Edward Hardwicke and Jeremy Brett were good friends in real life. When Brett left a medical institution after a stint of treatment for his Bipolar disorder, Hardwicke was the one to pick him up and take him to lunch. I think that friendship and practical sort of care really carries over onto the screen.
Congratulations for spotlighting Hardwicke's performance. Earlier portrayals often depicted Watson as stupid; you wondered why Sherlock even put up with him. Hardwicke played him as intelligent with a lot of common sense - a suitable partner for Holmes.
That's not quite true. You are referring to the Universal Watsons with Nigel Bruce. Those Universal movies are the only portrayals of Watson as not stupid, but kinda a bumbling curmudgeon. There was a reason why Universal did that.
@@coxmosia1 The Universal Holmes were B movies, and Watson was comic relief. To add a bit of lightness. It's odd that to me those Universal movies don't seem like B movies partly because Roy William Neill who directed the bulk was able to make them shine with limited time and budgets. If you get the DVD's David Stuart Davies has a commentary track on some movies in which explains the portrayal of Watson better. He is very informative.
I can't tell you how much these reviews for Sherlock Holmes mean to me. I caught the series on PBS in the late 1980s and feel in love with the performance, the production and style of the series.
So happy your Sherlock reactions have returned! I love Hardwicke’s take on Watson… it probably most closely matches my mental image when I’m reading the stories.
While Sherlock Holmes was already famous enough to resurrect the character, what I think makes the charavter legendary is the reveal that he had spent three years in disguise secretly traveling from one end of the British Empire to the other, hunting down each and every significant officer and expert in Moriarty's syndicate skilled enough to succeed the dead Professor. He wanted to make sure NO ONE remained to hurt those he cared for, or continue Moriarty's terrible ambitions beyond the grave.
4:29 😂 I think the BBC "Sherlock" series subverted this scene by having Watson angrily attack a person selling.... DVDs, only to realize that *wasn't* Holmes.
I grew up with Edward Hardwicke so he was always "my Watson" before I saw the episodes with Burke. Both of them bring something special to the role but I have a special affection for Hardwicke.
Yay, I'm glad this series is back! David Burke is my favorite Watson and I always miss him, but Edward Hardwicke does an excellent job as well. It must have have been a challenge stepping into the role, but he makes it his own, and the gap in the timeline caused by Holmes' supposed death helps too. Three years of grieving Holmes and some major changes in his own life help to account for differences of manner. About the inquest (courtroom) scene - Watson is testifying in his capacity as a medical expert. As such, he is asked for his expert opinion on medical questions only. He is not officially a firearms expert in the eyes of the court, so his opinion there has no legal weight even if he's right. One of Scotland Yard's firearms experts would be called to give information about the bullet and type of gun which would fire it. The judge comes off as obnoxious, but he's legally correct to stop Watson there and ask him to confine his testimony to his assigned area of expertise.
Welcome back Mia. I've really been looking forward to seeing your continued reaction to this series. 'The Final Problem' was the 1st time I saw Jeremy Brett as Holmes & the shock of the ending is a childhood tv memory. Edward Hardwicke had the challenge of finding different aspects of Dr Watson's character to play & he does it superbly (to take nothing away from David Burke's brilliant performance). It's a joy to watch the chemistry between the leads and I think Hardwicke leans more on reflection and compassionate restraining of Holmes, when required. When my father was sent to the Irish embassy in London, I had the chance to see these actors on stage for 'The Secret of Sherlock Holmes' at The Prince of Wales Theatre and it was wonderful.
If the producers knew the series was likely to continue after “The Final Problem” then they knew the next episode was going to be “The Empty House”. They would have shot the extra scenes on location at that time.
Hardwicke becomes more observational as Watson, whereas Burke was more of a partner. You will see a LOT fewer reaction shots of Hardwicke while Holmes is doing his thing. But it also means even more showcase for Brett, for better or worse. Hardwicke is good, but I ended up missing Burke myself...especially when we get to a couple of stories where Watson has to carry much of the story. Oh, if only Burke was in Hound of the Baskervilles!
