Watching the last few years of the series is difficult. The man was so ill and he would not back down. Consummate professional to the end. He left us with 41 beautiful episodes. May his memory be a blessing.
Agree…and sometimes you can really see the face makeup that makes him look very pale…I think they could have given him a bit more color sometimes…but this pale look was even before I think he was more seriously ill and had gained weight all over…even in his face…that likely came from some of the meds he was taking.
A lovely man, my uncle georgie, very down to earth Glasgowian worked at the rehearsal rooms of Granada, and got to know him, and when he told Jeremy about the death of his dog, and that he was thinking of getting another dog a few days later Jeremy left a letter with a cheque in it for him, my uncle brought a boxer dog, and was a much loved dog for many years. A very kind and thoughtful man, and the best Shelock Holmes
Having read Conan Doyle's SH adventures in the late 70's, like anyone I formed in my mind what Holmes looked like & his mannerisms. I had of course seen Rathbone and many others play Holmes. They were mostly very good. When I watched the first The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett, I was floored. This guy was almost exactly what I had imagined him to act & even sound like. Too bad we lost him so soon.
Not only that, but they gave us such a good Watson to go with the Holmes. Whether you preferred Burke of Hardwick, the writing and characterization of Watson was miles better than what had become standard. I always say, with all due respect to Rathbone, his movies (and some of the others from that period) did Watson an injustice.
He is more than Holmes. He is so good in all his other roles. Lets not pigeon hole him to just Holmes. Doing so is not respecting his wide repertoire of different roles.
He only wore the deerstalker when in the country. He fought with Granada when he read the scripts that this was not Conan Doyle's work at all. He threatened to leave the 6th series if the producers did not stick rigidly to Conan Doyle's dialogue. Douglas Wilmer, in the 60s, insisted on originality, and both had the stories with them. Jeremy was the greatest Holmes ever. He always will be. David Burke and Edward Hardwick were the finest Watsons; Charles Gray the finest Mycroft; Colin Jeavons, the finest Lestrade and Eric Porter, the darkest and most dangerous Moriarty. He looked like him from the Sidney Paget drawings. It is still my favourite drama series. The modern Sherlock leaves me cold. Thank you Jeremy for demanding on Sir Arthur's dialogue. With such high production values every film is a masterpiece. I saw a clip of Douglas Wilmer as Holmes. He plays him as a very dark character.
Those of us who live in Iran, of course 30 years of age and older, remember this amazing series with the extraordinary dubbing of an amazing generation of Persian dubbers. You wouldn't believe it but these dubbers transformed everything about these series and the characters. Now that I watch Holmes in English, I understand what an amazing job they have done. I wish the world could know these guys, esp now, that most of them have passed away. They were true artists and masters of their craft.
A good friend of mine suggested that I watch Jeremy Brett's adaptation as Sherlock Holmes. He told me that it was as if Sherlock Holmes really once lived in the land of the living through the guise of this actor. I thought she was just joking me but I was proven wrong. Now, there is no other Sherlock Holmes for me except Jeremy Brett.
He had manic depression or bipolar as it is called today. He somehow used that creative genius element of his illness to funnel into his character. He was outspoken and accepting about his mental illness. As such many people helped and supported him through it. I think while it caused him pain and difficulty, it lifted his performances to a height we may never see again with this particular screen character. I don't say that lightly. Usually bipolar disorder doesn't allow for such productivity. Just think of Charlie Sheen and his illness.
I've watched the entire series of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes along with the wonderful Edward Hardwicke several times and every time it's a total pleasure. It absolutely broke my heart to see Jeremy's health fail, he was an incredible actor and hands down the best Sherlock Holmes ever on stage and screen. Jeremy embodied the heart and soul of Sherlock Holmes as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had intended the character to be. A little part of me died when Jeremy passed away, I'll love the man until the end of my days. Rest well Jeremy and Edward, you are loved by millions. God has you now.
Hello. I am from Iran. I love Sherlock Holmes and Jeremy Brett. I think he's the best Sherlock Holmes in history. In Iran, the late "Bahram Zand" spoke instead of Jeremy Brett and left one of the best dubs. Unfortunately, he left the world a year ago. In Iran, Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett is one of the most enduring serials.
