Starring Sherlock Holmes

Review 1: Where to begin? this is could be called a coffee table book, as its packed from cover to cover with wonderful photographs and movie stills but I wouldn't dare let my book get near a coffee stain and neither should you. Who would risk ruining the cover with the distinguished Mr Rathbone and dashing Mr.Brett!

David Stuart Davies has provided a rich source of information about the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes from stage, radio, screen and TV, enough to please those with a keen or lighter interest in the worlds only consulting detective with plot summaries for the films, details of the supporting cast and some snippets of interviews. It left me wanting to dig deeper in to the films.

This will be a fine addition to any Sherlock Holmes fan's bookcase and those interested in movie history also.

Lavish pictures, knowledgeable writing, what more could you want?

Reviewed by: Eve Sanders, 2003

Review 2: For those interested in the film, television and stage portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, David Stuart Davies book Starring Sherlock Holmes is a ‘must have’! This beautifully designed and laid out large format hardcover is a treat in nearly every way. Most noticeable on the first read through are the glorious illustrations, nicely balanced between monochrome and colour, many of which seem to be previously unpublished, while images from some rather obscure productions are also present. While the pictures alone nearly justify the book, Davies text is equally rewarding.

The book begins with an introduction by Ian Richardson followed by a few pages of background on Conan Doyle, it then moves into a solid breakdown of films in a chronological manner. The early silent films are lumped together over 4 pages in a general overview sort of way, although Eille Norwood and John Barrymore each receive their own two-page spread. From those Davies moves into the talkies, generally giving one or two pages to each film, with major series (such as those featuring Wontner and Rathbone) being accorded individual title listings.

The film listings are occasionally broken up by the insertion of nice background/overview pieces such as "Basil Rathbone: The Ideal Holmes", "Curtain Up: Sherlock Holmes on Stage" and "Jeremy Brett: Dancing in the Moonlight". These inserts allow the author a chance to range beyond specific titles and address various trends, periods or influential actors. My only criticism of the inserts is that these are occasionally teasers with rare photographs dropped in without much explanation other than a caption (as in a photo of Frank Finlay as Conan Doyle with Richard E. Grant as Sherlock Holmes from a production entitled “The Other Side") or productions given short shrift in one or two-line mentions (as in the Russian Holmes series featuring Vasily Livanov).

Television productions are included, although anything prior to the 1950’s Sheldon Reynolds series is lumped into a 4-page insert entitled "Holmes in View: The Early Television Adventures". Major series such as the Wilmer and Cushing productions of the 1960s each receive a 2-page spread with individual episodes being listed only in the Filmography section (which includes general production data, air dates and key cast lists) at the end of the book. Needless to say, Jeremy Brett and the Granada series receive a great deal of coverage, with separate 4-page spreads for each series and 2-pages apiece for each of the individual 2-hour productions. The titles represented are extremely current and run up to and include the recent Matt Frewer version of The Sign of Four.

The layout for each of the specific programs is nicely done, with a tight synopsis heading each listing followed by interesting commentary, liberally laced with appropriate photographs, on the particular production under consideration. While I often find myself disagreeing with David Stuart Davies analyses, I found the writing to be both highly enjoyable and informative. Quotations from other critics are regularly included, adding a nice balance. While the book has the benefit of being the most up-to-date at the moment, it doesn’t make previous books on the topic, including the authors own Holmes of the Movies, redundant. The level of detail provided here on specific productions is not generally as far-reaching as in some other books of this type, but the sheer breadth and beauty of Starring Sherlock Holmes, plus the amazing array of photographs, makes it a worthwhile compliment to the Holmes film-analysis bookshelf.

Reviewed by: Charles Prepolec, 2003 [Originally reviewed for www.bakerstreetdozen.com]