The running theme of the Holmes stories is that of intellect (Holmes) and compassion (Watson) triumphing over the cruelty and brutality of the world. That's why the stories endure.Who doesn't want to believe that all the nonsensical evils of the world can be defeated by reason and empathy.
If you'll forgive the parallel, it's rather like Spock and Kirk in the original Star Trek series: one all logic, the other tempered with humanity and compassion.
And yet the intellect is tempered by the drug addiction and the compassion by a gambling addiction as well as the unspoken fact that the man with compassion is also a veteran of a rather brutal war.
Doyle hated being interviewed because all they wanted to talk about was Holmes and not his other books. Doyle told friends he was sick of writing the same character over and over but was so hounded by fans. He kept writing for peace and quiet. He couldn’t even get away with killing him off. The avalanche of protest was overwhelming.
Agatha Christie was smarter. She's also on record saying she didn't like Hercule Poirot. But she made sure his death wasn't published until after her own.
@@michaeljensen2404 so someone who becomes famous for one thing and gets asked by numbskulls to repeat it over and over, like they were a robot or circus monkey, is never allowed to say "actually, I want to try something else"?
For me, the most remarkable aspect of Doyle’s writing is his superb dialog, his ability to create an interesting and unpredictable plot, his clarity and pace and finally his grasp of the frailties of human nature.
I am surprised that there is no mention of "The Cottingly Fairies" .How Conan-Doyle became the biggest advocate that the photos of fairies at the bottom of the garden were real. It turned out that the creator of the greatest detective was duped by two teenage girls.
I find it intriguing that Doyle felt Holmes was taking over his life, was overshadowing him, because the exact same thing was said by the actor Jeremy Brett who portrayed Holmes in the brilliant tv series. Brett often stated that Holmes was overcoming him, almost leeching the life from him and indeed the man became very ill toward the end of the series.
He was a very poorly man (manic depressive and heart condition)... His lifestyle (60 cigs a day) - He became obsessive over Holmes - fine piece of drama by him to say that Holmes was taking him over .. it's the actors that allowing obsessive behaviour on their own part - as one can with almost anything .. :-) I was fortunate enough to go to Wyndham's Theatre to see Brett and Hardwicke play 'The Secret of Holmes' I still have the programme... :-)
@@tracik1277 I was always going to enjoy his performance unless he had had a bad night. My point was that many actor and, indeed, actress', have said the same about roles taking over a part of their personality if only temporarily.. it's also 'the thing to say' ... like bands with .. this is their best album.. or favourite song etc., often disingenuous. Holmes and Brett's character are both strong and why the effect was there, I am sure. Knowijg he was ill, as Brett did, he put his 'all' into it.. :-)
Why is it that literary types always have to look for alternate meanings and hidden secrets? Couldn't it just be that Conan Doyle was fed up with writing the same sort of work over and over again and wanted to move on to something else. Often in life, the simplest explanation is the correct one... After the success of 'The Baskervilles' he re-acquainted himself with his character and found great financial reward. What better incentive is there to return to the character in later life? Why is Sherlock Holmes still attracting audiences today? Probably nostalgia and the attraction of deductive reasoning...
It's true. Conan Doyle really wanted to be a high-end "literary" writer, and felt that Holmes was holding him back and relegating him to the second-string.
That's true, and they did say that. But it's not the highest quality documentary ever, given it says that Holmes encounters his arch nemesis Moriarty for the final time in The Final Problem. Cos it's also the first time Moriarty appears in the books...
I agree, Jeremy Brett has my vote for best on-screen Holmes. It's said he got so into character it haunted him and he'd never refer to Holmes by name, calling him "You Know Who" or simply "HIM".
I've been asked many times if I'm related to Sherlock Holmes. My standard reply is, "The fictional character ?, No, no relation." Most people get it, but not all.
If I say yes, that would be a lie. My answer is truthful and lets them know, in the snarkiest way possible, that they just asked if I was related to a fictional character.
This video would be far more interesting if it simply told the story without speculation or embellishment. Doyle created a fictional character that captured the reader's imagination and later wanted to branch out into something new. The anguish and backlash from fans is an amazing story in itself.
In Holmes the character I was as a child fascinated by his reasoning of deduction and applied that whenever possible because being aware of your surroundings and and what is in it can give you a wealth of information and I used that regularly as an EMT on man down calls because just charging into a situation can and will get you killed.
When I was in my early teens, I found Sherlock Holmes' books and, for many years I thought he was as real as Santa Claus. What a heartbreaking pain was to have to face that he was just a fiction. Although, deep in my heart, I still believe in him. He is still my hero.
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote other books, most of which are obscure and didn't sell very well in his lifetime. It's been suggested that "Sherlock Holmes" got in the way of other interests, though it paid all the bills. A final word on Sherlock Homes: A character who calls himself "Sherlock Holmes" makes life in Ontario, Canada more complex for "Detective William Murdoch" of the Toronto Constabulary.;)
Agatha Christie had the same issues with Hercule Poirot and that characters popularity. She did not even like the character, but kept writing Hercule Poirot stories as he was extremely popular.
@@TheFissionchips Oh, I completely disagree. Perhaps you do not care for the more refined mannerisms of Poirot. Yes, his fastidiousness with his personal grooming and eating and way of life, and the way he walked like a penguin, is clearly different from the ordinary person, but the shows were impeccable in their production; and like Sherlock, Poirot did not suffer fools easily, and his ability to untangle the complicated events in each episode's murder was just as incredible to watch as was Sherlock's. But...that's okay....you have your opinion and I have mine.
