Maybe Hardwicke was a so-so Watson but to Brett in real life he was a saint.... Brett lost the love of his life after 9 years of marriage ---Caused him to completely breakdown --it was Hardwicke that come to his aid and did all he could to gently bring him back into day-to-day life......One truly, gentle man considered by Brett to be 'a best friend and best human being'.....They remained friends until Brett's death at 61.
Every little detail of this series is just spectacular. In this episode: the sets look well lived in, down to the pill boxes in Trevelyan's first consulting rooms, his blank sheet of paper on his desk, indicating a complete lack of patients, reading for something to do, the well stocked but small book shelf, not to mention, the fingerless gloves and ugly old shawl and huddling round a small heater due to the extreme cold and his lack of ability to rent a room with a fireplace and chimney, all reeking of an earnest, aspirational, educated yet poor man. The casting is superb. They went to so much effort to make sure every part in this series, however big or small, was portrayed by an excellent actor or actress. The criminal Cartwright (Charles Cork) who shouts "Sutton! You're dead, Sutton!" has very few scenes and little time on screen beyond that very brief line, yet screams it with real, raw, sheer terror, as Cartwright knows he's going to hang. The policeman/ detective (Norman Mills, I believe) who replies "Don't worry, Mr. Sutton. It's a hanging case now," as in, he can't come back and hurt you after being put to death, again, his is such a small part, but sounds both reassuring and (in hindsight) needlessly certain, perhaps even smugly complacent. The page Fenton's (David Squire) apparently inept lack of knowledge of the "Russian nobleman and his son"'s whereabouts, then his nerves on being complicit during the aiding and abetting, along with the terrified screams, then sobbing, of the maid (Lucy Anne Wilson) who discovers the hanged Blessington/ Sutton, are also worthy of mention and commendation, not forgetting the small but convincing portrayals of the nobleman (Tim Barlow) and son (Brett Forrest), seemingly sympathetic and politely earnest at first, their fake Russian accents not at all grating or comically bad, yet switching to the stern and mocking and dark, along with their colleague, at the conference leading to the hanging of their old "colleague". The three "pallbearers" with faces covered in black, and the hanged criminal beckoning Sutton, with his sinister smile, the pale face of the corpse of Sutton as he looks on at himself in his coffin filled with "blood money", all are very nice touches indeed. Credits too to (in order of appearance) the carpenter (Dusty Young), confident and relaxed, Mrs. Hudson (Rosalie Williams), as ever, variously charming, lovely and kindly, with the twist at her being appalled at the sheer mess! It is very difficult to make much of of short scenes involving being dismissed from a room, and another that is a snatched conversation with someone in a hurry who doesn't want to stick around, but Williams manages, none the less! The Inspector (John Ringham), has clear chemistry with Holmes and Watson, charming, confident, professional, interested, and interesting. However small, every part was very well cast, and very well acted, and the props and costumes and make up and lighting all leant so very well to the entire effect, to making this one of the most popular Holmes portrayals still today, nearly forty years after these episodes were made. Therefore the entire writing and production team, casting, set, costumes, props, lighting, camera angles, editing, the cast and more besides, anyone I've left out, who worked so well together to make this seemingly so seamless, deserve huge praise and attention and commendations. Nicholas Clay as Doctor Trevelyan is quietly confident and self assured in his abilities but with that very English sense of slight embarrassment when talking about them clearly evident: his tone is spot on talking about the limited sales of his publication, admitting to the want of funds, plus his, on the one hand, snapping at his benefactor for his outrageous conduct, finding a gun aimed at him in their own house, yet showing a pathos and genuinely kind sympathy faced with his male resident patient's weeping, despite the very conservative attitudes of the time, regarding the showing of emotion, particularly between males. Patrick Newell as Sutton/ Blessington deserves so much credit for this performance. His is perhaps the best thing about the episode, meaning I return to it time and again (but, as I say, brilliantly supported equally by every single member of the cast, however large or small the part). The sheer dread and terror in his eyes, so suddenly so alert and threatful and fearful, so quickly and expertly switched from his calm, confident, self assured lies about speculations or a lack of trust in banks, his returns from the routine, mundane walks, banal, bland, yet happy, switching suddenly to fearing for his