Product Description

The celebrated duo of Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are back as the masterful Sherlock Holmes and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson. Based on the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES features six tales of mystery, deduction and suspense. Join the famous sleuth and the good doctor on yet another round of adventures. Quick, the game's afoot!

Includes:
Disc 1 Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax The Problem of Thor Bridge Disc 2 The Boscombe Valley Mystery The Illustrious Client Disc 3 Shouscombe Old Place The Creeping Man Bonus Features: Commentary Track with Director John Madden (Shakespeare In Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin) 1980?? Interview with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke Sherlock Museum Short Production Notes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8353 in DVD
• Brand: MPI HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2004-09-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 390 minutes

Amazon.com
The six episodes of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes continue Granda Television's excellent series starring Jeremy Brett as as the ideal incarnation of Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional hero, while Edward Hardwicke brings stellar support as the courageous, good-hearted Dr. Watson. The suspense is strong and the acting superb in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax. Watson is taking a holiday in the English countryside, where he meets the charming Lady Frances and then worries after she vanishes from sight. As in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes puts Watson on the case and instructs him from afar. In The Problem of Thor Bridge, Holmes is approached by an American senator (Daniel Massey, Brett's one-time, real-life brother-in-law) to clear the name of a governess in his employ, the lady having been accused of murdering the senator's wife on his estate and leaving her body on Thor Bridge. The solution is among the most complex and satisfying of the Great Detective's career.

Watson's proclivities toward gambling on horses open the door to the sprawling mystery The Shoscombe Old Place, which finds a famous playboy and equestrian, Sir Robert Norberton (Robin Ellis), in multiple jeopardy. In Boscombe Valley Mystery, Holmes and Watson are brought into an investigation of the murder of a farmer, whose body is found in the woods adjoining land owned by a wealthy property magnate. Holmes's investigation pulls the search in a wide direction, but the revelations are no less ghastly.

In the next story, based on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal favorites from his Holmes canon, Sir James Damery approaches Holmes with a special request from an "illustrious client" (read: King Edward) to intercede in the marriage of an Austrian nobleman who almost certainly murdered his first wife. When Holmes is himself the object of a murderous attack; an outraged Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) has to channel his thoughts of revenge into a bit of undercover work on behalf of the detective.

Finally, Holmes and Watson tackle one of their strangest cases in The Creeping Man, which borders on science fiction. The Great Detective meets an eminent, aging physiologist who has been behaving oddly of late, but the greater mystery concerns who or what may be behind the nocturnal appearances of an ape-like figure that moves rapidly through trees, terrifying the locals. Holmes's pursuit of the solution leads to a stunning revelation in this taut and imaginative thriller that Edgar Allen Poe himself might have appreciated. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover
The celebrated duo of Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are back as the masterful Sherlock Holmes and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson. Based on the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES features six tales of mystery, deduction and suspense. Join the famous sleuth and the good doctor on yet another round of adventures. Quick, the game's afoot! Includes: "Disappearance of Lady Francis Carfax," "The Problem of Thor Bridge," "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," "The Illustrious Client," "Shoscombe Old Place," "The Creeping Man."

Customer Reviews

Finally!
Finally, MPI media is releasing the fourth installment of the critically-acclaimed Granada Television "Sherlock Holmes" series on DVD! Suffice it to say these are the finest and most "authentic" productions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes ever made. Most fans consider the late Jeremy Brett to be the quintessential Holmes, and Edward Hardwicke is a fine actor in his own right and a most excellent Dr. Watson.

Sadly, Jeremy Brett was in quite bad health when these final episodes were created and would die several years after. Too bad. He was a gifted actor and should rightly be credited with "bringing to life" one of the 20th Century's most beloved fictional characters.

People may quibble about liberties taken here and there with the stories, but for the most part the "Casebook" series, like all the others, is very high quality, well-written, produced, and acted. Again, I'm anticipating techno-files may complain about the "transfer" as they have on past releases, but I believe MPI has done the best they can and the DVD is still FAR superior to owning these on videocassette.

Don't purchase these as an introduction to the series, start with the "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." However, if you're here, its probably because you already own the 3 prior DVD packages, "Adventures," "Feature Film Collection," and "Return," all of which are excellent.

Are these worth purchasing? Absolutely. High quality, intelligent, and family-friendly entertainment you can enjoy for a lifetime. Pull out every couple of years to watch them over and share with friends and family.

"These are deep waters, deep and rather dirty."
As stated in previous reviews, this set is by far the best from a film quality standpoint. They all should have been transferred this way. That being said, Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock Holmes. I have read all of the Holmes mysteries 100 times since I was 7 or 8 years old and these film versions come the closest to what Doyle portrayed in his writings. I was SOOO saddened to hear of Jeremy's death in 1995 and would have loved to see the stage version of THE SECRET OF SHERLOCK HOLMES that he and Edward Hardwicke toured the UK with in the late 80's (discussed in bonus interview on disc 3). All of these DVD's (Adventures, Return, Movies, Casebook & Memoirs) are required viewing for any Holmes fan. They are by far the best depictions of Holmes & Watson and will be viewed by me as many times as the stories have been read. You will not regret this purchase and suprisingly, Amazon had the best price on the net for this set.

A Great Set, Both Artistically and Technically
The stories featured in this set are every bit as entertaining and fun as those on "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." Technically, the set is even better. The picture quality is much higher and isn't grainy like the previous sets. And the packaging itself is higher quality. The case doesn't feel like it's going to come apart when you open it. Jeremy Brett was by far the best Sherlock Holmes. It is a real treat having these collections on DVD.