At 2:30am on the 30th of May I was still up and, it turns out, it was a good thing because I got to hear the news when those of us on this side of the Atlantic who cared where either tucked away in bed or maybe starting their day.
A cause that had become important to me a couple of years ago--the preservation of Conan Doyle's residence Undershaw, came to a head last week with a judicial review in London's Royal Courts of Justice. On April 23 the Undershaw Preservation Trust (UPT), an organization dedicated to preserving the building, went to court to oppose a decision that would grant permission for the property to be split up into nine separate homes. The Trust was backed and supported by a global campaign of people from around the world who did not want to see the author's home destroyed for future generations. After a day in court, the judges took the opportunity to delay the decision. The judgement could have taken as long as two months, but a week later a judgement was announced that planning permission 'must be quashed' because of 'legal flaws' during the process.
John Gibson, a Conan Doyle scholar who helped found UPT, reacted to the news by saying that it had been a long and difficult battle, but he was thrilled with the decision to 'quash planning permission to redevelop the property'.
He also said, " Conan Doyle's life and works are a fundamental part of British culture and arguably their stock has never been higher. We have been absolutely delighted to see enthusiasts from across the world get in touch and pledge their support to our efforts."
What's next?
Now that the permission has been halted, what's next for the Trust and Undershaw? The Trust continues to work on preservation by submitting an application for an upgrade in status from grade II to grade I. What does that mean? According to the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport website, a grade II buildings are noted as 'special interest'. It means the building is 'protected against unauthorized demolition, altering or extension', which means if proper channels are taken then it allowed to be changed. Grade I is a building with 'exceptional interest' and could not be changed under any means. There are several criteria for each listing. Undershaw has been listed as grade II since 1977.
The ultimate goal for the property would be to see it preserved as a single building, and as a museum or centre for future generations. Claude Monet's home at Giverny outside Paris, France, and Horta's home in Brussels, Belgium, have been restored and converted into just such sites of cultural and historic information. Having visited Giverny myself and being an enthusiat, I would love to see Undershaw preserved and restored in such a fashion. I would pilgrim to England PDQ to experience the place where Conan Doyle worked, lived and wrote and resurrected perhaps his most (in)famous creation, Sherlock Holmes. I am happy to have done what I could do (and will continue) for this worthy cause. Yay, Yay, Yay!
My Introduction to Sir Arthur C. Doyle:
It was exciting to get this particular book in the mail. I had a feeling I would enjoy it since my ever-growing Sherlockian tendencies find me reading (even re-reading) most of the canon stories over the last few years. It did not disappoint.
My first foray into learning more about the creator of Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is through Alistair Duncan's excellent book An Entirely New Country: Arthur Conan Doyle, Undershaw, and the Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes. Duncan's book, which focuses on the ten-year period Conan Doyle spent at his home Undershaw in Hindhead, Surrey, England, develops a tantalizing timeline of events in Conan Doyle's life in and around Undershaw that shows not only the author, but a potential politician, avid sportsman, and family man. The years between 1897 and 1907 spent at Undershaw, we learn via Duncan, were full of activity for both Sherlock Holmes and his creator.
As a reader of Holmes, the most insightful years on the timeline is the year of 1901 and the beginnings of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Much like today, the phenomena that is Sherlock Holmes continued even after his "death". The background and ultimate reaction to possibly the most famous adventure was so interesting that I found myself jotting little reactions and notations in the margins. And it seemed that even more than 100 years later, I was finding similarities between our 21st and early 20th century societies making my read even more extraordinary. Sherlock's eventual return soon followed in 1903 and '04, which are surely sections of equal interest to Holmes readers.
Leaving 1907 and returning to 2012 left me wanting to learn more about Sir Arthur and the times that he lived. A recommended read for any fan of Sherlock Holmes, whether one is a recent or longtime fan. The final pages of the book show Undershaw in its current state: a rather sad and dilapidated shell of what it once was. Today, it is in danger of being torn down and rebuilt into townhouses. For the past couple years, there has been a great effort to spread the word across England (and the world) in order to save the home. Duncan's book is part of that effort with proceeds from the book going towards the cause.
The Cause: Saving Undershaw-the ten-year residence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Undershaw during Conan Doyle's tenure.
This picture can be found in the book.
