Movies: Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

(1939-1946)

Starring: Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Dr. Watson)

The Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films were my second encounter with Sir Arthur’s famous characters.  This was not, though, the first time I’d seen Mr. Rathbone.  I’d seen him years before as the superbly hammy pirate Levasseur in Captain Blood (1935), which, as far as I’m concerned, is the benchmark of pirate movies, to which all others should aspire.

Anywho.

These movies are just ok (there are 14 in all).  The idea of updating him is fine, and is interesting in the case of Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) when, instead of working just against Moriarty, he’s also trying to outwit Nazis and collaborators.  This was supposedly made as an adaptation of “The Dancing Men”, except that the only part of that story to make it into the movie, as far as I can tell, was the actual dancing men code.  Couldn’t there at least have been a Herr Slaney? Oh well.

Dance party!

Rathbone’s Holmes is almost an automaton, often an insufferably smug automaton.  This I could get around if there was anything else to his portrayal of  Holmes–his sentimental side, his depressed side…but there’s not much of that (of course, the writing and the style of the time has as much to do with that as anything).  Meanwhile, Bruce’s Watson is embarrassing.  They’ve dumbed him down so much that he’s nothing more than painful comic relief, and I don’t buy it that Holmes would keep such a windbag around.  However, Lionel Atwill makes a good, snarling Moriarty (he’s also in Captain Blood, playing a very memorable character).

A late night meeting.

Some of the films are in the public domain, so you can find them online or collected on DVD for pretty cheap (though the complete collections get pricey) –but beware of bad transfers.

The Bottom Line:  Watch if you’re a Holmes completist.  Secret Weapon is worth checking out as an adaptation of an iconic character put into a major contemporaneous event.  Other than that, I recommend you go watch Captain Blood instead (it’s got Errol Flynn!).

 

Next time: Jeremy Brett–getting to the good stuff!

Movie: The Great Mouse Detective

In honor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday, May 22, this month I present:

The Great Sherlock Holmes Endeavor!

As in, I will endeavor to watch a lot of Sherlock Holmes movies, and it’ll be great!  So, first up:

(1986)

Directed by: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener, John Musker

Starring: Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Vincent Price

Like a lot of people my age, my first encounter with Sir Arthur’s characters was Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective.  I still love this movie (and have it on DVD).  Technically, though, our main character is Basil, who lives underneath 221b Baker Street, and his trusted friend is Dr. Dawson.  There’s even a mouse Mrs. Hudson who gets apoplectic when Basil shoots her throw pillows!

             A noble pillow sacrifice, in the name of forensic science.

As one would expect, the animation is high quality.  The voice acting is great, especially Vincent Price as Ratigan (rat Moriarty).  As with any Disney film there are songs–but only three, two of which are sung by Mr. Price himself.  Don’t worry, they’re fun not annoying.  The original score, by Henry Mancini, enhances the story very well.

He’s feeling introspective, so he wants to introspect.

The writing and characterization are surprisingly good.  Ratigan is a much more over-the-top, scenery chewing villain than any Moriarty I’ve yet seen, but that’s not a bad thing.

What a ham.

Dawson gets into more trouble than Watson does, but he isn’t Nigel Bruce-esque embarrassing comic relief.  There is subtlety in the portrayals of Basil and Dawson.  Like the originals, Basil is tenacious and intelligent, and Dawson warm hearted and supportive.  This is a kids’ movie though, so there is going to be some slapstick and sillyness…but it’s funny (it’s not a bunch of toilet humor, which can get tedious very quickly).

Going undercover.

The movie is actually two degrees from Doyle–being based upon the Basil of Baker Street books by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone–but it fits right in with the feel of the original Holmes…right down to Basil smoking a pipe and going undercover in a bar.  Yes, smoking and drinking–and that’s no bubble pipe and fruit juice.  While undercover at the bar, our characters even see the local chanteuse sing a mildly sensual song (“Let me be Good to You”–think Marilyn in Some Like it Hot sensual) and can-can with her fellow mousettes.  There are even a few revolvers!