own skin. His physically shaking and the sudden tears in his eyes, then the freezing in sheer panic at the conference to decide his fate, are so very natural, so difficult to portray, and expertly done. His portrayal really is the making of this piece. No doubt it was also extremely difficult to play his own corpse, unmoving, appearing not to breath, whether in the coffin at the start (many actors would have refused/ objected strongly/ been greatly distressed on being asked to get into a coffin, so confined and sinister a space), or after being "hanged" at the end. So much has been said already elsewhere about the portrayal of Holmes and Watson by Brett and Burke, so I'll keep that brief, for anyone reading who hopes to get to the end of an already very long comment indeed: brilliant chemistry, very fun, two very close men clearly so comfortable in one another's company, both as characters and real life people: the whistling, variously in delight and surprise, and giggling, by Brett; the complacency at his reasoned deduction, then disappointment at being completely wrong, then "HA!", by Burke on Brett's conceding that there is, in fact, some truth in his deduction about Holme's being annoyed at being turfed out at the flat. The genuinely warm smiles by both. All that is all so very natural and relaxed and convincing and utterly, utterly believable that they are, in fact, really and truly Holmes and Watson. No wonder why David's shoes were so very big to fill for Edward, and why so many have been so tough in their scrutiny and assessment of his portrayal of Watson. He wasn't in this of course, so this isn't the right place to comment on his own acting abilities and chemistry with Brett, but I do note, for the attention of his many critics, that the production team frequently called Edward Hardwicke "David" when giving stage directions, notes and more, so evidently they felt he was getting it right, and that is clearly indicative that the cast and crew felt he was getting it right (and what more can an actor do than his very best, and what his director wants of him? You can't please everyone all of the time, I suppose...) But I digress. All very nuanced, very clever, very well done. Excellently, in fact. This episode in particular, and every series of the programme as a whole. Many thanks too to HardBoiledDetective for making these available for those of us who can't watch the show elsewhere. The reason for this very long review is that I have friends in the acting profession who occasionally watch their performances on RU-vid (people do film in the theatre for better or worse and put videos up that people comment on), and they read the comments about their performances, and no doubt actors do that who work in television too, as well as people involved in the wider production who are not themselves filmed, as well as their friends and family. So I left this in case anyone who was in the cast of this episode, or the fantastic series in general, or who was involved in putting it together in any way, or a relative or friend of someone who worked on it, equally proud of their involvement in it, might be reading the comments, to remember their own time working on the show, or perhaps to remember a friend or relative who loved working on it, and spoke so fondly of it, who is no longer with us (since, sadly, so many of the cast and crew have since passed away, since the 80s). Thanks so much again everyone for all your hard work on what is perhaps the greatest ever attempt at bringing Sherlock Holmes to life: the hard work and authenticity at making Conan Doyle's world real will perhaps never again be attempted, never mind matched if it is. I can't thank you all enough for so many hours of sheer delight, captured attention, of being moved by the cruelty and depths of depravity on the one hand, and the tremendous capacity for good and justice, and all the complexities of life and human nature of the very worst and best kinds, that are all so expertly shown here, where the vilest dens of the criminal underworld and underclasses, to paraphrase Conan Doyle, and the arms of the law, and justice, are played out, in so lifelike and natural a fashion here, the likes of which, as I say, will probably never again be attempted so accurately and earnestly and diligently, never mind achieved, if anyone should try, one day. Here's to the next forty years of people returning to this beloved series, and of those new to the Holmes stories being introduced in so expertly and authentically a fashion to Holmes and his friends and colleagues, and their world, through Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes. To the next forty years, and beyond! Thank you so much again, everyone, and all the very best. x
Thank you Lydia. For that fulsome and well deserved praise for this episode and the entire series . You will be saddened to hear that Nicholas Clay passed away in 2000 from liver cancer ? He had accomplished much in his career but , alas, we will never know what he might have given us in his later years.
