The Golden Pince-Nez

This is quite a good classic mystery story and one of the better offerings in the Holmes saga. It involves a mysterious murder of a young secretary. He has been stabbed in the neck with a letter opener and has bled to death, his dying statement: "Professor...it was she." The secretary has also grabbed a golden pince nez (those old fashioned spectacles that sat on a person's nose). The professor in question is a bed ridden, chain-smoking historian. He is a harsh man with little patience. Holmes has been called in, assisted by brother Mycroft (apparently Edward Hardwicke, the Watson of the series, was unavailable for this episode). Holmes has been approached by a young police detective, who has produced a layout of the house and offered a few opinions. Of course, the two brothers are incensed by his basic incompetence. This leads to an investigation that banks on how someone could commit a murder in this house and not be seen by the housekeeper or the maid (who discovered the body). There is also a subplot about a women's temperance group, whose leader has become a possible suspect. There are also forces going back to events long ago involving an attempted revolution. This is also the time when Mycroft quotes their father concerning eliminating the impossible, hence, leaving behind the truth. The ultimate maxim of Holmes. Excellent performances all around, especially the Professor, played by great British stage actor Frank Finlay.

A young man, Willoughby Smith, was found bleeding to death from a stab to his neck. His final words were "Professor...it was she!"....though who SHE is in completely unknown to the Inspector investigating the case. He also held in his hand the spectacles of a woman who is nearly blind they are so strong! Now this Inspector is not dummy...he uses some of Holmes' methods and respects Holmes enough to come to him to discuss the case.

Unlike every other episode in the many Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett, Watson was not in this one...though he was in the original story. Why? Because Edward Hardwicke was unavailable....so they had Charles Gray plays Sherlock's brother, Mycroft...and he delivered many of Watson's lines.

So is this any good? Absolutely. The mystery, though not complicated, is interesting and the very end bloody and well deserved. Overall, a very good installment and one worth seeing.

By the way, I am pretty sure that the folks making this episode did a deliberate nod to the Soviet silent film, "Battleship Potemkin", when you see a closeup of the woman wearing cracked glasses....which is likely because the woman ending up being a Russian.

An episode I've always enjoyed, if never taken too seriously, it opens up very well, with a bold intriguing introduction, it gets a little slow in the middle, and the conclusion is a little baffling. At times it seems to verge on melodrama, it verges on being a little too theatrical.

I was intrigued to find out Charles Gray stepped in to replace Hardwicke for this episode, Gray's Mycroft was always great value, such a charismatic actor, brilliantly cast as Sherlock's brother, there's a great scene when they discuss their father's magnifying glass. unfortunately he's a bit of a spare part here.

Frank Finlay, a truly fine actor, is the shining light here, as the eccentric Professor Coram. He is very watchable as Coram, he steals the scenes.

I would class this as one of the weaker entries into the strong Memoirs series, but it's very enjoyable nonetheless. 6/10

As far as the adaptations go in the series The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes go, The Golden Pince-Nez is not as good as the brilliant Cardboard Box. But it is much better than the interesting-try-but-failed Mazarin Stone, which was not only the weakest of this series but also one of the weaker overall Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Apart from some dull spots in the middle and a rather obvious goof in regards to Anna's glasses, The Golden Pince-Nez is a very interesting episode. The writing is good on the whole, the conversations between Holmes and Mycroft are particularly intriguing and the story is compelling with a good atmosphere and a solution that did grab and surprise me.

The production values are superb, I always love how evocative it all is, and the music is often hauntingly beautiful. The acting is fine, the supporting cast do everything they can without standing out too much, but the real joys are Jeremy Brett and Charles Gray who are both brilliant and their chemistry is delightful.

Overall, an interesting episode if not quite one of the best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Inspector Stanley Hopkins visits Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes at Baker Street to discuss the death of Willoughby Smith, a secretary to the irascible and invalid Professor Coram. As far as Hopkins is concerned there was no motive to the murder.

The dead man had in his hand a pair of golden pince-nez glasses. Both men are intrigued enough to set off to investigate.

As Edmund Hardwicke was filming the movie Shadowlands, Dr Watson does not feature in this episode, too busy dealing with an epidemic.

It is always great to see Charles Gray again as Mycroft. Frank Finlay is a hoot as the chain smoking Professor Coram, his bedroom being an haze of smoke from the Egyptian cigarettes. Even Sherlock wants those cigarettes. Coram thinks that his secretary's death is due to suicide. A theory that astounds both Sherlock and Mycroft.

Of course Finlay is too obviously a bad guy and the answer to the murder lies in the events of a Russian uprising and Coram's past.

A rather melodramatic ending to the episode and some very arty direction from director Peter Hammond.