Title: SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ARCHIVE COLLECTION
Disc One: “Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour” – 1931, “Lost in Limehouse” – 1933, “Limejuice Mystery” – 1930
Disc Two: “Sting of Death” – 1955, “The Man Who Disappeared” – 1951, “A Case of Hypnosis” – 1952, “Strange Case of Hennessy” – 1933
Disc Three: “The Speckled Band” – 1949, “The Copper Beeches” – 1912, “Man With the Twisted Lip” – 1921, “The Screaming Bishop” – 1944, “The General’s Boots” – 1954
When I popped in the first disc of SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ARCHIVE COLLECTION from Film Chest Media and Synergy Entertainment, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I know of Sherlock Holmes, obviously, but I wasn’t really familiar with him. I may have read some of the short stories when I was younger, but nothing that I remember. I’ve never seen any of the various adaptations of movies. This was basically my introduction to the great detective.
This set is a strange way to be introduced to Sherlock Holmes. The set is entirely made up of straight Sherlock Holmes material. Synergy delivers an interesting mix that includes parodies, cartoons, chimps, and marionettes. For the Holmes purists out there, I don’t know how they will or do feel about these oddities. Perhaps this is a common thing in the world of Sherlock Holmes, I’m not sure. For me, this is the stuff I enjoyed the most on the collection.
Don’t get me wrong, the stuff that is straight Sherlock Holmes material is quite good. I really enjoyed “The Speckled Band,” that was my favorite. This was an episode from YOUR SHOW TIME directed by Sobey Martin and starring Alan Napier as Holmes. This episode has Holmes investigating the strange death of a young woman’s sister. Napier, who I’m a huge fan of thanks to being 60’s Batman’s Alfred, portrays Holmes in a fun, cheesy way. The story is well done and plays out nicely for a little 30 minute mystery.
There are also a few things on this set that I’m not sure how they tie into Sherlock Holmes at all. “Sting of Death,” an episode from THE ELGIN HOUR, stars Boris Karloff and it’s about some deadly bees. This is mostly forgettable. It’s always interesting to see different performances from Karloff, but there’s nothing really exciting here. Not entirely sure how this ties in with Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps someone out there more versed in Holmes can loop me in.
Now let’s venture back to those oddities because that’s what really hooked me. The stuff was just so bizarre and strange. You really don’t see many cartoons and shorts like these made anymore. They can’t be made even if people try. These older shorts have a certain authenticity that simply can’t be recreated.
Marionettes performing a Sherlock Holmes parody as Herlock Sholmes in “Limejuice Mystery” is oddly fascinating. This is type of stuff that you see projected on the wall and some art-house bar and you can’t help but wonder how it ever came to be. Who comes up with this? I don’t know, but I thank them greatly.
I don’t know if there are more of these bits and pieces of Sherlock Holmes weirdness out there, but because of this set I’m going to look for more. In fact I really wish this set would have had more of that type of stuff. Again, if you’re a Holmes purist, maybe you don’t like this stuff, or maybe you like it even more than I do, I don’t know. But coming from someone just getting into Sherlock Holmes, I’m sure glad to have seen this.
Rating: 3.5/5
Own SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ARCHIVE COLLECTION - http://www.synergyent.com/film_collections/sherlock_holmes_archive_coll.php
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