• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

Sherlock Holmes Movie - Dec 25th 2009

S

SoTL1977

New Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
46
I debated putting this in the pipe forum, but thought I'd throw it out here. The new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law comes out in four days!

Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI

When I first saw the trailer, I thought out loud: "Sherlock Holmes a degenerate? WTF?" to which my wife, who'd read all the novels, said, "Um, yeah. He was the guy that you went to when you wanted discretion. He *was* a Victorian badass. Oh, and he had a bad heroin/opium habit... like, in one of the stories Watson makes him dry out." I realized that I'd gotten the sanitized version of it. So... hearing this, I can totally embrace the new Holmes movie and I'm excited to see it.

No, he's not wearing a deerstalker or smoking a calabash (in the movie it's a fedora and a Dublin style from what I can see in the trailer) - but then neither of these icons appear in any of the original stories - nor does the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson". Those were immortalized by William Gillette's portrayal of the popular historical detective in various stage plays of 1912. :) From what I can find, Doyle's description of Holmes' pipes was that he varied them, depending on his mood and he like robust, strong tobaccos. The Calabash was chosen because it was easy for audiences to see when the stories were performed as stage plays. So this latest flick isn't nearly as heretical as one might think. :D
 
I don't get out to see many movies, but this is one that I'm going to make an effort to go see.
 
What's that, you say?

13069_211328653441_515388441_2993983_2844830_n.jpg
 
And I must say that Robert Downey, Jr. is an often underappreciated actor. I have faith in his ability to give us a cinematically beautiful Sherlock Holmes performance.
 
This movie has nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes other than stealing his name. Holmes was an intellectual, something that this character and Downey is not.

I had to go check but Holmes did not use heroin, cocaine was his drug of choice. "The Sign of Four" begins and ends with Holmes reaching for the cocaine bottle.
 
I can't really speak to the acuracy of the film compared to other portrayals but I do hope RD Jr does not uneccessarily overact in this one. His characters usually come off as overconfident and cocky. For some movies (ie Iron Man) that works really well while for others it just does not fit. Hopefully he can smooth that edge a bit and come off as sophisticated and insightful instead.

I will probably give this one a looksie at least on Netflix when it comes out there if not in the theatre.
 
I understand and respect that purists will not want to see this rendition of Sherlock Holmes. :)

I really want to see it because I think it will show Holmes in a light that a new generation can fall in love with and they will hopefully check out the books (much like Lord of the Rings). Many young people think of Holmes as being kind of stuffy and Miss Marple-ish, but he was a man of action and adventure! And, unlike most everything else Hollywood has been remaking, Sherlock Holmes is one of those stories that have always been retold and will continue to be, bringing him to a new audience.
 
I had to go check but Holmes did not use heroin, cocaine was his drug of choice. "The Sign of Four" begins and ends with Holmes reaching for the cocaine bottle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X2 on this. Cocaine was his drug of choice.

Of coarse, cocaine was widely available over the counter and used in many forms back then.

History.... got to love it !!!
 
The Jeremy Brett-David Burke interpretation of Holmes and Watson is the truest to A. Conan Doyle's Character. You can see them on YouTube. The dialog in the episodes is lifted from the adventures themselves. Even though I'm a purist, I'll be seeing this one. It can't be any worse than the Peter Cushing version.

Doc.
 
It definitely looks like a movie I'll make as my pick to go see one night... I'm sure the wife will want to see "It's Complicated" and "Nine".
 
I noticed nobody has mentioned the director of this film, Guy Ritchie. I'm excited that he's getting a huge movie like this, as I have enjoyed his other works immensely. I hope he brings the same quirky humor to this movie as his past titles:

RocknRolla
Snatch
Revolver
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

I'm a HUGE Ritchie fan.
 
Snatch is one of my all time favourites! It's one of the greatest gangster/heist movies from the 90s.
 
I've been looking forward to this film as well. I also agree that Downey Jr. is often relegrated to second tier sometimes and is underappreciated. This is likely to do with his own drug issues. However, I think he can pull this film off. While it may not be true to Doyles image of Homes, I believe it will sell a lot of tickets. Looking forward to Iron Man II even more...
 
The wife and I saw Sherlock Holmes today, first showing @ 10am. :) IMO it kicked more ass then an abusive donkey farmer!

Action packed, great cinematography, Downey and Law were awesome in their roles, this flick will make a whole new generation fall in love with Holmes... the only problem was I couldn't smoke a pipe in the theatre. ;)
 
SoTL1977 said:
The wife and I saw Sherlock Holmes today, first showing @ 10am. :) IMO it kicked more ass then an abusive donkey farmer!

Action packed, great cinematography, Downey and Law were awesome in their roles, this flick will make a whole new generation fall in love with Holmes... the only problem was I couldn't smoke a pipe in the theatre. ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update SoTL1977! I think I might talk the wifey into checking it out before it checks out of the theatre.
 
Oh, one more great thing: it features one of my favourite drinking tunes, The Rocky Road to Dublin. I believe the version in the movie is the one recorded by the Clancy Bros. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9BOlFeQL0

The soundtrack of the movie is littered with fiddle pieces, so I'll probably be picking it up soon.
 
I saw the movie yesterday. It was good, not great, not bad - just good, in my opinion.

As far as those bashing and/or questioning the integrity of the screenpaly compared to Doyle's works, this movie, in fact, while not based on any specific Doyle novel, is actually closer to being pure than any other Holmes movie made. I don't profess to be a Holmes or Doyle fan (or RJD for that matter, for the rasons AVB aptly pointed out), but the Baker Street Irregulars seemed to give it a thumbs up. They are the invite-only society of scholarly followers of Sherlock Holmes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top