Weird moustache. Watching DOT Nile the other day I was put off by something that looked like jet black plastic or shining boot polish black. There seems no intrigue at all. I respedt you rights to like or admire.
Dr Joseph Bell was the main inspiration for Holmes. Conan Doyle was fed up that his other works were ignored and he ran out of ideas for Holmes. Remember he was briefly resurrected in later years, mainly for popularity. Let's not look for other motives.
1:43 : The Soviet (so Victorian) version of Sherlock Holmes, (Between 1979 and 1986, the Soviet studio Lenfilm produced a series of five television films, . The series were split into eleven episodes and starred Vasily Livanov as Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Watson. For his performance, in 2006 Livanov was appointed an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire)
What were the appealing traits about Holmes that made and makes him loved, and read; and watched even today? I don't think it was his drug addiction, or the high pitched (annoying) voice, or his disdain for weaker (corrupted) minds, or his curios Bohemian lifestyle (or the mainstream public would live likewise,) but rather I think the attraction is/was that Holmes is (1) independent, not a coward, and a free spirit who is able to be successful. (2) He is observant and sees things that are right in front of people's eyes (giving hope that others may do likewise.) And much like a stage magician who pulls scarves, doves, bouquets, and rabbits from thin air right before your very eyes, he pulls observation and deduction together much to everyone's amazement and amusement. (3) Holmes also uses his powers of observation to problem solve in a world of that period and now that was/is undergoing rapid changes manipulated from on high that causes a lot of misery and suffering. (4) He possesses not only a work ethic, but also integrity, and a moral ethic which the late Victorian society highly revered as a safeguard of social integrity (as opposed to today where "the ends justifies the means" is the rule of law, banking, and commerce.) Holmes is able to piece together the bigger picture and guide confusion into the light of clarity for all to behold and hold. Holmes was not "born to the purple" like Sir Percy Blakeney, and didn't have endless resources at his disposal to affect outcomes; Holmes has to make due at all times (like the Baker Street Irregulars) but manages to be fabulously successful against all odds. Holmes is a man of modest means who has to survive on his wit. Homes gives dignity to the common man and in so doing endeared himself to average working people, but also held the respect and affection of those who actually were born to higher stations as a beacon of English ingenuity and social stability..
If I was wearing my hat I would take it off to you. That is the best, most lucid and very well constructed you tube comment that I have come across in a long time. In fact I'm going to find my hat right now.
Oh yeah, and then their pathetic plea to RUclips in the beginning of the vid is pathetic! As far as the comment ‘That’s just way RUclips works now’ goes, that’s pathetic as well! ‘Do not go gently into the night of commercials on RUclips!’ Give everyone one that lets you give a thumbs up or down a great BIG THUMBS DOWN, and click away from every single one as soon as you can! When you could always do this, I didn’t mind too much, but shoulda known better! Anyone else upset with the click-aways now at 5 secs ( And yes, even 5 seconds BOTHERS ME!) & 10 seconds long instead of the 3 second click-aways???
Life hack. Drag the dot all the way to the end, let the video end so that the Replay symbol appears, but then just drag the marker back to the front. Boom.
My Dad saw Gillette on stage when he visited England for Boy Scouts World Jamboree in the 20's. He said Gillette was a fine actor of Holmes, but the play was spoilt by an emoting bell hop and a silly Watson.
Possibly, but they werent very well written were they? His obsession with the grotesque, delivered in its full lurid detail by a rabid alky in full adolescent flow,- he never really grew up,did he? - befuddled by lifes complexity - would have been better served had he dedicated himself to books for children, about the right level given his paucity of skills with language
in “MY OPINION” basil rathbone (apologies if spelling wrong) was the best holmes,glorious black&white txt book look and sound!oh and Dr watson!absolutely classic still as funny now as back then
There's an interesting parallel between Conan Doyle and his near contemporaries Gilbert and Sullivan, both of whom felt that they should move on to more serious work, but who were trapped by the immense popularity of their operettas.
To be fair, in The Final Problem, Holmes died "off screen" with his death only "deduced" by Watson. Thus, he wrote himself an automatic "get out of death free" card for the Detective.
Okay there is some interesting stuff here--like Doyle's mother's possible relationship with her former lodger, and his time on a whaler--but much of this is stretching. More, the author of the voice-over clearly doesn't know Holmes at all. Whoever it is reveals this in so many details, getting tiny and important things wrong. Even making claims that are weird--like all the "drunken husbands" in the Holmes stories--who? I have a sense there must be some but I cannot think of any. But what does spring to mind (and it is telling the writer doesn't think to mention this) is the violent, murderous father in "The Speckled Band".
I was subtly introduced to Sherlock Holmes by way of Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective". A few years later, I learned that Basil was based on Sherlock. Then I got into the anime, "Detective Conan/Case Closed", where the main character mentions the author created his idol. It wasn't until I was a high school jr., that I read "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and liked it. And a few years ago, I discovered a cartoon that, apparently came out when I was little. It follows most of the cases with a twist.
Sherlock Holmes is popular in the XXI century too. I think nowadays the readers enjoy this character because he is different than your average book hero, he is unlikable and also very likeable at the same time.
Doyle got very sick of writing Sherlock Holmes stories. He considered it the least worthy of his writings. That is the simple reason that he killed off the character, so he could quit writing those damned stories. The demand for the Return of Holmes was Huge. Doyle did not love Sherlock and Watson.