Mouse music hall.

This movie would never be made nowadays.  It is rated PG, but there would be parents threatening to boycott Disney (good luck with that) and angry pundits ranting on TV faster than you could say, “elementary my dear Watson.”  I watched this movie a ton when I was a kid and I’m not a big drinker, nor do I smoke, nor do I want to overthrow the British monarchy and install myself as a tyrant, but hey, whatever.

Don’t try this at home kids.

Interesting fact:  The sequence from which the following still was taken, a fight on the gears of the Clock Tower, was the first major use of computer animation in a feature-length film.

Don’t try this either.

The Bottom Line: Yes this is animated and *aimed at kids* but I feel comfortable putting it right next to other Sherlock Holmes movies.  It isn’t Holmes made nauseating and cutesy and watered down for kids–it is the same Holmes, just made more accessible for kids.  And there are tons of inside jokes for adult Holmes fans.  So watch it by yourself, watch it with your PG-ready kids.

Mr. Toby!

Next time:  Basil Rathbone!

Audio: Cabin Pressure

Radio Series

(2008-on-going)
Written by: John Finnemore
Cast:  Roger Allam (Douglas), Stephanie Cole (Carolyn), Benedict Cumberbatch (Martin), John Finnemore (Arthur)

Home station: BBC Radio 4
Available on Audible and iTunes

I miss radio serials.  And I don’t mean that in an “I’m old enough to remember listening to them in the days before television” way, because I’m not.  I mean that the radio serial is a lost art (indeed radio programming in general is a lost art/cause, but don’t get me started…).* However, Cabin Pressure is a refreshing departure.

The series centers around a small charter airline called MJN Air, which stands for My Jet Now…so named because MJN’s CEO, Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, got the crumbling 16-seater plane as part of a bitter divorce settlement.  Carolyn’s 27 year old son Arthur is the dim but enthusiastic flight attendant.  Flying the jet are Captain Martin Crieff and First Officer Douglas Richardson.  Martin has a serious inferiority complex because, no matter how much gold braid he wears on his suit and captain’s hat, everyone always assumes that Douglas is the captain.  Douglas meanwhile is a sneaky devil who was fired from his last job at Air England for “having sticky fingers.”

Put these four in the 3rd generation Geo Metro of airplanes, in an almost bankrupt company–and hilarity ensues.  It is pure situational comedy–every episode the intrepid four are tasked with flying all over the globe, carrying all manner of passengers and cargo: a belligerent group of American adventurers, a gregarious millionaire with a taste for expensive whiskey, a Scottish cricket team, the King and Princess of Lichtenstein, and something in a box that horses make…  To keep themselves entertained during flights, the crew plays all manner of nutty games, including “Simon Says”, “Hide the Lemon”, and “Books that Sound More Interesting With the Final Letter Knocked-off” (e.g.-Of Mice and Me).  Martin usually loses.

Like much of the best of British comedy, this series is insanely clever.  Finnemore is one of the best comedy writers I’ve ever come across.  He utilizes so many different comedic elements–word play, slapstick, irony, sarcasm, absurdity.  Solely through the use of dialogue (and the occasional sound effect) Finnemore paints a hysterical picture, moving the story right along.  He doesn’t make use of narration or of the cheesy and unnatural, “yes, and you already know that this and that is because of this” kind of expository dialogue.  As you work your way through the episodes you begin to get bits of character back-story.  The characters aren’t just mouthpieces for some clever writing–they develop into 3-dimensional characters that you love for different reasons and in spite of/because of their faults.

Since season one of Sherlock, I’ve quickly become a big Benedict Cumberbatch fan, so that’s just one more excuse to love this series.  He plays the awkward aeronautic-nerd to perfection.  Really though, all of the acting is superb.  Or as Arthur would say: Brilliant!  The four main players never miss a beat, rattling off the witty dialogue with perfect comedic timing.  The secondary characters are excellently written and acted as well.  (Highlight: Timothy West as Carolyn’s Aussie ex-husband.)

*This applies to U.S. radio.  Not particularly familiar with British radio.