God bless you! Yes, you are right... I agree! Brett gave life to the great stories I used to love to read so long ago. It is nice to think that there is even someone in exotic Iran who has been touched by Sir A.C-D.’s tales of the imagination.
I can't believe there will ever be any better, Rathbone was brilliant too, but being an absolute fan of Holmes and having read everything and watched Rathbone many times over by the time Granada in casting Jeremy Brett has defined who Holmes was even more than the Novels, he was just brilliant
@@bbkingwasthegreatest711 Jeremy did say that the stories are best heard on the radio and, better still, read. However, Jeremy, David and Edward just lifted the stories off the page. I heard Sir Colin Davis conduct an absolutely thrilling Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4. He just lifted the music off if the score and created something quite remarkable. Great actors do the same. Jeremy was a great actor with that ability. The most powerful scene was when Professor Moriarty, portrayed by the great Eric Porter, walked into Holmes study to persuade him to back down. The scene just crackled with tension. Eric Porter looked so powerful and dangerous.
There are times in my life when I have witnessed perfection in different fields of the arts and literature. In the art of acting, Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, is as if the cosmos aligned by God's own hand to bring this actor to play Sherlock Holmes. His performances while filming the series are perfection. I remain awestruck by them, PERFECTION !
agree with you 100%. I had thought that Basil Rathbone was the best, growing up in the 1940's. but Jeremy brett played the roll even better. Too bad he passed on too soon. I am still enjoying his episodes greatly.
No doubt. Brett was the definitive Great Detective, and the two Watsons a rescue of the character from the bumbling idiot Doyle's doctor never was. Basil Rathbone and Peter Cushing (sadly, many of Peter's TV episodes as SH are gone) were also superb Holmeses.
I remember as a boy watching him in the Granada series. He was just brilliant - its the only word for him. A very striking and distinctive looking man, he was also a very fine actor... loved him back then and still do....
@@peterknutsen3070 Really? I mean, Ustinov, such a versatile actor I can still understand, but, Branagh? Even the moustache seems so far-fetched. Suchet is the definitive Poirot.
I. Am British and I loved Sherlock Holmes I have seen every movie and every season . Jeremy Brett was by far the best actor for Sherlock Holmes. It is sad 😢😢 he died at 61 as that's not a very old age.
I remember when the Granada versions were not yet out -- the anticipation was immense, because they had been advertised as being as faithful as they could possibly be made, and most especially, that they would offer a good, smart, competent Watson instead of the bumbling dolt that most people were familiar with. Brett's Holmes and Burke's Watson struck like a meteor, and that the stories used as much of Doyle's smart, agile dialogue as possible was the icing on the cake. It's tragic that we didn't see a hale, hearty Brett in "Baskervilles."
I really wish the story _the Adventure of the Retired Colourman_ made with Jeremy. It one good simple Sherlock Holmes story that didn't come to life because of Jeremy's death! Love from India, our country's beloved detective, in my home state Kerala, Sherlock Holmes books is still the best seller
It's such a shame that Granada didn't manage to begin making the series a few years earlier. Then Jeremy's Holmes could have been at his absolute best throughout.
There is only one Sherlock Holmes. I remember my dad showing me this when I was about 6 years old and since then I always go back and watch his amazing portrayal of Sherlock. You couldn’t get a better figure than Jermey.
Granada’s Sherlock was just sumptuous in every way. Just watching it made me feel like I stepped back through time. Truly Brett was fantastic. Such a lovely man.
I'd love to get the entire boxed set on DVD... Has it been digitally enhanced for better audio and visual clarity? That would make it even better. Of course it would only be available in 4:3 ratio, not widescreen.
Was privileged enough to have watched him play Holmes on the stage in London. He was transfixing... He lived somehow as if he knew he was to die, tragically, as Holmes.... Jeremy Brett was the actor to play Holmes - it was a thing of destiny, it seems. The recent ones are sheer crud in comparison.