This vid starts off saying Doyle really wanted to write longform novels, he did that for the first - publishers broke up into smaller, short stories. The publisher then public pressure forced him to feed the short story addiciton. Result? Over 50 short stories, only 4 novels - no wonder he'd had enough
any biography of conan-doyle will tell you that he saw his literary work as restricted by sherlock holmes. specifically, he saw his historical romances as the hight of his creation. the 4 holmes novels and 56 stories are only ten precent of the literary works he produced. i'm quite sure that the producers of this program knew that.
@@Eideric And why they are idiots. They claim ALL his other works were bad and rejected by the public - what about The Lost World? Have they never heard of all the movies versions? Yep, they said it, they were wrong and based on the poor excuse for a "Documentary" this thing is, they are unlikley to produce anything with coherence and skill
Sir Basil Rathbone was great, but his scripts stunk...They should have kept it closer to the author's original designs instead of hollywooding the screen scripts...
I have read a couple of Holmes short stories. One character that is not mentioned in the video is Professor George C. Challenger, he was a separate creation away from Holmes. I found out about Professor Challenger when I found the silent film "The Lost World" (1925) which was the first novel of Challenger. I was amazed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyal was the author of the story, he made an appearance at the start of the movie, which was very exciting for me since I never seen a picture of nor let alone him in film. I have a book, "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" which I am looking forward to reading after this video.
Some good insights, especially toward the end. But the "killing" of Holmes is badly over-psychoanalyzed. Conan- Doyle simply wanted to free himself to write what he'd dreamed of writing all along, historical romances in the manner of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson -- and the stories he heard from his mother. Unfortunately, that wasn't his forte. Personally, I think his greatest act of genius wasn't the creation of Sherlock Holmes but of Doctor Watson! None of us could have stood being around Holmes for even a day.
Yes . I agree . Scott and Stevenson were his literary idols. Despite his unparalleled success I think he felt a sense of failure that he never achieved the sort of literary reputation that they had. ? They're both almost forgotten today - especially Scott . But Holmes lives on...? !
I think Holmes was a clever toy that Doyle enjoying playing with for a while. Then his ambitions changed and he resented getting out this (to him) worn-out toy and plying it once again for an audience.
This was mediocre. They talked a lot about Conan Doyle killing off Sherlock Holmes but didn't adequately explain or posit why. Felt a little bit all over the place. -A Seasoned Documentary Connoisseur
It is really simple. He didn't want to write Sherlock Stories anymore. He had a wealth of other stories he wanted to write and Sherlock was holding him back.
A bit surprised to know Conan Doyle was Scottish. I don't know but I have the impression that he's mostly described as "British" while somebody like Sean Connery is always THE Scot guy. I dunno maybe it's just me.
I used to think so too until I found Jeremy Brett. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series from 1984 to 1994 with Jeremy Brett. They are so well done. I just found them on RUclips about two months ago. Worth the time watching the series. It's as accurate as possible. I will always love the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce movies.
@@tinaarko6625 Do you mean those Grenada production Sherlocks , yes they are Best ! They seem so accurate to details and all the the signs of the times. One of the finest TV productions ever to be made in the UK.
I always assumed when it came to Conan Doyle killing off Holmes, that he was growing tired of him. Where the public was demanding more and more Holmes and writing those stories perhaps felt like a machine cranking out supply and less fun for him as a writer? Holmes had become this larger than life character in his own right and Conan Doyle probably was just bored doing the same thing over and over for Holmes and wanted a change. Or perhaps he felt overshadowed by Holmes and just wanted to break free of what Holmes had become.
They clearly did a lot of serious research for this, too bad they made it so tabloid.Is there an award for the number of times you can use the word, 'disturbing' in a documentary?
I completely disagree with the point about it being a jaunt away from modern technology. The stories make great use of the latest technology such as telegrams and train travel (calculated to the minute) as well as medical science.
I think all authors reflect on their own life knowledge in their stories. At the point where he killed off Holmes I think it may have been a strange combination of boredom with the character and jealousy. It may be that the realization the character was larger in life them himself and a sense he was only a Watson to a fictional character no less, that caused him to kill off Holmes. I think the public demand for the return of Holmes also gave him more of the public notoriety he may have been seeking. Just a thought.
I have read far more novels in my life than an average person of my age of 42. Fictional novels? Let's say over 1000. But still to day, none of Arthur Conan Doyle's production. This video inspired me to buy a copy of "Baskerville hound".
A real feat. To take such a fascinating subject and make it so terminally boring where you spend large parts of it trying to hear ABOVE THE BLOODY MUSIC
Of course authors draw on our own experiences, but we also invent, and the impulse to psychoanalyze authors is a symptom of unresolved jealousy. And the Holmes stories continue into World War I--see "His Last Bow."
I disagree about 'unresolved jealousy'. Need jealousy always need to be a symptom of say some neurosis. Can man or woman not see something and experience some jealousy with out it being a symptom? Fair play if psychologists or psychiatrists could treat jealousy then it would be convenient to have it categories as a symptom of an illness. But as they can not, or do not help but suck the country or patient dry of money just for making out something trivial is an illness or symptom then it'd be better in many cases if they didn't bother and just accept some seeing of the grass as greener (jealousy) as natural and let people lick their lips salviating at some of what they can not afford or have. A person with a life expectancy of the rest of his/her life in a wheel chair may have to cope with problem far greater than being jealous of those with two healthy legs. But making jealousy a symptom of an illness just can not help at all. I experience jealousy as a registered disabled person but rather than experiening it as an illness I experience it as an essential acknowledgement of certain realities to help motivate me to achieve similar or an alternative so as not to be jealous further. So are people doing things for themselves even if born partly of jealousy really suffering symptom of an illness? No not necessarily, not if they are not suffering.