The Bottom Line:  Even after listening to an episode four or five times, I still laugh out loud.  Which is exactly what I want from a comedy.

 

P.S.- Speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch and Sherlock, in honor of Sir Arthur’s birthday May will be all things Holmes.  Stay tuned for The Great Sherlock Holmes Endeavor!

Movie: The Tale of Zatoichi

This is actually a review-overview of the Zatoichi films–and there are 26 of them.  Yup, that’s a lot.  The Tale of Zatoichi (Zatoichi mongatari) was the first, released in 1962, and the final film Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman (Zatoichi) was released in 1982 (some released by Daiei Studios, now Kadokawa Productions, and some from Toho Studios).  The character was originally created by novelist Kan Shimozawa.  All 26 films and 100 episodes of the TV series take place during the Edo period in Japan (in the mid 1800s) and feature actor Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi.

Ok, finished with housekeeping.

As you can guess, the films revolve around Zatoichi, who is an impoverished, blind masseur and gambler.  He is also an infamous swordsman.  When people find out who he is they exclaim “Zatoichi! The Blind Swordsman!” and then they run, cuz he slices bad guys and doesn’t even bother to take their names.

He also slices candles.

He’s kind of a Robin Hood figure.  He walks from village to village with his cane sword trying to make a living giving massages and gambling (which he is good at because his super-heightened senses can hear which side the dice roll on).  When he encounters gangsters and damsels in distress he doesn’t leave until he’s disposed of the baddies and saved the ladies.  However he’s pretty unassuming–usually trying to hide the swordsman side of his identity–and is reluctant to resort to violence…but he cannot let an injustice stand!

All hell has broken loose!

Every film follows that same basic formula–Zatoichi goes to a new town, is pulled into the center of a problem whether he wants to be or not, meets a pretty girl, and then solves the problem, nobly walking off into the sunset.  (He never actually gets the girl.)  The films require a certain level of disbelief-suspension, but they’re always fun.  While some may not consider these to be “samurai/ronin” films because technically the character Zatoichi is neither, they have all the hallmarks of the genre.  So that’s where I’ve filed them in my DVD books.  Yes, I organize my DVD collection by genre; no, I don’t own all 26 of the films.

The noble hero.

A notable entry in the saga, particularly for fans of samurai films, is Zatoichi and Yojimbo (Zatoichi to Yojimbo, the 20th film, released in 1970).  Zatoichi comes head to head with Sassa the bodyguard, played by the totally epic Toshiro Mifune.  It’s kind of a wink-nod that Sassa is basically Mifune’s yojimbo character from the Kurosawa films (Yojimbo and Sanjuro, which I highly highly recommend for those who want an introduction to the samurai film sub-genre).  Lots of character-license-free fun to be had.

Yojimbo-1          Zatoichi-0

Beat Takeshi’s 2003 Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman is not a part of the 26 film “canon”.  I like this film well enough, even if it is a bit self-indulgent.  Beat Takeshi, a.k.a. Takeshi Kitano, both directs and stars as Zatoichi.  And Zatoichi has bleach blond hair (in Edo era Japan!?)…did he do it himself?  Did he go to a hair-dresser?  Overall, I don’t think it added much to the “big Zatoichi picture” and was basically just another Zatoichi movie.  But it’s worth watching–a good actor by the name of Tadanobu Asano plays opposite Kitano, as a samurai.

Zatoichi the Blond Swordsman

The Bottom Line:  Good clean fun.  If you enjoy comic book films and/or martial arts films (and somehow haven’t come across these yet) you’ll probably enjoy them.

 

 

 

P.S.- Mifune time!

Books: More Top 10 Sci-fi Guest Review

And now for Part 2.  For the intro and Part 1…scroll down.  Thanks to guest writer Mark for his excellent review!

*   *   *   *   *

#6 – Anathem by Neal Stevenson  (2008)

In an alternate universe, scientists, mathematicians and philosophers have been cloistered in monastery-like communities called “concents.”  These “avout” are allowed only limited contact with the outside world, except for in times of crisis when they can be called forth to assist the “saecular” government.