One of the things I love about England (and Europe in general) is history. There is so much to absorb and to imagine. You could be standing in a street, cathedral/church, house, or sometimes even a pub and be in the midst of history. Literary history is no exception. London is filled with Dickens. Bath has Jane Austen connections. Undershaw should be part of that literary history.
Noteworthy information :
The first design drafts of Undershaw were done by Conan Doyle.
Apart from the house of Thomas Hardy, Undershaw is the only literary house in England that can claim the resident's input in its design.
Conan Doyle came up with the name of Undershaw for his new home.
Undershaw was used a small hotel and restaurant for almost 70 years, where it was visited by many Doyle and Holmes enthusiasts.
The state of Undershaw today: broken and boarded.
Much has been done to raise awareness over the past couple years. The Undershaw Preservation Trust was formed and is working hard to fight the plans for development. Awareness efforts have increased as the date for judicial review gets closer. Fans and enthusiasts from all over the world are now doing what they can to save the site such as taking photos from various sites all over the world with a message to "Save Undershaw". In London, local Sherlock fans gathered in Trafalgar Square to inform locals and tourists about the state of Undershaw with great success.
Despite all the efforts there still can be much more to help save this historic, literary site. Please visit the Undershaw Preservation Trust website for more information on the Trust and Undershaw itself.
I have done it. I've experienced my first midnight showing in a movie theatre and, with the help of tea at around 10pm to keep me from yawning, I made it through a first showing of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The members of the fairly large, young audience was my first clue to what ended up being a night easily described as indifference, at best. In the first film, I arrived not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed myself! This time, I knew what to expect and it was delivered...maybe even overdone.
Varying portrayals or interpretations of Holmes and Watson are numerous. With the recent 21st Century resurgence, the Baker Street boys have once again become part of our lives and the Warner Bros. film franchise has a lot to do with it. This particular version focuses on Holmes as the man of action. Guy Ritchie has Holmes (and Watson) get into more fights, hear more shots fired, have more things blow-up around them, and experience what seems like the type of mayhem that James Bond or even Batman and Robin would encounter. It was strange to see the great intellect of Holmes reduced to only a few lightening-quick moments.
RDJ's Holmes is an action-hero. Plain and simple. The movie-audience-member part of me enjoyed seeing an exciting, fun movie, but these days the Sherlockian part of me missed the Holmes I feel I know so well from Doyle's canon (and Cumberbatch's Sherlock, but that's another discussion). Sherlock Holmes, in this film, has lost the reflective intellect that make him a Victorian gentleman. In only two moments in more than two hours, the action man slowed down and became the man of thought. Holmes was a clean, well-dressed, Victorian gentleman, but this version is a complete opposite. The unkept, scruffy, almost un-hygenic appearance of this particular Holmes bothered me more this time around.
Jude Law's John Watson is a gleam of light in this darker, dirtier London. He perfectly retains Watson's loyalty and bafflement to his eccentric friend. Plus, he is able to take on the action just as much as this action-oriented Holmes. And, he looks his part. John manages to stay the soldier and doctor in manner and personality. Downey and Law do play the friendship well, and despite Watson's marriage, we still feel that the doctor will miss his friend and their adventures. Irene Adler was sadly disposed of quite quickly and Mycroft Holmes, "Sherly's" older brother, was played by the wonderful Stephen Fry. However, the elder Holmes fit into the scheme of things a bit awkwardly. I couldn't tell if he was the enigma from canon, or a comic relief element a la Nigel Bruce.
James Moriarty and Sebastian Moran, the baddies, played their part. As ominous and powerful as the great M is supposed to be, this one was almost underwhelming. Moran, M's Watson, was excellent as a baddie. Sebastian certainly showed his colors and turned out being far more interesting than the Big Bad. Combine that with the threat of war and Germans, it makes for an odd overall story.
There were a few clever references to canon, but on the whole Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is far from its roots. For those that like a good action movie, then they will not be disappointed. For this Sherlockian, the first turned out better than the sequel.
I can't remember, but I can imagine...gathering around a large, or small, box without pictures and listening only the sounds coming out of it. People telling the news, sharing stories: simply communicating. No, I can't remember the day when the radio was used for the primary form of information and entertainment. My grandparents, certainly. My parents, maybe. But, not me. I recall days without the internet, computers, and even remote controls, but my box always had a picture with it.