He died in 1930, the last published Holmes story published in 29, no ideas running out, he just wanted to be a novelist, not merely a short story production line worker
Maybe he ended the character to unshackle himself from the story-line. To break away and do other stories. Or maybe he was jealous more people spooned over his character instead of the man that created him.
Nicely done, in a few sentences you pin down the most likley real story, which the authors/creators of this vid were unable to do in an hour long production. This vid states early on that he desperately wanted to be successful as a long form story teller, ie a Novelist. The Publishers and the public shackled him to the short story format - proof:- over 50 short stories only 4 novels. No wonder he wanted out. Despite that obvious, self stated fact, the authors of this vid chose to imply, badly, with no proof at all, that his dislike of the character was based in some childhood trauma/psychological damage. A great brain analysed by idiots, what could we ecpect??
Yes, it started poorly then fell into a pit of incoherence and poorly judged speculation, collapsing in utter nonsense near the finish. Terrible nonsense
As a political junkie, in the US, & seeing the pictures of Dr Joseph Bell [13:12] was UNNERVING.. Seriously.. WTF?! So, ACDs real life INSPIRATION for SH (Dr. B) looked like the offspring of Mike Pence & Roger Stone.... Spooky AF!
Beautiful research my own father born 1901 edwardian though victorian in sensibility always had this fear of change and the workhouse. Many of that generation lost themselves in music or the church society and reality was almost unbearable without this escape. Massive changes in tech a hierarchical societal structure where most of the population were enslaved led to this fear. lots of money that could have been used for society went into the battleships bristling with guns truth will out!
The running theme of the Holmes stories is that of intellect (Holmes) and compassion (Watson) triumphing over the cruelty and brutality of the world. That's why the stories endure.Who doesn't want to believe that all the nonsensical evils of the world can be defeated by reason and empathy.
If you'll forgive the parallel, it's rather like Spock and Kirk in the original Star Trek series: one all logic, the other tempered with humanity and compassion.
@@michaelpaulsmith4619 No need to apologize for the parallel. It's a good comparison.
@@gailcbull Why thank you, Ma'am. :-)
And yet the intellect is tempered by the drug addiction and the compassion by a gambling addiction as well as the unspoken fact that the man with compassion is also a veteran of a rather brutal war.
And the Doobie brothers wrote the song what a fool believes.
Doyle hated being interviewed because all they wanted to talk about was Holmes and not his other books. Doyle told friends he was sick of writing the same character over and over but was so hounded by fans. He kept writing for peace and quiet. He couldn’t even get away with killing him off. The avalanche of protest was overwhelming.
Agatha Christie was smarter. She's also on record saying she didn't like Hercule Poirot. But she made sure his death wasn't published until after her own.
Yeah , but he never complained about the money he was making of Holmes, never complained about Holmes then , he is just another spoilt celebrity ,
Nice puns... :-)
@@michaeljensen2404 'from Holmes'. I suggest you read up on Conan Doyle he was never a 'spoilt celebrity'. Lol
@@michaeljensen2404 so someone who becomes famous for one thing and gets asked by numbskulls to repeat it over and over, like they were a robot or circus monkey, is never allowed to say "actually, I want to try something else"?
For me, the most remarkable aspect of Doyle’s writing is his superb dialog, his ability to create an interesting and unpredictable plot, his clarity and pace and finally his grasp of the frailties of human nature.
1q
I am surprised that there is no mention of "The Cottingly Fairies" .How Conan-Doyle became the biggest advocate that the photos of fairies at the bottom of the garden were real. It turned out that the creator of the greatest detective was duped by two teenage girls.
Wow I didn’t know that! Haha
Probably the opium he took regularly!
Have you seen the movie with Peter O'Toole and Harvey Keitel ??
Creative thinkers are easily taken by the fantastical.
That still puzzles me as well. I suspect he may have feared his own mortality.
I find it intriguing that Doyle felt Holmes was taking over his life, was overshadowing him, because the exact same thing was said by the actor Jeremy Brett who portrayed Holmes in the brilliant tv series. Brett often stated that Holmes was overcoming him, almost leeching the life from him and indeed the man became very ill toward the end of the series.
He was a very poorly man (manic depressive and heart condition)... His lifestyle (60 cigs a day) - He became obsessive over Holmes - fine piece of drama by him to say that Holmes was taking him over .. it's the actors that allowing obsessive behaviour on their own part - as one can with almost anything .. :-) I was fortunate enough to go to Wyndham's Theatre to see Brett and Hardwicke play 'The Secret of Holmes' I still have the programme... :-)
@@BassGoBomb The nature of obsession is that it does take you over and can overwhelm you. You managed to enjoy his performance nevertheless.
@@tracik1277 I was always going to enjoy his performance unless he had had a bad night. My point was that many actor and, indeed, actress', have said the same about roles taking over a part of their personality if only temporarily.. it's also 'the thing to say' ... like bands with .. this is their best album.. or favourite song etc., often disingenuous. Holmes and Brett's character are both strong and why the effect was there, I am sure. Knowijg he was ill, as Brett did, he put his 'all' into it.. :-)
The power of archetype ?
Brett was far from the first actor to feel that the character was taking over his life.
