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.