Radio, as I know it, has been a source of entertainment and communication, but always in a particular, even limited way. Various stations specializing in different music genres for entertainment, and even news or informational shows are all that I knew radio had to offer. However, I recently discovered the most hilarious and creative thirty minutes on the British radio waves and it's a comedy. A comic radio show.
Cabin Pressure: a BBC radio comedy
The above is the recording of the below series.
I love Cabin Pressure. It's a half an hour of silliness that abounds for the small (one plane) charter airline call MJN Air. Starring only four main actors/characters, with the occasional guest(s), and being mostly set in an airplane cockpit the radio format is actually an ideal format. Sounds and background noises cue the listener when scenery has changed and allows for the imagination to fly along with them. For six weeks this summer, I gathered around my modern box (a laptop) to enjoy this modern radio sit-com, for lack of a better description. There is nothing equivalent to this on the American airwaves, and I can't imagine there ever would be, or could be. BBC4, the radio station that features readings of stories, interviews and reviews on literature and music and culture and everything in between, produces this (and other) radio plays that are quite entertaining.
Comedies are certainly not the only genre that pass on the radio. Recently, the station took on the Russian novel Life and Fate as a serial. Want to listen to the radio serial? Give it a shot. It's better than an audio book. My interest peaked when I saw two notable British actors took on parts. Cabin Pressure also has actors that have appeared in television and movies and it's a treat to hear an actor perform a character. So, this clip was of particular interest
Quick History Lesson
A bit ironically, radio dramas appeared to have had a start in the 1920s in the US. That decade saw a surge of radio drama activity beginning with a brief sketch to Broadway musical comedies and their casts to weekly broadcasts of full plays with a regular troupe of actors. In 1923, original pieces written for radio were airing on radio stations across the country. Serious study of radio dramas in the 1920s and 30s are limited, however. And, with the arrival of television in the 1950s, it seems as if Americans have almost forgotten radio plays. Today, it continues to thrive in Europe, particularly England and Germany. XM Radio features radio dramas for US listeners as well as ACB radio (American Council for the Blind), but it can barely be found on mainstream US radio. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_drama)
So, I find radio plays, particularly ones on BBC, to be another Anglo-delight. My box may be able to give me sound, pictures, and access to just about anything; however, I am glad it can be used in the same fashion that allows my own imagination to soar just by good stories, talented voices and sounds.
It's safe to say that the world's most famous fictional detective, Arthur Conan Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes has been amazing the world's population since his inception in the 19th Century. Readers in Victorian England were appalled when Holmes was "killed" in battle with his foe, Professor James Moriarty that Conan Doyle eventually brought him back. Since then, Holmes has been present in various forms right up into today.
Confession of a 21st Century Sherlockian: Though I have been aware of the great adventures, I have never become more interested, fascinated, or passionate about Holmes, his "friend and colleague, Dr. Watson", or their adventures until a few years ago. Since my discovery of the fictional American medical genius Dr. House--a character, whose creator plainly admits was inspired by Sherlock Holmes--I have been intrigued. However, two of his most recent incarnations definitely may share his name and talent, but actually quite differ from one another. After this quite long comparison, one will shine through as a clear winner for me, but others can reach their own conclusions.
I want to take a look at both of the current adaptations: one an action-proned sleuth, still set among the handsome cabs and Victorian guise. The other, a young, on-the-edge, self-described sociopath, set in our modern times. Is one better than the other? One has to decide for themselves.
Sherlock Holmes: A detective of action
The Sherlock Holmes Warner Bros. movie franchise was introduced to the movie-going public in 2009. A film directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. The movie saw our protagonists in the somewhat familiar setting of Victorian London; however, this London was a darker, dirtier and grittier. It almost seemed to be set within a Dickens novel itself. Perhaps I missed something, but being a reader of both Holmes' adventures and Dickens's novels I never found Conan Doyle's London to be so dark. It was strange to see the heroes in this London as opposed to the I felt I knew from the Canon and Granada series. London itself has always been a character just by Holmes' sheer knowledge of every street, however, changing the character of the city seemed to work for this particular interpretation. The story also added supernatural elements and a new foe to the familiarity of characters and places.
