Silver Blaze

I'm starting to note that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was certainly fascinated by the moors and cliffs of England. They seem to figure prominently in his stories, most prominently of course in The Hound Of The Baskervilles. Silver Blaze based on his story The Adventures Of Silver Blaze also has a setting on the moors.

It's on the moors on one of those English murder mystery nights that the prominent race horse Silver Blaze disappears from the stable of his owner Peter Barkworth. Later on those desolate English moors the trainer Barry Lowe is found dead with a bad head wound.

In this one Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes has to not just deduce clues from humans, but reason why a pair of animals, the selfsame race horse Silver Blaze and a dog behave as they do. As it turns out the current whereabouts of the horse and what happened to its trainer have only the slightest of connections.

This particular Holmes story is a well put together one, the conclusion will perk the interest. And we even learn that Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson has a fancy for the sport of kings.

I would have been bored if this turned out to be a racetrack story, but SILVER BLAZE is a very clever mystery about a missing horse who disappears from his stable and goes somewhere on the moors. It takes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to solve the mystery of his disappearance.

Not overly complicated with baffling clues, it's one of the better Holmes stories. Little by little Holmes puts together pieces of what might have happened by questioning servants and stable boys and dealing with the owner of a nearby estate who knows something about the whole episode.

The usual good photography, especially for the outdoor settings on the moors and a nice performance by PETER BARKWORTH as the owner of Silver Blaze.

A horse has disappeared. Not just any horse, one of the top thoroughbreds in the nation. How do you hide a horse and why would someone horsenap one that would be easily recognized by anyone in the business. The story involves a series of clues that lead to the arrest of a man who is the only convenient suspect. Holmes, who some experts thinks is a compulsive gambler (just speculation, of course), never takes anything for granted. The thing gets really far fetched at the end. That is to say that there seems to be little oversight in the racing business. Still, it is a new locale and a subject important to the people of England and the British Isles.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson head out to horse training stables in the country, hired by wealthy horse owner Colonel Ross. His trainer has been murdered and his prize racehorse Silver Blaze has disappeared just days before the prestigious Wessex Cup.

An intriguing episode of Sherlock Holmes with a fairly original setting of country stables. A reasonably clever and watertight plot, complete with very good twists in terms of both crimes involved. A good ending too that closes off the story well.

As always, Jeremy Brett is in great form as Sherlock Holmes and Edward Hardwicke lends solid support as Dr Watson.

Silver Blaze is a very clever mystery, it holds a fair amount of intrigue and has an excellent, unexpected conclusion. If I'm honest it's not one of my favourites, I definitely think the story benefits from being produced during a purple patch for the Granada show, having just put out The Devil's Foot, the show was very much on form. I feel the story is elevated by the superb production values, and the excellent performances, particularly from Peter Barkworth, a much missed, tremendous actor.

I like the story, I just prefer most of the others from The Return series. It's clever, well made, and definitely worth a watch. 7/10