Edward Hardwicke took a difficult role and made it sincerely real. I'm so looking forward to you watching "The Musgrave Ritual", "The Sign of Four" and (my absolute favourite) "The Devil's Foot". ❤Jeremy Brett ❤
I would also add Boscombe Valley Mystery. One thing I feel I still miss are the intros and outros for PBS's Mystery by Vincent Price and later Diana Rigg. I was lucky enough to find a playlist youtube of some of those for SH and other Mystery shows or detectives portrayed.
Hardwicke was also a great friend of David Burke and they had discussed a lot before he took up the role of Watson. The recap scenes with Hardwicke were filmed at the same time as The Final Problem and all three were in Switzerland together, which hugely helped the continuity
AT LAST! Glad to have your reactions to this show back. It's been a long wait. I thought you might be waiting the full three years that's meant to pass between episodes in the drama itself.
David Burke was terrific but it's Edward Hardwicke's Watson that I remember. There was something so iconic. Perhaps I also picked on the real friendship between Edward and Jeremy.
Edward Hardwicke is the son of Sir Cedric Hardwicke, also an actor, who spent much of latter part of his career in the USA and has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. He never renounced his British citizenship. He once said: "England is my wife, America my mistress. It is very good sometimes to get away from one's wife."
And here is Sir Cedric in a radio production playing....Sherlock Holmes! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bDItX2l35js.htmlsi=AxcIGUsiLrHFwnQQ
His father Cedric was in “The Ten Commandments” (playing Seti I), Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope”, and one of my personal favorites “The Winslow Boy” (1948 version), among many other films.
"Wow! Your movie reaction videos are absolutely fantastic! I am blown away by your insightful and entertaining commentary on each scene. Your deep analysis and keen observations really add a whole new layer of appreciation to the movies you react to. I always find myself eagerly waiting for your next video as you have such a unique ability to capture the essence of the film and engage your audience throughout. Your enthusiasm and passion for cinema shine through in every video, and it's truly a joy to watch you react and share your thoughts. Keep up the incredible work, as you are undoubtedly one of the best movie reactors out there!"
Great to see the return of Holmes - I never worked on the set (I tried to get work as an extra on this show but to no avail 😒) but I did get to walk the set as part of a studio tour - the attention to detail (such as the stock on view in the shops) was fascinating.
Was addicted to this series back in the day when it came out on PBS.. Mystery series, I think? Now I'll have to find your reaction to the first season😊 and trying to remember some of the other pbs series lost to time...periot and miss marple...mapp and lucia...american playhouse.. this old house...the original bill alexander...all the cooking shows...pbs was my treasure trove
Mia, give a chance to Agatha Christie's Poirot. You can start the series with "The Mysterious Affair at Styles (S03E01") when Captain Hastings renews his friendship with Poirot. You are going to love the chemistry of these two characters.
At the assizes they asked Watson to estimate the time of death, because at the time that's the best they could do was estimate the time of death in a general space of time. Now we have more precise methods of telling time of death, among other details. When the judge said to stick to the facts, he was talking about the facts of Watson's examination of the dead man as a doctor and stressed that it wasn't his responsibility to provide more details than existed in his sphere as a Medical Man. Investigators (like Holmes) were usually in charge of gathering the forensic facts of the case.
After your "Final Solution," vid I watched "Murder by Decree." 1979 continuously for two weeks. It was a Candian production directed by Bob Clark. He's the fellow who directed "A Christmas Story." Murder by Decree is very good. Christopher Plummer plays Holmes.
No doubt some production techniques stem from the '60s but these episodes were all filmed in the '80s and on into the '90s. Hardwick is the son of the prolific English actor Cedric Hardwicke who you may eventually spot in two Hitchcock films, "Suspicion" and "Rope".
Some say pushing the like button is a path to powers the Jedi consider unnatural. Such as the ability to subscribe and set notifications to all so you never miss new content.
Remember to watch the feature length films as well as the regular episodes. There were 5, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskavilles (can't remember spelling), The Master Blackmailer, The Last Vampire, The Eligible Bachelor. I'm unsure how you're watching this but I know on BritBox The Sign of Four is with the regular episodes but the others are separate. I would suggest checking the Wikipedia episode list to check their placement. Warning - The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskavilles (can't remember spelling) are in this season (The Return of Sherlock Holmes). Don't forget please.
