Over the last two years MPI Home Video has released two DVD sets that made the ‘whodunit’ world take notice, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” and “The Return of Sherlock Holmes.” This series starred the magnificent Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke as Mr. Watson. Based directly on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the series took you deep into the world of Sherlock Holmes to witness his triumphs as well as his failures, his strengths and his weaknesses like none other has done before. Jeremy Brett has long been heralded as the definitive Sherlock Holmes, which is not to discount Basil Rathbone, whose name has long been synonymous with that of the great detective. The original series, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” was produced between 1984-1985, and due to its popularity and faithfulness to the original stories, was brought back in the hopes of eventually filming all 60 of the canon.

Unfortunately, this was not to be. After filming 45 episodes, poor health, brought on by severe depression due to the death of his wife, prohibited him from making any more. In 1995 Brett passed away.

Fortunately however, it is still possible for us to watch the episodes that were made thanks to the continuing DVD releases from MPI. This month, we get 6 more episodes (listed below) in a 3-disc set, “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.” These particular episodes were where the DVD sets really began to get interesting for me as I had never seen any of these before. I was familiar with most of the episodes on the first two sets, having seen most of them on TV, but here it was all new ground.

“The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes” takes up right where we left off, and continues with same quality that had already started in earlier episodes. Along with the great performances, the production’s attention to detail as far as sets and costumes make this series a must watch.

I’ve always been a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and I have to admit to favoring the aforementioned Basil Rathbone as well as Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. In my mind, they will always own the roles. But Brett does a magnificent job of taking the character into new areas, some of which are quite uncomfortable as they expose some of Holmes’ weaknesses. Those who are familiar with the original books seem to relish these though.

In the series, the role of Dr. Watson was originally played by David Burke, but by the third ‘season’ he was replaced by Edward Hardwicke. He did a wonderful job with the character and continued in the role until the series ended.

So far the sets that have been released have included only a few extras, but they’ve always been good ones (quality over quantity, I always say…) and here is no different. “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes” includes commentaries by director John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”, “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”) as well as a welcome interview with Brett and Hardwicke. You’ll even find a short Sherlock museum featurette.

This DVD set is a must for Jeremy Brett and Sherlock Holmes fans, as well as fans of whodunits in general. I’d also like to issue a challenge to viewers. See if you can spot a certain “Sky Captain” from “The World of Tomorrow” in the episode, “Shoscombe Old Place.”

Episodes:
Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax
The Problem of Thor Bridge
The Illustrious Client
Shoscombe Old Place
The Creeping Man

Directed by: John Madden
Starring: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke
Extras: Commentaries by Director John Madden, Interview with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: MPI Home Video
Release Date: 9/28/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes an A.