2. Investigation - the main business of our duet is to search for damned treasures that bring misfortune to their owners, in parallel Holmes recalls the most curious case that left an indelible mark on his heart. Holmes is so focused and thoughtful that he was able to furnish "That woman" who shook his foundations, and this is an achievement. Yes, and Watson's treasure hunt gave an unexpected result. Perhaps these two investigations are the most emotional in the entire series. Well, they do not end quite usually. 3. The finale - it is sad to some extent, because in it our heroes do not discuss Holmes's conclusions while sitting by the fireplace with a glass of brandy, but summarize. At this moment, it becomes heavy on the heart, because you understand both of them, but what happened will forever change both the doctor and his friend. Well, the final shots summarize this investigation and the past tense. Sad, gentlemen, sad! 4. Wonderful actors - just to list a few: Viktor Proskurin (who recently left us) as Tadeusz Sholto, Borislav Brundukov as Inspector Lestrade, Rina Zelenaya as Mrs. Hudson, Larisa Solovieva as Irene Adler (That woman), and of course , the main celebrity, without whom this investigation would have reached a dead end - the bulldog Bambula as Tory. 5. Music - this time composer Vladimir Dashkevich decided not to experiment with music, but left everything as it is - and it still works great. A little about the main characters: 1. Sherlock Holmes performed by Vasily Livanov - a brilliant London detective who always solves any, even the most intricate crimes. Cold, honest, until he meets Irene Adler, who awakens hitherto unseen feelings in Holmes. I would venture to suggest that this is love, no matter how long Sherlock disagrees with me. This is it. The thief, who was supposed to be part of his filing cabinet, became the "Achilles heel" of the great detective. Even Sherlock Holmes was able to captivate a woman, albeit far from simple. Vasily Borisovich again skillfully performed his famous role. Bravo! 2. Dr. Watson performed by Vitaly Solomin - Sherlock's friend and biographer. This investigation became key for him in his life, because he also fell in love, however, unlike Holmes, he cannot hide it. His act in the finale is justified and honest, but sadness will not overshadow this, unfortunately. This is the truth of a harsh life, because we do not always get what we want, because the truth! Vitaly Methodievich again got used to the role of a doctor, and how he played falling in love is simply impossible to forget. Bravo! 3. Mary Morston performed by Yekaterina Zinchenko is an unfortunate orphan who turned to Sherlock Holmes for help, not knowing that this business would forever change her fate and she would meet Dr. Watson. Catherine just superbly succeeded in this image. Her appearance is the best fit for a young graduate of a private boarding school with excellent upbringing and well-placed manners. And again, bravo! Well, there is still one more part, which I will tell you about next time, already in the new, barely come twentieth century, where our heroes have to neutralize the elusive German spy, and not only. As a result, we have an excellent detective story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, about the search for damned treasures, with the most expressive feelings, wonderful music and atmosphere, as well as amazing acting work.