Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, 2009)

[Antoine Doinel]

Well, the first photos of Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock have hit the web.

I've of two minds about the film. As potentially awesome RDJ would be as Holmes, that's countered by the very good chance this could turn out to Lock, Stock And Two Crime Solving Mates!

[MichaelB]

"It's elementary, you slag".

[domino harvey]

Is Downey playing Holmes as a fat man who recently lost weight but hasn't yet bought new clothes?

[Zumpano]

Is Downey playing Holmes as a fat man who recently lost weight but hasn't yet bought new clothes?

Yeah. According to the pictures, he's doing the Starbucks-only diet.

[Jeff]

As the comments on Antoine's link point out, those look like set photos from Chaplin. I believe they might have taken Watson's description of Holmes as "bohemian" in A Study in Scarlet a bit too far. The Hound of the Baskervilles also describes his "cat-like" cleanliness, and the Paget drawings are considered just as canonical has Doyle's prose. That certainly doesn't seem to be represented here.

I love Holmes adaptations on film, and love Holmes pastiche on film even more (Wilder did it best, naturellement). I'm excited to see Holmes and Watson in the hands of such capable actors, but I've loathed every Guy Ritchie film I've seen.

The Guardian has an article on Ritchie and Downey's approach. I won't take a "no deerstalker = no sale" stance as long as there is no Cockney rhyming slang at play, but I'm dubious at best.

[domino harvey]

Holmes should be played as a steady genius who doesn't quite jell with the rest of the world, not a cocksure asshole like every Downey character. At least the casting of Jude Law as Watson is more promising

[Gregory]

Some consideration of the controversy that greeted Jeremy Brett's portrayals of Holmes is relevant here. Brett played a rude Holmes, arguably far and away ruder than what Doyle intended. His rudeness doesn't make him come across as much of an asshole, at least to me, because it becomes part of the character and because his rudeness is often used to prod and deflate characters who are pompous and (the viewer senses) are just plain wrong most of the time.
I certainly don't believe in doing something differently just for the sake of being different, but Brett's Holmes really breathed new life into the character. And if Brett did stray from Doyle it was certainly not for the sake of doing so. The screenwriters were actually the ones who wanted a huge amount of license, and Brett, who knew the stories and novels inside out, was often the one fighting tooth and nail for fidelity to Doyle. The rudeness he attributed to being a side effect of a kind of creative compensation for feeling miscast: he felt he had to vacate his natural "romantic" features of his acting style in order to become Holmes.
I appreciate Brett's attention to the details in Doyle, but I certainly don't believe a film that strays from the original is ipso facto worse than one that does not.
I have seen and enjoyed a number of films Downey has starred in, but I don't feel I have a very good feel for him as an actor. A number of actors who played Holmes in the past are considered among the best of the 20th century, so he'll really have some big shoes to fill. He looks a little too slovenly to me in those photos. Dressing that way would have been totally laughable then. I haven't seen any of Ritchie's films but, from what I've heard about them, I'll remain just a little skeptical.

[rs98762001]

Jeremy Brett's depiction of Holmes was utterly perfect. Faithful to the spirit of Doyle's creation, yet with his own unique streak of individuality and wicked irreverence. I can't see how even an actor as accomplished as RDJ could better him. Especially not under the guiding hand of one half of the cinematic world's most talentless couple.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Looks to me like those photos are from a scene in which Holmes is in disguise. At least, I hope so.

[tryavna]

Looks to me like those photos are from a scene in which Holmes is in disguise. At least, I hope so.

This was my immediate thought. However, I have seen two of Ritchie's films. (God forgive me.) So I'm not holding out too much hope.

Some consideration of the controversy that greeted Jeremy Brett's portrayals of Holmes is relevant here. Brett played a rude Holmes, arguably far and away ruder than what Doyle intended. His rudeness doesn't make him come across as much of an asshole, at least to me, because it becomes part of the character and because his rudeness is often used to prod and deflate characters who are pompous and (the viewer senses) are just plain wrong most of the time.

I never thought that Brett's performance was out-of-synch with Doyle's original creation. In the original stories, particularly the early ones, Holmes exhibits very little patience for fools, which of course virtually everyone is in comparison to him. (In "The Solitary Cyclist," for instance, his exasperation with Watson for choosing the wrong side of the road to observe his client is very close to outright berating.) I think RS hit the nail on the head: What Brett brought was "wicked irreverence." I often get the sense that Brett's Holmes enjoys the freedom that his eccentricity gives him.