Why is it that literary types always have to look for alternate meanings and hidden secrets? Couldn't it just be that Conan Doyle was fed up with writing the same sort of work over and over again and wanted to move on to something else. Often in life, the simplest explanation is the correct one... After the success of 'The Baskervilles' he re-acquainted himself with his character and found great financial reward. What better incentive is there to return to the character in later life? Why is Sherlock Holmes still attracting audiences today? Probably nostalgia and the attraction of deductive reasoning...
It's true. Conan Doyle really wanted to be a high-end "literary" writer, and felt that Holmes was holding him back and relegating him to the second-string.
@Beautiful Life Beautiful life, not beautiful mind apparently.
Western Australia Now and Then ✊👍
That's true, and they did say that.
But it's not the highest quality documentary ever, given it says that Holmes encounters his arch nemesis Moriarty for the final time in The Final Problem.
Cos it's also the first time Moriarty appears in the books...
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." (Sorry, I couldn't resist).
For me, the best representation of Holmes has be the late Jeremy Brett
Completely agree with you, he WAS Holmes.
Yes he was the BEST. but dont forget NIGEL hes classic
@@xys7536 He was, no question of that. But Jeremy Brett was much more faithful to the literary Holmes.
I agree, Jeremy Brett has my vote for best on-screen Holmes. It's said he got so into character it haunted him and he'd never refer to Holmes by name, calling him "You Know Who" or simply "HIM".
@Linda Roy
I agree, Jeremy Brett definitely made the best representation of Sherlock Holmes.
I've been asked many times if I'm related to Sherlock Holmes. My standard reply is, "The fictional character ?, No, no relation." Most people get it, but not all.
Dude, just say, "yes."
If I say yes, that would be a lie. My answer is truthful and lets them know, in the snarkiest way possible, that they just asked if I was related to a fictional character.
Like the famous story of someone asking Anthony Hawk if he was related to Tony Hawk 😂
Oh that’s funny! He seems real in our mind I think because we’ve seen him depicted on TV and movies. I guess things like that just slip out. 💕🐝
If I was you @Richard Holmes, I would have said only by marriage!
This video would be far more interesting if it simply told the story without speculation or embellishment. Doyle created a fictional character that captured the reader's imagination and later wanted to branch out into something new. The anguish and backlash from fans is an amazing story in itself.
Totally agree: the "analysis" of his motives were the least interesting aspect.
Exactly, and without music too.
It's said when he killed off Holmes, the citizens of London wore morning bands on their arms.
I totally agree! A documentation shouldn't be presented to fit their own agenda!
It was based on a real person his university teacher James bell of Edinburgh University.
Love, love, love ALL the Sherlock Holmes' stories ...
His stories are the very soul of the best whodunits!
After reading many comments, I think I'll just re-read all S.H. stories. Never fails!
In Holmes the character I was as a child fascinated by his reasoning of deduction and applied that whenever possible because being aware of your surroundings and and what is in it can give you a wealth of information and I used that regularly as an EMT on man down calls because just charging into a situation can and will get you killed.
👍❤️🙏🥰
When I was in my early teens, I found Sherlock Holmes' books and, for many years I thought he was as real as Santa Claus. What a heartbreaking pain was to have to face that he was just a fiction. Although, deep in my heart, I still believe in him. He is still my hero.
Me too
Well, there's fact and fiction .. people do seem to have problems with that... Da Vinci Code being another among many.
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote other books, most of which are obscure and didn't sell very well in his lifetime. It's been suggested that "Sherlock Holmes" got in the way of other interests, though it paid all the bills. A final word on Sherlock Homes: A character who calls himself "Sherlock Holmes" makes life in Ontario, Canada more complex for "Detective William Murdoch" of the Toronto Constabulary.;)
Agatha Christie had the same issues with Hercule Poirot and that characters popularity. She did not even like the character, but kept writing Hercule Poirot stories as he was extremely popular.
Poirot should have been canned before he got into the public. Horrible.
@@TheFissionchips Oh, I completely disagree. Perhaps you do not care for the more refined mannerisms of Poirot. Yes, his fastidiousness with his personal grooming and eating and way of life, and the way he walked like a penguin, is clearly different from the ordinary person, but the shows were impeccable in their production; and like Sherlock, Poirot did not suffer fools easily, and his ability to untangle the complicated events in each episode's murder was just as incredible to watch as was Sherlock's. But...that's okay....you have your opinion and I have mine.
Weird moustache. Watching DOT Nile the other day I was put off by something that looked like jet black plastic or shining boot polish black. There seems no intrigue at all. I respedt you rights to like or admire.
Dr Joseph Bell was the main inspiration for Holmes.
Conan Doyle was fed up that his other works were ignored and he ran out of ideas for Holmes.
Remember he was briefly resurrected in later years, mainly for popularity.
Let's not look for other motives.
1:43 : The Soviet (so Victorian) version of Sherlock Holmes, (Between 1979 and 1986, the Soviet studio Lenfilm produced a series of five television films, . The series were split into eleven episodes and starred Vasily Livanov as Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Watson. For his performance, in 2006 Livanov was appointed an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire)
Timeline, please turn up the volume when you upload these wonderful shows!
why the need for music all the time? I simply can`t hear the narrator clearly :-/
its like they want us to watch hulu or something
lol
Intelligent, well researched, complete, and even respectful. Best history of Doyle and Holmes I've seen.
