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walsh-campbell
Reviews
The Crucifer of Blood (1991)
Not quite as dreadful as I expected.
There are definitely worse Holmes movies -- "Sherlock: Case of Evil" and Reginald Owen's "A Study in Scarlet," for example. And I have to admit I expected this to be worse than it actually is.
I often like Charlton Heston's performances, but he is totally miscast here. Add to that the rather lame, and at times implausible, story; the often plodding pace; and the distractingly intrusive sets. However, it held my interest enough to hang on to the end -- just barely.
Do yourself a favor: if you're in the mood for a good Holmes film, watch Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes," or one of the early episodes of Jeremy Brett's Granada series.
Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle (1977)
Very enjoyable -- a pity there are only seven episodes
It's a pity this gentle, low-key comedy-drama didn't attract a bigger audience. It deserved to. My wife and I were delighted by this light, witty, thoroughly enjoyable series.
Anton Rogers was absolutely perfect in the role of Detective Inspector Purbright, and it was a lot of fun to see Christopher Timothy (whom we had come to love as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small) as Detective Sergeant Love. There is good chemistry between the two of them -- essential in a police drama of this kind. Moray Watson as the Chief Constable and Brenda Bruce as the ever-so-slightly-nefarious Lucilla Teatime also add wonderful color.
All things considered, this little gem was far better than a number of other British mystery series that got higher ratings.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
Well done, on many levels... but Roxburgh just doesn't quite convince
This production is first rate on many levels. The adaptation of the story is really superb, with many clever choices that work to condense and focus the narrative. The writers could, however, have done a better job in demonstrating Holmes applying his deductive powers to the clues presented. And the depiction of Holmes using cocaine while investigating a case is both totally contrary to the original stories and a jarring and distracting note that does absolutely nothing to further the story.
The CGI "hound" is actually pretty awful. They would have done better with a real dog, altered as Stapleton is said to have altered him in the story.
Other than that, the production values are quite excellent. And Ian Hart is one of the best Watsons ever to grace the screen, small or large. John Nettles' Dr. Mortimer is also excellent, and Richard Grant is one of the best Stapletons ever. The rest of the smaller parts are also well done.
However, Richard Roxburgh delivers only what I would call a workmanlike rendition of Sherlock Holmes that is never fully convincing. The problem is that he never quite inhabits the role, especially in terms of Holmes' intense energy; he is simply too laid back. It also doesn't help that he bears no physical resemblance to the canonical Holmes. Actually, Richard Grant would have been a better choice to portray Holmes.
Nevertheless, this production most definitely rewards the viewer with many moments to appreciate.
Phantom of the Opera (1943)
The Phantom's sad, terrifying tale is overwhelmed by a comic operetta
Though far from perfect, I love this movie. Claude Rains is a brilliant actor and his embodiment of the Phantom is my favorite--or rather, his embodiment of the man who becomes the Phantom. If the writers and the director had cooperated, Claude Rains could have been the greatest Phantom ever filmed. The problem is that this version of the Phantom did the best job of telling the Phantom's back-story and making him a sympathetic character, but did the worst job of making the Phantom terrifying.
The Phantom is a serial killer, after all. He is thoroughly insane, immensely clever, utterly ruthless, and knows the environment of the Paris Opera better then almost anyone else--he could be anywhere. In this film, the writers and the director never successfully make us feel that sense of dread, the sense of horror at the Phantom's crimes. This aspect of the story is tossed off in an almost token fashion. In fact, the slight gestures meant to halfheartedly convey this--like the many shadows of the phantom doing his Snidely Whiplash imitation--are unintentionally funny. The Gothic horror story is pushed quite firmly to the background.
In the foreground, we have a lush, colorful, lightly comic operetta about a beautiful young singer and the two rivals for her affection. While entertaining enough, it quite overwhelms the Phantom's sad, terrifying tale.
Murder on the Home Front (2013)
Passable... sad, because it could have been excellent
The premise was so good. What a shame the final product is so mediocre. This program should be used in film school as the perfect example of style overwhelming the fundamental purpose of a film, which is to tell a story through the compelling representation of characters pursuing their objectives in a believable context (which can even be an imaginary one).Everything about the style of the film is excessive—gesture pushed to the point of camp.
They should have focused more on good casting and getting the best, most three-dimensional performances from the actors, so that we would believe in them and care about them. Given the historical context (London during the Blitz), achieving that goal should have been extraordinarily easy.
Patrick Kennedy as Dr, Collins was actually quite good. Tamzin Merchant as Molly Cooper was pretty awful, really. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no chemistry between their characters—which isn't too surprising, since Ms. Merchant's character is basically missing in action.
All in all, I recommend you give it a miss.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
So close to being the best...
I think we would have had the best "Hound" ever if Granada had invested enough money in this Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwick production. As it is, it is a very good production, but it could have been a truly great one.
This production has so much going for it—of course, starting with the best Holmes and Watson ever—Brett and Hardwicke.
Kristoffer Tabori is wonderful as Sir Henry Baskerville—just about the best I've ever seen. He really conveys Sir Henry's youthfulness. You easily believe that he has grown up in Canada and is a bit of a "fish out of water" in England. Plus he totally looks the part.
Alastair Duncan is also wonderful as Dr. Mortimer. Mortimer is usually portrayed as just the standard cardboard cutout of the older stiff- upper-lip British professional man. It is such a breath of fresh air to have this character portrayed as younger and much closer to the way he is described in the original story.
However, Fiona Gillies isn't so successful as Beryl Stapleton. This is a pivotal character and the weakness of this performance undermines the overall success of the production. They could and should have paid for an A-list actress for this part.
They could and should have shot and edited the whole sequence concerning the death of Sir Charles far better—in such a way as to really evoke his terror and to convey his belief in the supernatural character of the hound. After all, this scene sets up the entire framework for the story, as well as its mood.
Better special effects would have greatly improved the depiction of the attack of the hound on Sir Henry.
Just imagine if this production had had the budget of a first rate feature film—and all the additional resources and talents that would have made available. It could have been the definitive "Hound."
The Art of Crime (1975)
What a pity...
Wow! What a travesty! Even by the standards of 70's TV movies, this one is spectacularly bad.
The worst part of this production was casting Ron Leibman as Roman Grey: a truly incomprehensible choice. I'm not saying Ron Leibman is a bad actor— just totally wrong for that part. His Roman Grey is too lightweight, too fey, and too "New York Jewish." Roman needs to have more substance, more power, more inner strength; he even needs to seem a bit dangerous. Without a good Roman Grey, this movie just falls apart.
I'd love to see a first class adaptation of "Canto for a Gypsy," Martin Cruz Smith's second (and, so far, last) Roman Grey novel. It's an excellent thriller and would make a much better movie than "Gypsy in Amber," with the right actor playing Roman Grey, an excellent supporting cast, a first class screen adaptation and the right director.