Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Any of the discs in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series are worth buying just for Jeremy Brett's performance as Holmes. Even though there are other actors whom I adore in the role, I consider it to be impossible for anyone to play the character as good as Brett did. He simply WAS Sherlock Holmes. Both of the episodes on this disc are very well done. "The Blue Carbuncle" is particularly good. The quality of the disc is not perfect but it is good. I would recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Any of the discs in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series are worth buying just for Jeremy Brett's performance as Holmes. Even though there are other actors whom I adore in the role, I consider it to be impossible for anyone to play the character as good as Brett did. He simply WAS Sherlock Holmes. Both of the episodes on this disc are very well done. "The Blue Carbuncle" is particularly good. The quality of the disc is not perfect but it is good. I would recommend this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Super Holmes, poor value
Review: Brett was the definitive Holmes, in my opinion, and the DVDs of his performances are essential to all Holmes fans. That said, these DVDs are lacking in any sort of special features and -- worst of all -- while there were four episodes included on the first volume, there are only two epsiodes each on volumes two and three - at virtually the same price as the first volume.
Rating:
Summary: Some of the least pleasurable Holmes...
Review: I love the Sherlock Holmes series produced at Grenada TV starring Jeremy Brett, don't get me wrong. But these two are the least favorite of the series teamed up together in my opinion. Words can't describe how awesome the writting, directing and acting portray the only existing video of the original Doyle stories, but these two are rather slack in most all ways compared to the rest of the series' run. Buy it. I will. But I hope they release the series fast and furious so better episodes can be viewed digitally. Sadly, I was in Japan recently where they had the entire series for sale on DVD as a set....why is America so slow to market these incredible portrayals of classic stories??
Rating:
Summary: A must have, the definitive Sherlock Holmes...
Review: Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes. If you have read the books, these are the teleplays to watch!
Rating:
Summary: The Hat & the Redhead.
Review: Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes for my money. With his aquiline features, nervous ticks, abrupt action & words, with just the appropriate dose of arrogance, he's the Sherlock of the high-strung disposition I remember reading about. The British Granada TV series presented these stories with great fidelity to the material, good production values, and appearances by some of the best of British actors: some familiar, some just getting started. The Blue Carbuncle is a tale of a stolen gem with a long history of violence behind it. The mystery is okay, but the highlight is Holmes challenging Watson & then analyzing a left-behind hat and deducing a dozen things about the owner from it, to Watson's chagrine. The Copper Beeches cast is made up of Joss Auklund, familiar to many in the US, and introduces a very young Natasha Redgrave (to British TV audiences). The chief interest is in Holmes' at first dismissive attitude toward Redgrave, and then upon discovery that she is alone in the world, his care and concern for her (against his normal misogynist tendencies) and his growing regard for her intelligence & courage. Ably backed by David Burke as an intelligent and capable Watson (no bumbling Nigel Bruce type), these adventures are all of fine quality, only varying due to the strengths or weaknesses of the stories told.
Rating:
Summary: The Hat & the Redhead.
Review: Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes for my money. With his aquiline features, nervous ticks, abrupt action & words, with just the appropriate dose of arrogance, he's the Sherlock of the high-strung disposition I remember reading about. The British Granada TV series presented these stories with great fidelity to the material, good production values, and appearances by some of the best of British actors: some familiar, some just getting started. The Blue Carbuncle is a tale of a stolen gem with a long history of violence behind it. The mystery is okay, but the highlight is Holmes challenging Watson & then analyzing a left-behind hat and deducing a dozen things about the owner from it, to Watson's chagrine. The Copper Beeches cast is made up of Joss Auklund, familiar to many in the US, and introduces a very young Natasha Redgrave (to British TV audiences). The chief interest is in Holmes' at first dismissive attitude toward Redgrave, and then upon discovery that she is alone in the world, his care and concern for her (against his normal misogynist tendencies) and his growing regard for her intelligence & courage. Ably backed by David Burke as an intelligent and capable Watson (no bumbling Nigel Bruce type), these adventures are all of fine quality, only varying due to the strengths or weaknesses of the stories told.
Rating:
Summary: Another winning entry in the BBC Holmes series
Review: Once again Jeremy Brett and David Burke lead the way with excellent portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in this: the 3rd DVD volume of the now-classic BBC/Mystery series. With guest turns by a young Natasha Richardson and Joss Acklund, the tales highlighted include a case in which Holmes solves a Christmas jewel robbery and a rather unusual governess position.
The production values are as excellent as always, and Burke's somewhat testy Watson perfectly compliments Brett's eccentric Holmes. Another must have for your DVD Holmes collection and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Another winning entry in the BBC Holmes series
Review: Once again Jeremy Brett and David Burke lead the way with excellent portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in this: the 3rd DVD volume of the now-classic BBC/Mystery series. With guest turns by a young Natasha Richardson and Joss Acklund, the tales highlighted include a case in which Holmes solves a Christmas jewel robbery and a rather unusual governess position.
The production values are as excellent as always, and Burke's somewhat testy Watson perfectly compliments Brett's eccentric Holmes. Another must have for your DVD Holmes collection and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Jeremy Brett, Natasha Richardson, and Joss Ackland...
Review: Our Well Studied and Deliberately Executed Holmes: In reviewing this DVD, I'm actually examining the actor's performance as the character in the entire series, rather than those encapsulated within the specific titles. I have seen these episodes, and could do a separate review of each, but I think in this case that would actually be inappropriate. I can say, however, that these episodes are very good, and represent this outstanding series very well. The DVD itself is also of very high quality, as far as sound and picture are concerned. Granada did a first rate job, that has translated itself very handily to the new format. Jeremy Brett's Holmes is something other than the various Holmes' we've been exposed to in the past. I was raised on Rathbone. But when I saw Brett's performances when they first aired on PBS, I slowly forgot Rathbone's influences. Brett immerses himself in such a way that must make it very personal to him, then displays the character of Holmes in a forceful and deliberate manner - and in a depth we may not see again. The key thing to understanding Holmes, I think, is that he is unique as a genius as any genius would be. Exercising his talents to there fullest doesn't give him super-status as an overall human being by erasing other flaws. Instead, his talent takes precedence, accentuating his human flaws by casting them into a state of neglect that highlights them. Brett understands this, clearly because he himself is either a bona fide genius, or he has somehow deciphered the code that generates a genius' idiosyncratic behaviors. I can't say which. I can say that I really believe his Holmes. Brett may as well BE Holmes. My second favorite aspect of Brett's Holmes is the level of humor. Great care was taken here to make each little "quip" more situationally true to the character. His humor is really more an expression of how he so uniquely relates to those around him - and is frequently not acknowledged by the other characters - being that they are fairly unaware. We, as the audience are in-on-the-joke, which is nice, and it's usually a pretty funny one. I guess I just want to say that I think a great deal of this series. Jeremy Brett is the best, and here, has given us so much! He actually died while still "in service" to the roll. Not to sound too stupid about this, but I think there was something very appropriate in that. It's like he waited until he had gained perfection before moving on. Bravo! Just one note about the Copper Beeches: Natasha Richardson! Yikes! What a performance. She plays off the embodiment of menace that Joss Ackland actually brilliantly portrays. The pair make this one of the finest and truly scary episodes. Definately my favorite episode.
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