Cast and Crew - Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes

This is my second post about the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, directed by Igor Maslennikov and starring Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin as “Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson”.

Please click here to read my earlier post.

Rina Zelyonaya brings out the motherly and patient nature of the long-suffering landlady of the Bohemian detective. A nice touch is that Mrs Hudson is much smarter than the canonical one and is able to make a few deductions of her own.

Boris Klyuev makes a truly classy Mycroft, whose skills of observation and deduction exceed those of even Sherlock. He is bit on the leaner side, but nonetheless cuts a very commanding figure.

Boris Klyuev as Mycroft Holmes

 

Borislav Brondukov brings down the house with his portrayal of Inspector Lestrade. He is probably the best Lestrade ever in terms of physical appearance: small, rat-faced and sly. Where Borislav excels is the spirit and cheer that he imbues in his depiction of the famous Scotland Yard detective.

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Igor Maslennikov, the director of this TV series, has done a stupendous job. He completed his education in Journalism from Leningrad University in 1954. He has worked as editor, script writer, cameraman and director in a career spanning more than 30 years.

Igor Maselnnikov, the director

Maslennikov's work on this adaptation of Sherlock Holmes brought him well-deserved recognition and success. Maslennikov's passion and reverence for Sir Doyle's works are evident in the aesthetically done opening credits as well as the costumes, sets and the casting choices. It would have taken considerable efforts from the director and his crew to recreate Victorian England in Russia. Hats off to the entire team and especially Maslennikov for helming such a wonderful and elegant adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.

He is ably assisted by Vladimir Dashkevich, whose music takes the series to a whole new level. His music is an instant classic, in every sense of the word.

Vladimir Dashkevich, the music composer

The Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes is a perfect marriage of great ensemble acting, a classic soundtrack and impeccable direction.

Click here to read all my posts about the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.

Image Source: Lenfilm Film Studio

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Happy Birthday, Vasily Livanov and Benedict Cumberbatch

Two of my favorite Sherlock Holmes actors, Vasily Livanov and Benedict Cumberbatch were both born on this day in 1935 and 1976 respectively.

Vasily makes a great Victorian Holmes and Benedict a superb modern version. In my humble opinion, these two actors present two of the best performances as Holmes among the 75+ actors to have portrayed Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective so far.

Click on the link below to buy the Vasily Livanov Holmes DVD:

Wishing both of them Many Happy Returns of the day!

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Image Sources: Lenfilm Films Studio, Hartswood Films

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Poirot and Me by David Suchet - Book Review

 
This is a review of the Kindle version.

The final episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot, the critically acclaimed adaptation starring David Suchet as the Belgian detective aired recently.

To mark the historic occasion, David has released his take on the making of the series, his preparation for the iconic role and the uncertainties faced during the long running production.

Even though I have read only one or two of Agatha Christie's original stories, I confess to have enjoyed David Suchet's portrayal. In addition to being a good physical match for the legendary detective, Suchet also nails his quirks and accent to perfection.

David Suchet is my personal favorite actor to play Hercule Poirot. He captures the essence of the eccentric Belgian detective in a way, that reminds me of Vasily Livanov's performance as Sherlock Holmes: definitive and quintessential.
 

It all started in 1988, when David was approached for the role by producer Brian Eastman. An unsure David was further shaken, as Christie's daughter, the late Rosalind Hicks asked him to ensure that his portrayal should not make a laughing stock out of Poirot.

Determined to do justice to Agatha Christie's work as well as his own artistic integrity, David set out to read the original stories and prepared a list of the all the idiosyncrasies of the fastidious Poirot. This reminded me of the 77 page “Baker Street File” maintained by the late Jeremy Brett for the Granada adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.

David gives instances of how he fought to keep his version of Poirot loyal to his creator, often against the wishes of the director.

Any reader familiar with the Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot stories would have easily noticed the similarities: Arthur Hastings (John Watson), Miss Felicity Lemon (Mrs Hudson) and Chief Inspector James Harold Japp (Inspector Lestrade). 

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David confirms the same by stating that Agatha Christie was a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories when she was growing up.

Agatha differentiated her creation from the world's greatest detective in terms of not only his physicality and personality traits, but also his technique of solving crimes.

Sherlock Holmes is renowned for solving mysteries using his skills of observation and deduction. Hercule Poirot approaches his cases from a psychological perspective.

 

 

Just as any adaptation of Sherlock Holmes benefits from the ensemble cast, the Poirot adaptation too has had one of the best ever assembled for a production.

Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran and Philip Jackson are synonymous with their roles of Hastings, Lemon and Japp respectively.


The series got even better with the addition of Zoe Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver, a crime author. Agatha Christie created this character to voice her own frustrations with Hercule Poirot.

The chemistry between Poirot and Oliver is the highlight, whenever she makes an appearance on the show.

As good as the aforementioned recurring cast members are, the guest stars have often stolen the show. My personal favorite (and to some extent, David's as well) is Snubby, a wire-haired terrier who played Bob, the title character in “Dumb Witness”.

Also of note is the fact that, two Dr Who actors have been part of the series: Christopher Eccleston (“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”, 1992) and the current Dr Who, Peter Capaldi (“Wasps' Nest”, 1991).

The series has also benefited from having some on of the finest screenwriters: Clive Exton, Anthony Horowitz and Mark Gatiss. Mark Gatiss would also star in one of the episodes (“Appointment with Death”, 2010).

Nothing in life is a walk in the park and it was not the case for this show either. Despite the cast and crew's best efforts, a few episodes did not turn out well as expected. Further, there were times when David himself was not sure if he would be able to complete his dream of filming all Poirot stories.

To quote Agatha's favorite writer, William Shakespeare himself: All's well that ends well.

Completing the entire Canon of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories is a crowning achievement. Very few actors have had such privilege and honor. To the best of my knowledge, Clive Merrison is the only actor to have played Sherlock Holmes in all 56 short stories and 4 novels on radio.

A superb lead actor and supporting cast, combined with lavish budgets (especially for the later seasons) and excellent scripts have resulted in a classic adaptation. A fitting tribute to the genius of the best selling novelist the world has seen.

Congratulations, David and wishing you the very best in your upcoming projects.

Recommended read for fans of David Suchet's Poirot and/or Agatha Christie's stories.

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Image Sources: Poirot and Me by David Suchet, Bending the Willow: Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes by David Stuart Davies, Flickr

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The trailer for the new Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes is here!

Dear Readers,

The trailer for the upcoming Sherlock Holmes adaptation has been released.

Starring Igor Petrenko as Sherlock Holmes and Andrei Panin as Doctor John Watson, the series is directed by Andrey Kavun.

From the slapstick comedy to the ritual sequence and Igor's portrayal of Holmes, the influence of the Guy Ritchie directed movies is obvious. Irene Adler has a much larger role, which again could possibly be attributed to the Ritchie movies.

Vasily Livanov is my all-time favorite actor to portray Sherlock Holmes and the Russian adaptation (1979 - 1986) featuring him and Vitaly Solomin as Dr Watson is a classic. The new series has some big shoes to fill.

Click on the link below to buy the Vasily Livanov Holmes DVD:

The opening shots of the trailer indicate that Igor's version will be radically different from that of Vasily. There is a reference to the boxing scene in the first episode ("Acquaintance") of the Livanov series.

Andrei Panin passed away in March 2013. RIP.

The Granada adaptation had a change of actors (David Burke to Edward Hardwicke) after the first series and still proved to be as popular as ever.

Click here to read all my posts about the classic Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.

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Image Source: Wikipedia

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Happy Birthday, Vasily Livanov and Benedict Cumberbatch

Vasily Livanov and Benedict Cumberbatch are my favorite actors to portray Sherlock Holmes. Both were born on this day in 1935 and 1976 respectively.

In my humble opinion, Vasily gave the best performance as the Canonical version of Holmes and Benedict is proving himself as the definitive modern version of the quintessential Victorian character.

Click on the link below to buy the Vasily Livanov Holmes DVD:

Click here to read my tribute to Vasily Livanov. Click here to read all my posts about BBC Sherlock.

Many Many Happy Returns of the Day to both of you! Wishing you the best of health and success in the coming years.

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Image Sources: Lenfilm Films Studio, Hartswood Films

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Happy Birthday, Igor Maslennikov

Igor Maslennikov (L) on the sets of the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes

Igor Maslennikov was born on this day in 1931. Igor directed the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (1979 - 1986).

Vasily Livanov is my all-time favorite actor to play Sherlock Holmes. Vitaly Solomin makes a great Watson as well. The Russian adaptation captures the essence of Victorian England successfully and credit is due to Igor for delivering such a fantastic series. Click here to read more about Igor Maslennikov.

