Rating: 
Summary: Another solid set for Brett's Holmes
Review: This is yet another DVD set featuring Jeremy Brett as the super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. This time 2 adventures are featured and the DVD print and sound here are perfect. Another must-have for Holmes' fans and highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Great TV serie - Disappointing DVD
Review: This TV serie is terrific. This is the ultimate Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Lush sets, perfect acting... Jeremy Brett will make you forgot all the previous Holmes actors.Unfortunately the DVD edition is far from to be of the same quality. In Volume 2 most of the problem of picture & sound of Vol1 are solved. But we still miss any making-off or commmentary.
Rating:
Summary: A great record of a definitive performer
Review: This, the second volume of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes the television series, is a welcome addition to the shelves of DVD sellers. As the number of television shows increases at very high rates it is comforting to know that shows such as this as preserved for posterity on DVD. AS the number of DVDs increases now that DVD player ownership has expanded to cover over 25% of US households and the number is poised to double by the end of the 2002 holiday season, the range of quality and reproduction of DVDs is also growing. This does mean that less profitable ventures such as the Sherlock Holmes series seem doomed to limited treatments during transfer rather than get the full scale upgrading purists would prefer. For myself I would certainly prefer more but I am happy to be able to own these DVDs and watch them repeatedly. Jeremy Brett, throught his years of portraying Holmes certainly carved out his reputation as being the ultimate Holmes. In these two early episodes one sees the stirrings of a determination by the actor to make the character his own. There are so many aspects to these shows that it is difficult to know where to start. One of the reasons why the show developed it's avid following in my view is the attention paid to the original stories not only in the detail of portrayal but in observing the spirit of them. David Burke does excellent service in portraying Watson as an intelligent though somewhat limited colleague and pupil of the genius master and an individual in his own right who tries not to be overshadowed. This is a welcome rebuttal to the image of Watson as the buffoon who graced our screens for many years. The two stories contained in this volume, Crooked Man and Speckled Band are both concerned with familial killings. In the first a husband's betrayal of his wife's true love many years ago results in his death and in the second a stepfather's greed for a legacy turns to murder. Both solid stories their depiction in 55 minute episodes highlights the superb editing skills used to bring them to the screen. Unlike many other period dramas the Homes series cuts across English class barrier lines while at the same time highlights the clear division between and within those classes. All in all a little treasure which leads the viewer waiting on the edge of their seat for the next volume to arrive.
Rating: 
Summary: Little better...
Review: Though a little better in quality than the first volume in this series it still lackes the beautiful sounds and film that you'd expect from a DVD. Once more the same things i said in my review for the 1st volume apply.
Rating:
Summary: Sherlock Holmes has returned!
Review: Volume 2 of MPI's great series of mysteries from Granada TV/PBS is as enjoyable as its predecessor. In "The Crooked Man", a distinguished army colonel is found dead, and his unconscious wife is the primary suspect. His regiment is unaware of the colonel's treachery in his younger days and that a man he left for dead due to it is back for revenge. But is the man with the crooked back guilty? In "The Speckled Band" the stepdaughter of a renowned but cruel doctor is about to be married and escape her unhappy home fears for her life when history repeats itself and the events that lead to her sister's death occur again. Jeremy Brett and David Burke as Holmes and Watson are on the case!
Rating:
Summary: Sherlock Holmes has returned!
Review: Volume 2 of MPI's great series of mysteries from Granada TV/PBS is as enjoyable as its predecessor. In "The Crooked Man", a distinguished army colonel is found dead, and his unconscious wife is the primary suspect. His regiment is unaware of the colonel's treachery in his younger days and that a man he left for dead due to it is back for revenge. But is the man with the crooked back guilty? In "The Speckled Band" the stepdaughter of a renowned but cruel doctor is about to be married and escape her unhappy home fears for her life when history repeats itself and the events that lead to her sister's death occur again. Jeremy Brett and David Burke as Holmes and Watson are on the case!
Rating:
Summary: Better quality than Volume One, but still problems...
Review: Volume two contains THE CROOKED MAN and THE SPECKLED BAND, two of the very best adaptations in the series. The quality of transfer from 16mm on this DVD is superior to the first volume (although still slightly grainy), but there are some problems. THE CROOKED MAN does have some image stability problems, which causes the image to jump very slightly up and down at times (and actually roll on one of my DVD players). There is also a slight greenish tint to the fist few minutes of the episode. THE SPECKLED BAND also has some image stability problems, especially in chapter five (the train sequence) where the right side of the screen shifts slightly, causing the image to "float". There are also sound synchronicity issues in both episodes, very brief, but noticeable nonetheless. Both episodes do have lint (at the top of the frames), scratches and holes intermittently, which could have been cleaned up digitally. The sound is good throughout the DVD--none of the warbling that marred the first DVD in the series occurs here. Jeremy Brett and David Burke are at their best in well-scripted adaptations of the original stories. The supporting players are wonderful as well. There are also a photo gallery, biographies and filmographies, and a list of Sherlockian and Jeremy Brett Societies. In all, a much better quality DVD than Volume One, and, despite the problems, I'd recommend this DVD, especially if your VHS tapes have started to degrade. One hopes that the quality will continue to improve, and I eagerly await the next volume.
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