@@2msvalkyrie529 Thank you ever so much for your thanks, I am terribly sorry to reply so late, your comment must have slipped through: I occasionally get messages by email or phone notification to say there is a RU-vid reply to one of my comments, only to see a chain of replies, but I only got the one notification about one, the latest one. That seems to have happened here, I just got one about Zarathustra's comment and find there are two others! Well thanks ever so much for taking the time to read my thoughts. And what a very great pity about Nicholas Clay. Such a very excellent character actor, a RADA man, who worked with Olivier on several productions at the Old Vic. He was also in The Hound of the Baskervilles, with Ian Richardson's Holmes, and did a number of Agatha Christie productions. Such a brief summary on my part of so sterling a career does insufficient service to the man and his memory I'm sure! There is so much more that could and should be said. I am sure his would have been a most excellent Lear. But, as you say, alas we shall never see him as a performer in later years, the more's the pity. Patrick Newell also very sadly died too young, of a heart attack in his 50s: reportedly he complained that he had felt pressured to deliberately gain weight for work, and that he didn't get work if he ever lost weight, a very very sad state of affairs indeed, since he only seemed to get the comic inept stereotypically overweight characters, a silly fat man or rich evil villain type character. As well as fortunately getting the recognition he thoroughly deserved at the time from this episode as Sutton, Patrick Newell also famously played Inspector Lestrade opposite Geoffrey Whitehead's Sherlock Holmes (Whitehead being another truly excellent actor, particularly of the stereotypically evil variety! Have you heard him in Bleak Expectations, opposite Anthony Head, or ocasionally Old Harry's Game, opposite Andy Hamilton?) The good die young, so they say, but we're are all extraordinarily lucky to be able to remember them by their most exceptionally excellent recorded performances. Certainly without the Granada series being on RU-vid I would never have been able to discover and enjoy it in my 20s. Thanks very much again and all the very best to you
Appointment viewing when I was little. My parents would organise the evening around each episode every week. And being literary types, they'd encourage us (my siblings and me) to read the story before we watched the episode. A decent challenge for a 12 year-old!
Been wanting to see this & just now found it in 2021 & it was here in 2011; that's what makes *RU-vid* so much fun. This is in 4 parts back to back totaling about 54 minutes ...TY *HardBoiledDetective* 🕵️♂️
How times and attitudes change in strange ways. We're more open and liberal but two guys who aren't gay walking down the street with arms linked would get odd looks.
Wonderful work. It's definitely something that takes me to Alfred Hitchcock Vincent Price and Peter Lore. Norris Carloff and other's. I watched all of them last Halloween. 😁
Burke Is the best Watson followed by jude law. He was funny n an interesting charecter. Hardwicke, the Watson after season two was old n didn't have that comedic timing of Burke. Worst one has to be bilbo baggins guy, forgot his name, the Watson where benedict cumberbatch is holmes. He simply does not look like a soldier n a doctor but merely a guy with no detective skills. Only recluse is that he had some comedic skills.
I think I know where they were going with casting Martin Freeman as Watson opposite Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes. He was very much flavour of the month at that point too plus he's part of tbst same kind of fraternity along with Mark Gatis .
Wait a sec! What sorcery is this! In the barber shop scene, Holmes is wearing a grey/brownish coat. He's wearing it right up to when he opens the door--how is he wearing a black coat now in the living room scene?!
No, there wasn't. The Sherlock Holmes stories are set between 1880 and 1914. Most of the cases relate to the 1880s and 1890s. A few were set from 1900 onwards. Conan Doyle mostly dated his cases at the time of writing, or a few years before, and died in 1930, and was interested in other projects in the latter years of his life (e.g. The Lost World, 1912, the basis for the later dinosaur film franchise, and later books featuring the character introduced in The Lost World, Professor Challenger).
@@youcanlearnalotfromlydia I can remember our tiny cottage getting electric when I was around 8 years old , up till then I was lifted up onto and marble topped table in the scullery to put a new filament on the gas light, in the living room I was hoisted onto the dining table, the front room was the forbidden zone, I was only allowed to walk through it from the front door, or my old man would hoist me on his shoulders to change the gas light filament. No lighting at all upstairs till we had leccy put on. Must have been around 1958.