What were the appealing traits about Holmes that made and makes him loved, and read; and watched even today? I don't think it was his drug addiction, or the high pitched (annoying) voice, or his disdain for weaker (corrupted) minds, or his curios Bohemian lifestyle (or the mainstream public would live likewise,) but rather I think the attraction is/was that Holmes is (1) independent, not a coward, and a free spirit who is able to be successful. (2) He is observant and sees things that are right in front of people's eyes (giving hope that others may do likewise.) And much like a stage magician who pulls scarves, doves, bouquets, and rabbits from thin air right before your very eyes, he pulls observation and deduction together much to everyone's amazement and amusement. (3) Holmes also uses his powers of observation to problem solve in a world of that period and now that was/is undergoing rapid changes manipulated from on high that causes a lot of misery and suffering. (4) He possesses not only a work ethic, but also integrity, and a moral ethic which the late Victorian society highly revered as a safeguard of social integrity (as opposed to today where "the ends justifies the means" is the rule of law, banking, and commerce.) Holmes is able to piece together the bigger picture and guide confusion into the light of clarity for all to behold and hold. Holmes was not "born to the purple" like Sir Percy Blakeney, and didn't have endless resources at his disposal to affect outcomes; Holmes has to make due at all times (like the Baker Street Irregulars) but manages to be fabulously successful against all odds. Holmes is a man of modest means who has to survive on his wit. Homes gives dignity to the common man and in so doing endeared himself to average working people, but also held the respect and affection of those who actually were born to higher stations as a beacon of English ingenuity and social stability..
Well stated ;)
If I was wearing my hat I would take it off to you. That is the best, most lucid and very well constructed you tube comment that I have come across in a long time. In fact I'm going to find my hat right now.
👏👏👏👏👏🎩
Good documentaries but way to greedy with all the ads.
that's just how youtube works now
Oh yeah, and then their pathetic plea to RUclips in the beginning of the vid is pathetic!
As far as the comment ‘That’s just way RUclips works now’ goes, that’s pathetic as well!
‘Do not go gently into the night of commercials on RUclips!’
Give everyone one that lets you give a thumbs up or down a great BIG THUMBS DOWN, and click away from every single one as soon as you can!
When you could always do this, I didn’t mind too much, but shoulda known better!
Anyone else upset with the click-aways now at 5 secs ( And yes, even 5 seconds BOTHERS ME!) & 10 seconds long instead of the 3 second click-aways???
@@TheMaijicalKingdom Or just use the free AdBlock extension and you'll never have too watch another ad (or go on a diatribe).
Life hack. Drag the dot all the way to the end, let the video end so that the Replay symbol appears, but then just drag the marker back to the front. Boom.
God forbid you pay for something
The birth of forensic science - he tapped into it.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes has to be one of the best of Doyles' stories.
My Dad saw Gillette on stage when he visited England for Boy Scouts World Jamboree in the 20's. He said Gillette was a fine actor of Holmes, but the play was spoilt by an emoting bell hop and a silly Watson.
How interesting that you have a family account of this- have heard of Gillette but no details.
Good documentary. Enjoyed!
*As I was watching this documentary I realized who Dr. House was based on*
really house /holmes whatever makes you think that spooky
And Wilson was his Watson
Very true.
I love ur documentaries... this is the earliest i've ever been to a yt vid... can u please do a doc abt the Romanovs ?
Actually Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) created the modern detective story, predating Doyle by almost 60 years.
And also beating Charles Dickens' Inspector Bucket to the punch by ten years!
I agree yet also and ACD, creatived the detective serial, if I am not mistaken. The brilliance of Poe may never be equaled.
Truth
If Poe could know the reverence writers have for him nowadays i think he might have smiled for once
Possibly, but they werent very well written were they? His obsession with the grotesque, delivered in its full lurid detail by a rabid alky in full adolescent flow,- he never really grew up,did he? - befuddled by lifes complexity - would have been better served had he dedicated himself to books for children, about the right level given his paucity of skills with language
in “MY OPINION” basil rathbone (apologies if spelling wrong) was the best holmes,glorious black&white txt book look and sound!oh and Dr watson!absolutely classic still as funny now as back then
Ikr
Yes absolutely spelling wrong
no it isn’t 👀👍🏻
There's an interesting parallel between Conan Doyle and his near contemporaries Gilbert and Sullivan, both of whom felt that they should move on to more serious work, but who were trapped by the immense popularity of their operettas.
To be fair, in The Final Problem, Holmes died "off screen" with his death only "deduced" by Watson. Thus, he wrote himself an automatic "get out of death free" card for the Detective.
Okay there is some interesting stuff here--like Doyle's mother's possible relationship with her former lodger, and his time on a whaler--but much of this is stretching. More, the author of the voice-over clearly doesn't know Holmes at all. Whoever it is reveals this in so many details, getting tiny and important things wrong. Even making claims that are weird--like all the "drunken husbands" in the Holmes stories--who? I have a sense there must be some but I cannot think of any. But what does spring to mind (and it is telling the writer doesn't think to mention this) is the violent, murderous father in "The Speckled Band".
Too bad you didn't make this doc. I'd have enjoyed it more!
I was subtly introduced to Sherlock Holmes by way of Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective". A few years later, I learned that Basil was based on Sherlock. Then I got into the anime, "Detective Conan/Case Closed", where the main character mentions the author created his idol. It wasn't until I was a high school jr., that I read "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and liked it.
And a few years ago, I discovered a cartoon that, apparently came out when I was little. It follows most of the cases with a twist.
