Les Aventures de Sherlock Holmes et du docteur Watson: Le XXe siècle commence

Detective. A screen adaptation of the works of the famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle about the adventures of the equally famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson, which your humble servant had the honor to read several years ago and fall in love with. And I just adore this series of adaptations. Fans of other versions may take offense at me, but no one will ever be able to surpass the Soviet series, because there is nothing higher than a masterpiece. And here's my short opinion - The Best Sherlock Holmes. In this review, you will not find a single minus, since those are completely absent, but there are plenty of pluses, and I will draw your attention to them. So, here they are: 1. Atmosphere - the times of good old England are receding into the past and the new twentieth century sets new conditions for which you will have to adjust. Innovations: telegraph, telephone, electricity, cars, airplanes - and in the midst of all this our old heroes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The atmosphere here has changed due to the script, it is more dynamic, disturbing, with the appropriate environment and many small details. This was a necessary change - and it works great. 2. Investigations - in the first episode, our reunited heroes will have to find a document of extreme importance and secrecy, because the consequences of its publication threaten with dangerous complications. The second series is devoted to the search and exposure of an extremely cunning and dexterous German spy who settled in Foggy Albion and his activities threaten to undermine the defenses of England on the eve of a big war. This time, politics is involved in the investigation - which means intrigue, sycophancy, endless lies, the most vile and dirty methods and so on. One careless step threatens to turn into not only failure, but also the beginning of a war. The situation is extremely tense, which is perfectly felt by the viewer. The investigations themselves are still dynamic, exciting and even a little intriguing. 3. Music - the permanent composer of the entire series, Vladimir Dashkevich, decided to experiment with music again, either remaking some melodies or creating new ones. The result is the perfect blend of good old England and a fast-paced twentieth century that will forever change not only England, but the whole world. Even the title theme was slightly altered to suit the tone of the painting. 4. Excellent cast - Igor Maslennikov managed, four years after the release of the previous film, not only to assemble the old cast, such as Borislav Brundukov and Ekaterina Zinchenko, but also to invite such a mastodon as Innokentiy Smoktunovsky. Elena Safonova and Evgeny Platokhin fit in perfectly. 5. Finale - the picture ends in the traditional way, but with philosophical considerations about the new century, about the heroes that have become fragments of the old century, about the future that is to come. As it turned out, the beginning of the century was still quite cloudless, and our heroes immortalized themselves. Although it's still sad. A little about the main characters: 1. Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson - circumstances after the previous picture scattered our heroes, but in an hour of need they again joined forces in order to unravel the tangled tangle of crimes that could lead to a big war. Vasily Livanov, Vitaly Solomin and Rina Zelenaya returned to their favorite roles in order to please their multi-million army of fans with their magnificent performance. It was extremely difficult for them, especially Rina Zelena, who had vision problems, but they were able to make a splash last time. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! 2. Mycroft Holmes performed by Boris Klyuev is Sherlock's older brother and a member of the British cabinet. Calm, focused, extremely reserved and concerned about all the events taking place in Europe. Boris played such a difficult role perfectly. His Mycroft turned out this time even more like a robot, which is very close to the original source. Well done! 3. Von Bork, played by Leonid Kuravlev, is an elusive German spy who, with grace and dexterity, obtains information necessary for his country on the eve of a great war. The hero of Kuravlev turned out to be a real cunning and intellectual who will be a worthy competitor to the great Sherlock Holmes. Bravo! When our heroes were sitting by the fireplace, for the last time Sherlock explained to Watson all his conclusions, I felt sad, because this is the end. There will be no more adventures together. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson retired, remained in the nineteenth century, unraveling many complex, mysterious, violent crimes. And the duet of Vasily Borisovich Livanov and Vitaly Methodievich Solomin became a real symbol of this series of paintings, and the personal friendship of these brilliant actors played their part. It is a pity that Vitaly Solomin is no longer with us, how many more wonderful roles he could play! And I wish Vasily Livanov good health with all my heart, because we will never see the best Sherlock Holmes again, and how proud I am that my compatriot played the role of the greatest literary detective! Unlike many viewers, I am not inclined to underestimate the final assessment of this part. Yes, it is very different in tone from the early paintings, but there is a departure from the original, yes, everything was filmed in the Soviet Union. But the picture managed to preserve all the best, for which we love this series and worthily complete the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! As a result, we have an excellent ending to a great detective story about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, with a great atmosphere, interesting investigations, great music and amazing acting!

This is the final entry in the rightly-acclaimed Lenfilm series of Russian-language Sherlock Holmes television films, and it knows it. Everything about the atmosphere of this production is valedictory, and the finality of the production means that there are plenty of opportunities for thematic reflection on the meaning of what a character like Sherlock Holes does, how its meaning changes with with the changes in society over time, and the wonderfully subtle relationship between the Livanov Holmes and the Solomin Watson of this series.

The two leads are as wonderful as ever in their roles, and are given some delightful scenes -- from their reunion in Sussex at the start, so their occupation of a 221-B Baker Street that was set to become a museum dedicated to them, to a bittersweet reflection by the fire and a touching speech from Watson at the end that are not necessarily reflected anywhere in the works of Conan Doyle but which nonetheless ring absolutely true.

The plot draws more on "The Bruce-Partington Plans" more, than any other in the canon, though it mixes many stories and invents enough that it is probably more pastiche than adaptation. This source does mean that we get the presence of Mycroft Holmes, though, extremely well-played by Boris Klyuev and the subject of some charming comedy and the constantly buzzing telephones and telegraphs in his office both emphasize his importance and make it impossible to carry on a conversation.

It's a spy story -- and this works thematically, highlighting the technology, heartlessness, and involvement of big, cruel players in crime that helps to define the twentieth century and that goes beyond the milieu that is familiar for Holmes and Watson. Unfortunately, the plot itself is a weaker point of the film, as, digging deeper in may stories for material and involving itself in so many intrigues, it becomes a bit muddied.

It's a testament to the series and the production, though, that even still, watching it inspires such strong delight, and nostalgic affection for these most agreeable incarnations of Holmes and Watson as they end their journey across our screens.