Vasily Livanov is my all-time favorite actor to portray Sherlock Holmes. Born to actor Boris Livanov, Vasily's upbringing was steeped in the artistic milieu. His trademark hoarse voice led to prodigious work in many Russian cartoon productions.
His greatest success as an actor is undeniably as Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary creation, Sherlock Holmes. His Holmes is a highly refined intellectual with extraordinary skills in observation and deduction.
Though Livanov is a tad short to match the physical description of Sherlock Holmes, he invests a lot of wisdom and humor in the role. Livanov's Holmes occasionally wears spectacles as well. To the best of my knowledge, this is quite unique among all the adaptations.
Click on the link below to buy the DVD:
Livanov's Holmes is assertive and masterly. Livanov presents a very calm and collected version of Holmes that readers of the Canon will instantly recognize.
His greatest success as an actor is undeniably as Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary creation, Sherlock Holmes. His Holmes is a highly refined intellectual with extraordinary skills in observation and deduction.
Though Livanov is a tad short to match the physical description of Sherlock Holmes, he invests a lot of wisdom and humor in the role. Livanov's Holmes occasionally wears spectacles as well. To the best of my knowledge, this is quite unique among all the adaptations.
Click on the link below to buy the DVD:
Livanov's Holmes is assertive and masterly. Livanov presents a very calm and collected version of Holmes that readers of the Canon will instantly recognize.
Unlike another great Sherlock Holmes impersonator, the great Basil Rathbone, Livanov is not saddled with a dumbed down version of Watson. Basil was an excellent Holmes and he would have been the definitive version, but for the gentleman portraying Dr Watson.
Vitaly Solomin is a great foil as the ever-dependable ally and friend, Dr. John Watson. Solomin's Watson is exactly as Conan Doyle had envisioned him to be: a true friend of Holmes and a competent doctor in his own right.
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| Vitaly Solomin as Dr John Watson |
While it is inarguable that the
observation and deduction skills of Holmes have made him the most prominent
fictional detective in the world, the camaraderie between Holmes and Watson is
the other major ingredient that has made Conan Doyle's works so successful.
The literary success of the
Holmes-Watson duo has inspired many other similar team-ups (Agatha
Christie's Poirot-Hastings is a famous example). True to the spirit of the
works that inspired this adaptation, Livanov and Solomin share an
excellent on-screen chemistry.
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| Russian Monument dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson |
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Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin are featured in a 4-coin set released to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes
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The critical acclaim and public reception for Livanov's work is
not just limited to Russia. He was awarded in 2006 with
an Honorary MBE (Member of the Order of the British
Empire) for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. New Zealand Mint released a
4-coin set to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes, featuring
Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin.
Click here to read all my posts about the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
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Image Sources: Lenfilm Films Studio, Sherlockian Who's Who, Alexander Sodov
Click here to read all my posts about the Russian adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to this blog by clicking here.
Image Sources: Lenfilm Films Studio, Sherlockian Who's Who, Alexander Sodov
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