So glad you are back with Holmes and Watson! I watched these stories when they were on PBS and I have them all on DVD. I can't say how many times I have watched them and they never get old, Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are so good together. David Burke left because he didn't want to be type casted. It is hard to choose which I like best. The reason Doyle killed off Holmes was because it was detracting from the rest of his writings. I have read all of his Holmes stories and read a lot of his other writings, he was a man with a remarkable imagination. The stories coming up are some of his best Sherlock Holmes. Enjoy the ride!
London pressured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to bring Holmes back. Doyle had intended to end the Sherlock Holmes cases. That's why he wrote The Final Problem. I am also very grateful Sherlock Holmes is back.
I can't wait until you see "the Master Blackmailer." It was one of the double-length episodes or feature films for the series. Don't want to spoil anything if you haven't seen it, but it's Sooo good!
I can’t imagine anyone KNEW they were going to come back and make some more episodes after “Final Problem” but it’s a sensible precaution to plan for any eventuality. They planned for all they were worth but had to cope with recasting Watson, which had to have annoyed some of the production staff a bit. For my money, “Empty House” is the weakest of this second clump of adaptations, mainly because the original story’s so thin, but from here on the episodes are exceptionally good for quite a while. 😊
I love Edward Hardwick's performance as Watson. He's actually my favorite Watson. Sure, I have some nostalgia for him because he's the first version of the character I encountered on TV when I discovered this series on PBS back in the late 80's. Beyond that, he does such a great job in the role that he deserves acclaim. His Watson is intelligent and resourceful, especially compared to the 1940's movie Watson (Nigel Bruce), who always came off as a complete idiot. Obviously Jeremy Brett continues to give a fabulous performance as Sherlock here.
Sir Conan Doyle got so much grief for killing of Holmes. People were walking around with black arm bands on...he was getting harassed in the street...much more... The Movie 'Without a Clue' kind of depicts a famous meeting between Doyle and the mall editor who published the stories where the argument could be heard down the hallway lol
i was wondering just the other day when you'd be going back to Sherlock Holmes! Thank you for granting my wish so soon. It's inevitable to compare various actors who take on the same role, especially in such quick succession as here. I like David Burke and Edward Hardwicke equally, and it's a tribute to Mr. Hardwicke that he was able to carry on the feel of the relationship developed by Mr. Burke without trying to be a carbon copy. Fun Fact: Edward Hardwicke is the son of Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who had a long film and television career in the United States. Sir Cedric appeared in such films as 'Around the World in 80 Days' (1956), 'Rope' (1948), and 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' (1940), as well as making a lot of television appearances on such shows as 'The Twilight Zone', 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', and 'The Ed Sullivan Show'.
I had a nice time watching this. Glad to see Mia in such a good fangirl mood. Seeing Sherlock and Watson return. Now I have one question. Is The Empty House the exact same story that sees Holmes' return in the literature?
@@MoviesWithMia Grear! Long time subscriber - been binge watching your reactions in this freezing weather. Your research into the film histories is appreciated. Also consider some of Dame Margaret Rutherford's films such as Murder at the Gallop. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p5zk9I8JSl4.htmlsi=XM8OCrSyVifFvER7 Dame is not her first name.it is a title given by the Queen of England.
After you get done watching this series, you should watch BBC Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It's a modern twist of the Sherlock Holmes stories. They change them a bit to keep you guessing even if you're familiar with the original SH stories.
I just found your channel a week ago and it's AMAZING! Please, you have to watch one of my favorite movies _"What a Way to Go."_ Don't look up who's in the cast if you don't have to, it's full of wonderful surprise, and is one of my favorite films because I love old movies and each relationship the main character has is like a genre/decade/era of film. It's marvelous, hilarious, sweet, and interesting to see these big actors both indulging in and going _against_ type.
Watson is a doctor who examined the body and can reliably speak on medical facts, not a firearms and ballistics expert. The scene was to show that Watson is still a bit off in the absence of his friend.
@ 2:25 you mentioned that Watson was carrying on Holmes work is not quite correct. Watson did his best to emulate hid friend but in this instance he was called to the crime scene as police doctor, not investigator. Like today's coroner in a sense.