London was not the only character to change. Holmes was transformed from the intellectual, lanky, gentleman to a muscular, action-bound sleuth, while Watson, essentially staying the familiar loyal friend and companion, gave Holmes as good as he got (the anti-thesis of the bumbling Watson from the amazing Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series). It wasn't easy for me to get used to this more action-mannered Holmes, even though he was known to get in a few fisticuffs in the Canon, but the movie makers created such an interesting way to illustrate Holmes' thinking and process of deduction that I soon accepted this Holmes for what he was...and I liked it.
RDJ, who seemed to pull off a fairly good English accent (at least to the ears of this American, but what would I know), brought to life a new Holmes for a new generation. Jude Law's Watson continues to return the character to his canonical beginnings. David Burke along with Edward Hardwicke in the faithful Granada series showed the uniqueness and importance of the friendship to both characters. The on-screen chemistry between RDJ and Law allows the friendship to shine through quite convincingly. I will be the first to admit that I love this latest big screen adaptation--having flocked to the theatre in 2009, own the DVD, and will be one of the first in line to see the sequel next December--I can only comment that this interpretation seems to place a more action-seeking, 21st Century Holmes within a dark, 19th Century London. That, for better or worse, is a combination that spells box office, movie success.
Sherlock: Canon characters in a modern setting
This YouTube fan videoI decided to post in lieu of a clip or trailer is one way fans
show their appreciation. This happens to be one of my favorites highlighting clips of Holmes and Watson's adventures and friendship from the pilot and three episodes of the first series.
Co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have, in many interviews, told the story of the birth of the idea that is the BBC's newest incarnation of Sherlock. Fans of the show (like myself) will know that the concept, conceived by Gatiss and Moffat on trains between London and Cardiff, of modern day Holmesian adventures taking place in 21st Century London was brought about from the mutual admiration of the Rathbone/Bruce series of films from the late 1930s and early 1940s. Having now viewed and enjoyed the films that place Holmes and Watson in not only adventures against Moriarty, but also the evils of the second World War, it is no surprise why the newest modern, small screen, television interpretation has garnered the following and accolades in the UK and abroad.
This version asks (and illustrates), as did its creators, why can't Sherlock Holmes and John Watson live and function in a world laced with technology and modern multimedia devices at their fingertips? In the span of the canon, readers can clearly see Holmes use every modern tool and resources of his time from telegraphs to telephones. Rathbone and Bruce successfully showed that the friends could exist in the 20th Century with automobiles, now Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do the same for television viewers.
With this version, everything is familiar. London is the large, modern metropolis locals and visitors can recognize from its well-known gathering places like Trafalgar Square to modern-day skyscrapers. It is a London today's viewers can identify with and understand. Cumberbatch's Sherlock sends texts rather than telegraphs, uses a computer for research, and has a website. Similarly, Freeman's John keeps a blog to tell their adventures instead of writing them up for publication. In this familiar, modern London, it doesn't seem odd at all. They are modern men in a modern time.
While being modern men, Sherlock and John are still the familiar friends that we know from the original stories. Sherlock has returned to the tall, lanky, eccentric (who keeps a head in a fridge!), violin-playing man who annoys detectives at (New) Scotland Yard and gets information from London's street population. While he can still give a good fight, he is not the action man the big screen portrays. As in the original, John has returned invalided from a new war in Afghanistan and remains the steadfast friend and blogger, while showing his fascination and frustration with his friend. In all versions he exhibits courage in light of their crazy often dangerous adventures. Cumberbatch and Freeman, two of Britain's hardest working actors, are less known to US audiences which, being a fan of Sherlock and now familiar with their previous work, makes me feel like part of an elite club. Their on-screen chemistry is second to none save for maybe (and I do stress maybe) Jeremy Brett and Hardwicke. In fact, I wouldn't be adverse to putting them on equal grounds as the four best actors to have portrayed the friends...granted in two different centuries.
So, what do these two modern, yet different interpretations do for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson? No matter which version speaks to a viewer the fact is that it speaks to them. Viewers of the modern versions and readers of Conan Doyle's adventures enjoyed great stories with great characters. I expect to feel equally shocked when my own Sherlock takes his fall, as implied in the title of the last episode of the next series...The Reichenbach Fall. But, then again, I can always go back to the silver screen and see another adventure. Even though neither of these versions fueled my initial resurgence in Holmesian stories, Sherlock is still the modern adventure that speaks to me as it provides a sort of bridge to another time, place and brilliant characters. Which one can serve as one's own bridge can, in my opinion, only be determined by enjoying both versions.
Saved!
Saved!
