tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post5948315695229619934..comments2023-12-08T00:28:13.416-08:00Comments on Better Holmes & Gardens: “The Meaning of This Extraordinary Performance” (COPP): Granada Television’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles”goddessinsepiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216346071787396697noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-55616038184362697302011-07-25T11:09:58.874-07:002011-07-25T11:09:58.874-07:00@Live Out Loud: Thank you for your thoughtful comm...@Live Out Loud: Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Perhaps the right word isn't "superstitious." Maybe it's "shaken" or something similar. As you said, he can't count out the notion of a demonic hound, but as a man of science, it still doesn't sit well with him. Then you have Dr. Mortimer—another man of science who impressed Holmes—who seems shaken by the whole business. It leaves him unsettled. And as both you and Lucy (below) said, the laboriousness of the film is really on point with the original text. Perhaps that “holy grail” of HOUN films will be able to combine the reality of the HOUN text, with how devotees of that particular story seem to perceive it! Thank you again!<br /><br />@Lucy: Thank you so much! I think everyone involved in the Granada series was perfectly aware of the parameters of the original text. In fact, I was a bit surprised to read in Davies book that Brett thought the script wandered and that Holmes was away too long. Of course—that’s how Doyle wrote the story! But as I said to Live Out Loud, I think the issue with HOUN adaptations is finding a balance between the confines of the original text and how fans actually perceive the story. It’s a balancing act. And regarding “Alastair Duncan” (I did a double-take too), if you look at his filmography, you’ll see that he often performed under different names. He actually did HOUN under the name “Neil Duncan”! <br /><br />@KateM: I think your observations are spot-on. Granada was wonderfully meticulous in most of the episodes and adaptations, but sometimes directors and producers need to step back and realize what just *won’t* work on screen. There are limitations, not everything is going to make it. I would have loved to see Brett get his second shot. It was poignant to hear that was something he really wanted. Personally, I would have loved to have seen Granada’s version of STUD—to see how they would have come to terms with their older stars and their younger counterparts. Thank you for your comment!<br /><br />@virtualight: Mea culpa! I am so sorry! :-) Perhaps you will one day forgive me? ;-)goddessinsepiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216346071787396697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-55151139958861425272011-07-24T12:08:52.473-07:002011-07-24T12:08:52.473-07:00Oh great, now I have to take this off the dusty sh...Oh great, now I have to take this off the dusty shelf and rewatch it, just like I did The Greek Interpreter after another of you postings. Oh agony!virtualighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16544118423865170131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-58151027676018623972011-07-23T21:56:02.880-07:002011-07-23T21:56:02.880-07:00Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of adapt...Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of adaptation, of any novel, is getting the pacing right. I agree that the greatest failing of this version of HOUN is that it often loses its dramatic tension. A good adaptation adapts whatever qualities in the source material won't work on screen (big or small). I would have loved to see Brett have that second shot - with less lanscape shots and a tighter script with a touch more momentum.Katie Magnussonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18091667051813399831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-18018198644788207802011-07-22T15:34:09.891-07:002011-07-22T15:34:09.891-07:00Beautifully observant, as befits someone who is sp...Beautifully observant, as befits someone who is spending a large share of her consciousness in the company of Holmes. You provide an illuminating "close reading" of the Granada HOUN. It has always been one of the hardest stories for me to warm up to, and I agree it is not the best place to start in the Canon. <br /><br />I think all concerned acquitted themselves well in the Granada teleplay. Whatever bagginess or ambiguity is inherent in the novel. I did a double-take at the mention of "Alastair Duncan" but realized I must keep my "Alastairs" and "Alistairs" apart (not to mention the inexplicable "Alasdairs"!). A wonderful conclusion: it is "a beacon, to prevent other versions of HOUN from being lost on the moors."Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00187517182328614133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-55093110938760125012011-07-22T07:33:52.595-07:002011-07-22T07:33:52.595-07:00That scene with the stew is probably the best of t...That scene with the stew is probably the best of this episode! Very well done on both actors’ parts. (Holmes is more excited here then when doing a big reveal - and when Watson shoots him down with the undeniable truth, Holmes sighs and has to admit it is disgusting. Then adds that line about it being better when hot - priceless!)<br /><br />I don't agree that Holmes was superstitious in this version. In fact, to compare apples to apples, if we look at ‘The Last Vampyre’ (Granada), I think Holmes is uncharacteristically single-minded. Holmes is a man that won’t make a declaration until he puts the facts together and comes up with the truth. One of my favorite ‘lines’ or ‘themes’ is his belief that you don’t dismiss what doesn’t fit just because it doesn’t fit. If it doesn’t fit, you’re not looking at everything correctly. So to dismiss supernatural hounds or vampires – while he is a man of science – seems out of character. He may not believe it and will conduct his investigation on those principles but he’ll – in my opinion – be more like he was in Granada’s ‘Hound’ and not answer than Granada’s ‘Vampyre’ and make fun.<br /><br />And as far as “the film is often laborious and slow, and much of the dramatic tension seems to escape with every overly-long shot of landscape” – that is totally on point with canon. How many times did I shout in my head while reading ‘Hound’ – “It’s a moor! I get it!!”<br /><br />As always, wonderful, cool Post!!!!Jennifer Oberthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008884547045029128noreply@blogger.com