[Antoine Doinel]

Here's Watson.

[karmajuice]

While the comment about fight scenes might leave some a little concerned, at least Downey-Holmes is dressed a bit better in those pictures.

Personally, I think Holmes should be played as someone with savant syndrome. If they could do it without delving into autism movie cliches, it could be interesting. Has that been done before?

[Gregory]

Some consideration of the controversy that greeted Jeremy Brett's portrayals of Holmes is relevant here. Brett played a rude Holmes, arguably far and away ruder than what Doyle intended. His rudeness doesn't make him come across as much of an asshole, at least to me, because it becomes part of the character and because his rudeness is often used to prod and deflate characters who are pompous and (the viewer senses) are just plain wrong most of the time.

I never thought that Brett's performance was out-of-synch with Doyle's original creation. In the original stories, particularly the early ones, Holmes exhibits very little patience for fools, which of course virtually everyone is in comparison to him. (In "The Solitary Cyclist," for instance, his exasperation with Watson for choosing the wrong side of the road to observe his client is very close to outright berating.) I think RS hit the nail on the head: What Brett brought was "wicked irreverence." I often get the sense that Brett's Holmes enjoys the freedom that his eccentricity gives him.

I agree with everything you've said, but I hope you realize that there was a basis for what I wrote about some having felt his portrayals of Holmes were an outrage for one reason or another (not that I agree, certainly). Part of this came from old guard who thought the character "belonged" to Rathbone and other predecessors, and I think I remember comments from others who were bothered by Brett's many early statements regarding his misgivings about Holmes and playing him. As for the rudeness thing in particular, this was something Brett was self-critical about. I heard an interview with Brett in which he said that Doyle's daughter, a friend of his, had graciously said that she didn't think her father meant Holmes to be quite so rude. She also praised his performances, for the record.
I think Brett's Holmes performances were all outstanding, with the exception of the final series, but that was more than understandable. Throughout I think it was remarkable that he excelled as much as he did, given everything he was going through.
Again, I think Robert Downey Jr. has some big shoes to fill.
[Typos]

[domino harvey]

Here's Watson.

Ugh. This should have been a slam dunk but they messed this up too. Isn't there another competing Holmes film? Let's invest our energies in that one

[indy81]

Ugh. This should have been a slam dunk but they messed this up too. Isn't there another competing Holmes film? Let's invest our energies in that one

You mean the one with Borat and Will Ferrell as Holmes and Watson? I'll stick with the slim chance of the Ritchie movie being OK. Right now all we have to go on is the costuming, which seems fine so far. And in interviews there is at least some acknowledgment of the source material.

[Antoine Doinel]

Filming goes on hold while Ritchie deals with his divorce.

[Gregory]

Right now all we have to go on is the costuming, which seems fine so far.

We also know that the film is produced by, and based on an upcoming comic book done by, the producer of last year's Harry Potter movie and that memorable Vanilla Ice vehicle Cool as Ice. We also know that Ritche is touting that he's going to "reinvent" Holmes, which seems rather pretentious to me, and that the main thing he's mentioned about the film are how great the fight sequences are going to be. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to be a bad film, but there are reasons for lowered expectations, especially on the part of those who have seen Ritchie's work (I haven't).

[Antoine Doinel]

Release date: November 20th, 2009

[Antoine Doinel]

More set pics.

[Antoine Doinel]

Another new pic.

[Polybius]

I love Holmes adaptations on film, and love Holmes pastiche on film even more (Wilder did it best, naturellement).

Jeff, where do you stand on Nick Meyer's The Seven Percent Solution?

[Antoine Doinel]

So this is going to be “like James Bond in 1891”.

[domino harvey]

So this is going to be just like that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie.

[Jeff]

Jeff, where do you stand on Nick Meyer's The Seven Percent Solution?

Sorry, Polybius, I just now noticed your inquiry. I haven't seen The Seven Percent Solution in several years, but I definitely think it's in the upper tier of the non-canonical Holmes films. Robert Duvall's accent is downright bizarre and the story often feels disjointed, but there is a lot that works well. I remember liking Alan Arkin's Freud better than the more traditional Holmes stuff. Nicol Williamson makes a fine Holmes (he was Wilder's first choice too). I never got around to picking up Image's lame DVD before it went out of print. Here's hoping Uni releases a proper version soon. It's due for reassessment.

[Anhedionisiac]

So this is going to be just like that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie.

And nothing like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic books