My favorite quote from his diaries: "I fell into the Arctic Ocean three times today, but luckily someone was always near to pull me out". He continues: "The danger in falling in is that with a heavy swell on as there is now, you may be cut in two pretty well by two pieces of ice coming together and nipping you."
God! This is wonderful. I loved the Sherlock Holmes stories--all 60 of them. This like peering into another time. It's like a film of Shakespeare or Ben Franklin. Marvelous!
I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan from when I was little and my grandfather gave me the collected stories. I'm reading a Doyle biography at the moment, so this is neat to actually hear the man. Like many, I found his descent into spiritualism sad, but when taken in the context of his life, it says a lot about him as a person. Many thanks for posting this video!
Wonderful footage, thank you for sharing, really interests me as i am reading The History of Spiritualism by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at the moment, its so great to see and hear the great man in person :)
He's a genius. Sherlock Holmes was so different, and unique, and original. I wish I could create characters like that. It's interesting to hear Doyle's stories really as a writer.
@tomaroony Totally agree with you there. I'd never seen an interview with Conan Doyle or was even aware that any existed, so it was heartening to observe such a warm spirit in this clip.
Possibly he was thinking of Watson's intellect compared to Holmes, and how Holmes always got great amusement from Watson's confusion or failing to see things as Holmes did. Really not stupid, just about like the rest of us would be.
Some background on this movie - it was shot in October 1928, for Movietone News in his garden at his Windlesham estate with his Irish terrier, Paddy. [Source: "The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle" by Russell Miller, 2008, Thomas Dunne Books, imprint of St. Martin's Press; ISBN-13: 978-1-61523-180-5]
Och! Man's scottish is really showing here. I love it. Would have been very interesting to sit down and talk to him about all sorts of matters. I find it fasinating that someone who is educated man of science matters was so into Spiritualism. Where's a time machine when ya need it?
Thank you sooooo much for uploading this video. It's marvelous. I've been a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle since I was 10 and this video really put life into my vivid imagination about this great man. Thanks again.
what an amazing inteligent man with great indepth knowledge and passion and love of this world,may god bless him,let the world share in his insight and books and be inlightenedxso let it begnxthe belief in the afterlife and lost and hidden worlds with anient wariors and great detetives what more could a man with a great mind imagine ,wow,i think his one of the greats in mankindxwhos like him today.
Whatever your views on spiritualism, he comes across as immensely warm and the epitome of the kindly grandfather figure. Whilst he expounds his views firmly, it's done in such a gentle way. First name on my "fantasy dinner guests" list - yes, even before Oscar.
According to the 'net, the Light article was published in 1887, and he says that was '41 ears ago', so the tape dates to 1928. That fits with his saying he's doing a voice test, talkies having been fully launched in '27. And not any old birthday - he was 150 yesterday. Thanks as ever for the tape.
This man gave the world such a treasure trove of literature. Words fail me in describing the joy of the years of reading and rereading his works. When he describes Dr. Watson as "rather stupid" I think he may be being a little humorous the way he often was in the stories and maybe he is alluding to himself when he was a young student as the "Dr. Watson" to his mentor Dr. Joseph Bell.
I always risk hallucination. I've read a wide variety of authors, and my favorite is still Lewis Carroll, but this man might very well surpass them all. Never have I seen anyone who could develop both plot and character so well. Doyle is a born storyteller. It's really no surprise that letters are addressed to Holmes instead of Doyle. That's a testimony to the power of his character development.
He was from Scotland, so it's probably a combination of a Scottish accent with the "proper" way a Victorian era gentleman was expected to speak. He was very much a man of the Victorian era.
Ah, now this is fascinating. ACD got into writing Sherlock Holmes in precisely the same way as JRR Tolkien got into writing fantasy - a frustration and an irritation with the writers around him. Neither felt that their predecessors or contemporaries really took the writing seriously. ACD clearly wanted to strive for perfection where the other detective story writers strove for adequate. In all important respects, I'd say he achieved that.
so impossibly brilliant, but i nearly fell out of my chair when he referred to watson as holmes' "rather stupid friend" -- watson is undoubtedly not stupid. he keeps up with holmes far better than most of us could, i think. odd that conan doyle would think of him that way
I'm related to the old lad on me ma's side she's a Doyle too. His ancestral home is just over a mile from where i live in south Wexford Ireland ,it was just a stone and mud cabin.His parents emigrated during the famine to Scotland. Fuck I never saw his face before and I can see fair bit of a resemblance to me ma's da .
Spiritualist believers included Mrs. Sarah Winchester of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA, Flora Wellman London the mother of writer Jack London, and Mae West, the actress.
I believe he was a non-smoker; but in those days a life expectancy of 71 was quite usual for men. Don't forget that since 1950 life expectancy has increased by around 2 years for every decade due to the progress in medecin and medical treatment.
JPLOWMAN2 "How could a mexican fast food chain have any relation to an english scientist?" Dr. Joseph Bell was Scottish, as was Arthur Conan Doyle, not English.
@KingKengu Well, the interview's not medium or well-done, so that only leaves rare. :) Seriously, I take it to mean less the availability and more the number of distinct video clips that exist.
This video was on Jul 4, 2008 and Only 52,193 viewers and Stupid LadyGga has more than 10 million viewers in one week! too much ignorance in this world....
@njcurmudgeon Why do you consider spiritualism a descent and sad? He did not consider it so. It was the most important thing in his life. He was in touch with the infinite.
@k0smon Good for you. I don't see how that proves anything, though, since famous people can be just as wrong as unknown people. You're not gonna convince me and I'm not gonna convince you. Enjoy the videos and have a nice life. Or afterlife, as the case may be.