Sherlock Holmes is a great fictional man, with Doctor Watson is fun stuff :)
Basil Rathbone for me is the best Sherlock Portrayal out there🔥 & Nigel Bruce to perhaps the best Dr. Watson🙌🏽
Nigel Bruce's portrayal of Dr Watson is a travesty, pity as he is a good actor otherwise. Scriptwriter and production fault.
Its so funny that I actually wondered who killed Holmes like he was a real person. He was that much of an icon
Sherlock Holmes is popular in the XXI century too. I think nowadays the readers enjoy this character because he is different than your average book hero, he is unlikable and also very likeable at the same time.
British people sure do love their walk and talk narration. 4:06 and many more.
Yes!!!! A Sherlock Holmes documentary!
Doyle got very sick of writing Sherlock Holmes stories. He considered it the least worthy of his writings. That is the simple reason that he killed off the character, so he could quit writing those damned stories.
The demand for the Return of Holmes was Huge.
Doyle did not love Sherlock and Watson.
This vid starts off saying Doyle really wanted to write longform novels, he did that for the first - publishers broke up into smaller, short stories. The publisher then public pressure forced him to feed the short story addiciton. Result? Over 50 short stories, only 4 novels - no wonder he'd had enough
@@Cheeseatingjunglista Indeed. He was kicked in his artistic balls by his own creation. that is a weird fate for such a man.
any biography of conan-doyle will tell you that he saw his literary work as restricted by sherlock holmes. specifically, he saw his historical romances as the hight of his creation. the 4 holmes novels and 56 stories are only ten precent of the literary works he produced. i'm quite sure that the producers of this program knew that.
@@Eideric And why they are idiots. They claim ALL his other works were bad and rejected by the public - what about The Lost World? Have they never heard of all the movies versions? Yep, they said it, they were wrong and based on the poor excuse for a "Documentary" this thing is, they are unlikley to produce anything with coherence and skill
I concur, Jeremy Brett was indeed the best Sherlock Holmes.
Sir Basil Rathbone was great, but his scripts stunk...They should have kept it closer to the author's original designs instead of hollywooding the screen scripts...
@@mikelovetere4719 Yes- a great actor but the plots made me cringe even when I was a kid.
I have read a couple of Holmes short stories. One character that is not mentioned in the video is Professor George C. Challenger, he was a separate creation away from Holmes. I found out about Professor Challenger when I found the silent film "The Lost World" (1925) which was the first novel of Challenger. I was amazed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyal was the author of the story, he made an appearance at the start of the movie, which was very exciting for me since I never seen a picture of nor let alone him in film. I have a book, "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" which I am looking forward to reading after this video.
Some good insights, especially toward the end. But the "killing" of Holmes is badly over-psychoanalyzed. Conan-
Doyle simply wanted to free himself to write what he'd dreamed of writing all along, historical romances in the manner of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson -- and the stories he heard from his mother. Unfortunately, that wasn't his forte.
Personally, I think his greatest act of genius wasn't the creation of Sherlock Holmes but of Doctor Watson! None of us could have stood being around Holmes for even a day.
Yes . I agree . Scott and Stevenson
were his literary idols. Despite his
unparalleled success I think he felt
a sense of failure that he never
achieved the sort of literary reputation that they had. ? They're
both almost forgotten today - especially Scott . But Holmes lives on...? !
I love this channel!
I think Holmes was a clever toy that Doyle enjoying playing with for a while. Then his ambitions changed and he resented getting out this (to him) worn-out toy and plying it once again for an audience.
This was mediocre. They talked a lot about Conan Doyle killing off Sherlock Holmes but didn't adequately explain or posit why. Felt a little bit all over the place.
-A Seasoned Documentary Connoisseur
It is really simple. He didn't want to write Sherlock Stories anymore. He had a wealth of other stories he wanted to write and Sherlock was holding him back.
the great writers, write, from their own first hand experience, hence the believable details
Cheers for the most chivalrous of knights, Mr Sherlock Holmes, and his most faithful of companions and trustworthy Boswell, Dr John Hamish Watson !
I love reading the stories!!!!!
I think Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot" series is at par with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in terms of the stories. I like them both the most.
I used to know a woman who was convinced that Holmes was a real person, and that Doyel had just logged the adventures
Splendid,absolutely splendid!
A bit surprised to know Conan Doyle was Scottish. I don't know but I have the impression that he's mostly described as "British" while somebody like Sean Connery is always THE Scot guy. I dunno maybe it's just me.
Basil Rathbone.....THE BEST Holmes ever.
I used to think so too until I found Jeremy Brett. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series from 1984 to 1994 with Jeremy Brett. They are so well done. I just found them on RUclips about two months ago. Worth the time watching the series. It's as accurate as possible. I will always love the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce movies.
@@tinaarko6625
Do you mean those Grenada production Sherlocks , yes they are Best ! They seem so accurate to details and all the the signs of the times. One of the finest TV productions ever to be made in the UK.
Without a doubt, Sean Connery is Bond and Basil Rathbone is S. Holmes, Consulting’s Detective.
I enjoyed this. Thank you
Great stufff!!
I always assumed when it came to Conan Doyle killing off Holmes, that he was growing tired of him. Where the public was demanding more and more Holmes and writing those stories perhaps felt like a machine cranking out supply and less fun for him as a writer? Holmes had become this larger than life character in his own right and Conan Doyle probably was just bored doing the same thing over and over for Holmes and wanted a change. Or perhaps he felt overshadowed by Holmes and just wanted to break free of what Holmes had become.