No one deals with really big concepts better than Stevenson.  A key plot point, for instance, involves the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.  Anathem is not, however, an easy read.  It’s more than nine hundred pages long and contains lengthy discussion of philosophy, math and physics that requires some study on the part of the reader.  But it’s more than worth the effort.  What makes Anathem doubly rewarding is Stevenson’s creation of a fully realized world populated by compelling characters.   You like and root for them and wish they really existed.

#5 – The Great Book of Amber – The Complete Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny (1999)

OK, maybe this is fantasy rather than science fiction, but these ten books – originally published from 1970 to 1991 — are well written, wildly entertaining and staggeringly imaginative.  There is no exploration of serious themes here, just serious fun.  Sit back, pour a drink, and enjoy the adventures and machinations of the Princes and Princesses of Amber, “the one true world of which all others are just Shadows.”

//I love these books!  They are seriously fun.  Every few years I make a point of re-reading them.  Non-Tolkien-derivative high fantasy.  And if you subscribe to the infinite multiverse-type theories, then there is a tad bit of sci-fi crossover.  A bit.//

#4 –- Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke (1953)

One of the greats of science fiction at the top of his game.  Childhood’s End involves nothing less than the peaceful takeover of Earth by benevolent aliens, a resulting “Golden Age” of mankind and the next step in human evolution.   The big reveal of Supervisor Karellen’s appearance at the end of the first section of the novel remains one of my favorite moments in all of science fiction.

While a case can be made for Songs of Distant Earth and Rendezvous with Rama, I consider Childhood’s End, with its overarching theme of the nature of the universe and man’s place in it, to be Clarke’s finest and most thought-provoking work.

//This book was my introduction to science fiction literature.  It was part of my middle-school curriculum (6th or 7th grade, can’t remember which) and I enjoyed it.  Thought provoking for all ages, but give it to your kid–might just blow their mind.//

#3 –  A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller (1961)

My favorite post-apocalyptic science fiction novel.  Miller traces the fall of civilization from a nuclear holocaust through a dark age, during which the last remnants of learning are safeguarded by the monkish “Order of St. Leibowitz,” to a new Renaissance and ultimately to a future where civilization is once again threatened by the development of nuclear weapons.  Alternately funny and tragic, Miller’s masterpiece is a stunning tour de force.

#2 –  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1959)

A mentally challenged man undergoes an experiment through which he gains and then loses genius level intelligence. Both beautiful and heart breaking, this is the novel that taught me that a really good book can make you cry.  Its last line is one of the saddest, most moving ever written – in any book, in any genre, ever.
//This book was part of my 8th grade curriculum, and it was my introduction to books that make you cry.  It does indeed have one of the saddest, most moving last lines ever (bawled my eyes out).  But don’t let that deter you, it is an excellent and important book.//

#1 — The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1974)

This short but powerful novel simultaneously explores the inhumanity of war and the practical and psychological impact of the time dilation of relativistic space travel on a soldier conscripted into an interstellar conflict.  For me, the Vietnam era anti-war message, while effective, is secondary to the novel’s contemplation of the effect of a thousand-year war on one of its “boots on the ground” participants.  A haunting story; I’ve read it many times, and have always come away with something new to ponder.

**A note about some things that are not on my list.  I admit that when I finished the list I was surprised that it does not include anything by Phillip K. Dick.  I consider Dick to be the most important writer in science fiction history; his body of work is extraordinary.  My favorite is the mind-bending The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, which would probably be on the list except for the fact that, even after several readings, I’m still not quite sure I understand it.  

//A great book (to damn it with faint and brief praise), and now I’m tempted to go dig out my copy…and grab my copy of Amber…//

Another omission is the absence of cyberpunk.   This is just a matter of personal preference; I’ve never been a big fan of the genre.  But I acknowledge its importance in the history of science fiction, and if I were to expand the list either William Gibson’s visionary Neuromancer or Neil Stevenson’s Snow Crash would probably ring in at #11.**