Just began watching this wonderful program. Jeremy Brett was an exceptional actor who embodied the character of Sherlock so completely. The other cast were great too…especially both Dr. Watson’s. I guess I didn’t watch much public TV during the 10 year period it was on PBS. I was in my mid 20s to mid 30s then. My mom watched public TV a lot, but I don’t recall her mentioning this one, and can’t imagine why, if she didn’t, since she loved mysteries and classic author’s works a lot too. I had previously been watching the also great Sherlock Holmes movies of the 40s starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (so funny…and yes, he was bumbling.) I feel so fortunate to have discovered this gem that I never really knew existed.❤
Jeremy Brett was fantastic as Holmes. He showed all the aspects.. the violin, the addiction, the genius, the mechanics of the genius and boredom that it brought Holmes if it wasn't used..I think it was A&E that was re-airing the Holmes series when I first started watching, and I couldn't wait for the next one to air. It actually led me to other British mysteries such as Suchet as Poirot, and Coldtrane in Cracker, and so many others. Rest in peace, Jeremy.
This magnificent man was the absolute quintessential embodiment of this larger than life character- not to be typecast but rather destined to portray such an influential figure. A truly gifted performer and warm compassionate person who, quite frankly was under recognized for his talents until long after his passing. BC & RDJ are great modern takes, Basil always gets all the credit, but Mr. Brett is always who I imagined in these stories, having stayed so true to the source, the shows never fail to entertain me to this day. However being a marvel fan I always get a chuckle seeing RDJ & BC especially together as they’ve both successfully held this mantle knowing full well they’ll never match up to JB’s talents. Now just imagine 1985 JB as Dr. Strange- that’s another (what if scenario) perfect fit imho..
I never saw this series until a few years ago during the covid lockdown times. It was a great escape from the huge news bummers of the day. I never read any Doyle stories and had only watched a couple Rathbone films along with a Hammer version of Baskerville with Cushing and Lee. The Granada / Brett series really was an amazing journey. The "Adventures" and "Return' series were the best. It was sad to see Brett in the final run realizing his health was fading. But because of this I was introduced to the world of Holmes and better off for it.
I have always been a hardcore Sherlock Holmes Fan. I have all of the written works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle along with the original sketches from the Strand Magazine. I thought Bazil Rathbone was as close as we would come to the character Sherlock Holmes until...Jeremy Brett. I will say this with tears in my eyes, there will never be the likes of such a man again. If ever there was a reincarnation of a fictional character into a real-life person, Jeremy Brett was the first, only, and last man to ever do it. I have the entire video collection from Granada of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and it is one of my most prized collections. Needless to say, I was devastated on learning of his passing September 12, 1995 at age 61. He left us way too early.
For me, Jeremy Brett is the only Sherlock Holmes. No others come close. It was a good time for television. Definitive programs can be made by staying to the story, and not having personal poetic license, creating events for popularity, and greater profitability choices hold rein. Changing biographical facts, and creating fictitious events in a biography to make it interesting are especially disgusting.
lionheart11381 Hardwick was great. More the serious somewhat cynical Watson. More his own man. The other one seem like a clown; and somewhat entirely in Holmes shadow.
@2:51 during the Wogan interview clip, he just *manifests* Sherlock . It is the wildest thing to watch. Suddenly .....Holmes is just *there* as if being summoned. I don't think that if I live to be a hundred, I will ever see a finer Sherlock. You are missed beyond measure, Mr. Brett. ❤
JB said for a long time that he would not have crossed the street to meet Holmes. Then he realized with a shock Holmes would not cross the street to meet him.
Granada Television had such a great vision about restoring the canonicity of Sherlock Holmes - up to their last season or two, in which they changed stories to an almost unrecognisable degree, and picked worse choices to dramatise while leaving out better. It was tragic in a way.
OrchestrationOnline. It was Jeremy Brett who insisted on sticking to the canon and he fought with Granada over and over again to get them to stick to the canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I heard him say this in an interview on NPR Radio. Check it out here. www.sffaudio.com/jeremy-brett-npr-interview/