Click on the link below to buy the DVD:

Happy Birthday, Igor and Wishing You a Long and Healthy Life ahead! 

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Image Source: Alek Morse 

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Cast and Crew - Russian Adaptation

Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes – Mortal Fight (1980) - Review

This episode is based on the Canonical story The Final Problem.

In the previous episode, The Master Blackmailer, Sherlock Holmes (Sir Vasily Livanov) received a letter from Professor Moriarty (Viktor Yevgrafov). In a slight deviation from the canon, Charles Augustus Milverton is shown as a pawn of Moriarty. Milverton’s death causes Moriarty to focus his efforts to stop Holmes once and for all.

The first meeting between Holmes and Moriarty does not take place at 221 B Baker Street. Holmes and Watson visit a gentlemen’s club with the specific intention of dropping in on Moriarty. Holmes is taken to meet Moriarty by the latter's henchmen. Moriarty warns Holmes to stay away but as expected Holmes has no intentions of doing anything of that sort.

Holmes and Moriarty meet

Back at the club, Watson witnesses a verbal confrontation between a certain Ronald Adair and Colonel Sebastian Moran. Adair accuses Moran of cheating to win a game of cards. Readers familiar with the Sherlock Holmes canon will recognize the significance of this encounter :)

The rest of the episode is a direct adaptation of the story. Holmes gives clear instructions to Watson about boarding the train to leave London the next day. The same night, 221 B is set on fire.

Holmes and Watson are soon engaged in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with Moriarty and his henchmen. Despite Holmes’s best laid plans, Moriarty has evaded arrest and is hell bent on avenging himself.

Holmes and Watson travel across Europe with the hopes of outrunning Moriarty. But Moriarty is always on their heels, as Holmes deduces time and again.

Holmes and Watson on the run

Soon the climax at Reichenbach Falls is upon us. An errand boy arrives to take Watson back to the hotel on a false pretext. Holmes fully knows the import of this occurrence and bids adieu to his longtime friend. Just as Holmes expected, the ‘Napoleon of Crime’ makes his appearance…

As Holmes and Moriarty employ their Baritsu skills to best each other, they are not alone. Sebastian Moran, Moriarty’s sharpshooter, is watching the encounter to ensure that Moriarty is avenged should the latter fail to off Holmes himself.

Colonel Sebastian Moran up to his old tricks again...

The epic encounter between Holmes and Moriarty is done full justice. This is one of the best shot episodes in the series and the Reichenbach section is probably the most spectacular. The shooting was not done at the actual falls but in Russia. I never felt the difference and full credits to director Igor Maslennikov and his team of cinematographers (Anatoli Lapshov and Yuri Veksler) for their stunning work. Vladimir Dashkevich’s Moriarty theme and background score for the Reichenbach scenes are outstanding.

Vasily Livanov is my all-time favorite actor to portray Holmes and he is simply marvelous in this episode. As Holmes comes face-to-face with his archenemy, Livanov does an excellent job in essaying Holmes at arguably his lowest point in the canon.

Watson reacts to Holmes's disappearance

Vitaly Solomin is always good in his role. From refusing to leave Holmes alone to face his greatest threat to his discovery of Holmes’s fate at Reichenbach Falls, Solomin gets to show a wide range of emotions. Dr Watson is the common man we all identify with and Solomin’s Watson is one of the best.

Viktor Yevgrafov's version of Moriarty is one of the most sinister looking ones. Viktor’s tall stature and his spider-like movements make him a convincing Moriarty.

Viktor Yevgrafov as Prof Moriarty

There have been a few other adaptations of The Final Problem, which include the Downey Jr movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the Granada series adaptation and Sherlock.

In my humble opinion, a hero is only as good as his villain. If the villain does not appear to be genuinely intimidating, it is hard (at least for me) to take the hero seriously. Moriarty’s portrayal is very vital to the success of any adaptation of The Final Problem. From this perspective, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the Russian adaptation are clear winners. Eric Porter did an adequate but not exceptional job in the Granada series.

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There are many fine touches in this episode that I liked very much - The M files maintained by Holmes, Watson sketching a portrait of Holmes and Holmes preparing himself for the physically challenging confrontation at Reichenbach. Maslennikov’s love for the Sherlock Holmes canon has always been evident in the series and this episode is yet another fine example.

My favorite parts in the episode

This episode is one of the best in the Russian series and will stand the test of time as one of the best adaptations of The Final Problem.

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Image Source: Lenfilm Films Studio

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