So, to cleanse my palate and clear my mind, I have been revisiting the excellent Granada Television series, with the excellent and amazing Jeremy Brett as Holmes. Before I saw this series, I thought no one could be a better Holmes than Basil Rathbone. But Jeremy Brett changed my mind. His portrayal is perfect in every way. He took Holmes to a whole new level, mostly because he did not shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of his character: he is a drug addict, he can be thoughtless and insensitive, he is moody often to the point of rudeness, and can be very condescending to those he feels are beneath him, which unfortunately sometimes includes Watson. But he can also be very loyal, has a very dark sense of humor and an irrepressible love for the dramatic.
Watson, it should be noted, is not played as a buffoon as in previous incarnations. He is shown to be an intelligent, perceptive man with genuine admiration and concern for the eccentric Holmes. (The only time Watson came close to punching Holmes in the face was when he admitted he was fully prepared to kick him all the way to Charing Cross because Holmes woke him up before dawn after keeping him up most of the night. I sympathize. Holmes would not have gotten off so easy if it were me. Blood would have been spilled on Baker Street, I can tell you.) But, as true friends often do, Watson chooses which battles he wants to fight. No matter what happens between them, I always feel the genuine love between the two.
When I first watched these shows in the 1980s and 90s, I saw them from an acting point of view, since that’s what I was into at the time. Since my current fixation is writing, I am now watching them from a writer’s perspective. I can appreciate now how well-written these stories are, and what a challenge it must be to adapt them for the screen. The screenwriter must decide what to keep, what to change and what to leave out. Some things must go to make the story flow cleanly and clearly, especially for those who have not read the stories. How do you do it??? How you know what to axe and what to keep??? It must keep them up nights.
These writers did make some pretty serious cuts. Holmes actually does kick his drug habit during the run of the series, and they dropped Watson's marriage entirely. This last cut, in particular, probably made a few people mad, but I really do think it streamlines the stories better for television. Watson's wife would only have gotten in the way. Leaving her out allows the writers to keep the focus on the relationship between Holmes and Watson, and that is what makes these episodes, and the original stories, so intriguing. So I guess I'm in favor of messing-with so long as it's done for good reasons.
I would like to try this someday. I think I would be a better screenwriter than a novelist, since I prefer writing dialogue over narrative. Maybe I could team up with someone who likes to write narrative. Except I’m too much of a control freak for that. I also really like exploring the interactions between characters, and I love to watch their relationships grow and change over time, just as they do in the real world. When I was younger, I was criticized for thinking of my characters as real people, but you have to. They have to come alive whether you’re writing about them or playing them as an actor. They must live and breathe, you must know everything about them. That’s the only way they will be interesting. The devil’s in the details, as my acting teacher used to say.
But, I don't think she meant EVERY detail. I seem to have developed an unhealthy fascination for this crocheted blanket Holmes is wearing. I’ve tracked it through two episodes, now. I could totally make that…
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