They clearly did a lot of serious research for this, too bad they made it so tabloid.Is there an award for the number of times you can use the word, 'disturbing' in a documentary?
The adds make this documentary unwatchable.
Such a shame.
Damnit- The impossibility of killing a fictional character drew me in - Damn these clickbait titles lol
I completely disagree with the point about it being a jaunt away from modern technology. The stories make great use of the latest technology such as telegrams and train travel (calculated to the minute) as well as medical science.
I think all authors reflect on their own life knowledge in their stories. At the point where he killed off Holmes I think it may have been a strange combination of boredom with the character and jealousy. It may be that the realization the character was larger in life them himself and a sense he was only a Watson to a fictional character no less, that caused him to kill off Holmes. I think the public demand for the return of Holmes also gave him more of the public notoriety he may have been seeking. Just a thought.
Great posting. But turn up the volume please!
It's the disease of our time: music in documentaries.
I have read far more novels in my life than an average person of my age of 42. Fictional novels? Let's say over 1000. But still to day, none of Arthur Conan Doyle's production. This video inspired me to buy a copy of "Baskerville hound".
8/10. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's other works, I found this told a very interesting story. (24.6.21)
Where’s Jeremy Brett ?
what is the name of the music being played with the violin
We also have the anime Detective Conan which honors Arthur Conan Doyle by using 'Conan' as the main protagonist's alias.
How many adverts ?
We all like to be Holmes but most of us are Watson, wondering what to do about the Moriartys of the world xP
A real feat. To take such a fascinating subject and make it so terminally boring where you spend large parts of it trying to hear ABOVE THE BLOODY MUSIC
HAHAHA!!! Spot on!!
the real holmes, the guy that taught doyle how to be a good doctor. Dr Joseph Bell
Of course authors draw on our own experiences, but we also invent, and the impulse to psychoanalyze authors is a symptom of unresolved jealousy.
And the Holmes stories continue into World War I--see "His Last Bow."
Nice
I disagree about 'unresolved jealousy'. Need jealousy always need to be a symptom of say some neurosis. Can man or woman not see something and experience some jealousy with out it being a symptom? Fair play if psychologists or psychiatrists could treat jealousy then it would be convenient to have it categories as a symptom of an illness. But as they can not, or do not help but suck the country or patient dry of money just for making out something trivial is an illness or symptom then it'd be better in many cases if they didn't bother and just accept some seeing of the grass as greener (jealousy) as natural and let people lick their lips salviating at some of what they can not afford or have. A person with a life expectancy of the rest of his/her life in a wheel chair may have to cope with problem far greater than being jealous of those with two healthy legs. But making jealousy a symptom of an illness just can not help at all. I experience jealousy as a registered disabled person but rather than experiening it as an illness I experience it as an essential acknowledgement of certain realities to help motivate me to achieve similar or an alternative so as not to be jealous further. So are people doing things for themselves even if born partly of jealousy really suffering symptom of an illness? No not necessarily, not if they are not suffering.
I hope I am wrong, but I get the feeling that the ideas were drying up, and this may have been the sense of the end.
He died in 1930, the last published Holmes story published in 29, no ideas running out, he just wanted to be a novelist, not merely a short story production line worker
Jeremy Brett!!!thanks❤!!
Sherlock holmes always been a favourite of mine . The man the time the place . Especialy the time . that era fascinates me for some reason !
Maybe he ended the character to unshackle himself from the story-line. To break away and do other stories. Or maybe he was jealous more people spooned over his character instead of the man that created him.
Nicely done, in a few sentences you pin down the most likley real story, which the authors/creators of this vid were unable to do in an hour long production. This vid states early on that he desperately wanted to be successful as a long form story teller, ie a Novelist. The Publishers and the public shackled him to the short story format - proof:- over 50 short stories only 4 novels. No wonder he wanted out. Despite that obvious, self stated fact, the authors of this vid chose to imply, badly, with no proof at all, that his dislike of the character was based in some childhood trauma/psychological damage. A great brain analysed by idiots, what could we ecpect??
So the first five minutes of this show consists of annoyingly asking repeated rhetorical questions.
Pausen....I agree...quit repeating the same question over & over.....your audience is not 6 years old.
Which prompted me to ask the question "Why should I watch any more of this?". So I didn't.
You are spot on its annoying and seems very common.
Reminded me of Monty Python, kept expecting the narrator to fall down a manhole.
Yes, it started poorly then fell into a pit of incoherence and poorly judged speculation, collapsing in utter nonsense near the finish. Terrible nonsense
He was tired of writing the stories.
Really enjoying this but it seems as though the volume is low, oh well I am a bit older so perhaps it is auditory impairment LOL,
I love the Holmes storys and have most if not all the dvd's, but Holmes'es inside is pure bullocks.
It takes an hour to say "because he was tired of writing nothing but Sherlock Holmes?
It was Joseph Bell MD, Doyle's tutor.
He was the inspiration for the deductive reasoning that Holmes used but not for other aspects of his character.
Jeremy Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes
Basil Rathbone for me.
Turn up the volume!
As a political junkie, in the US,
& seeing the pictures of Dr Joseph Bell [13:12] was UNNERVING.. Seriously.. WTF?! So, ACDs real life INSPIRATION for SH (Dr. B) looked like the offspring of Mike Pence & Roger Stone.... Spooky AF!
greet author. I had taught when young that Sherlock Holmes was a real person and a great detective also.
Moffat is constantly telling Sherlock fans to go sit on a cactus.
Utter ars of a man
Moffat needs to watch this documentary maybe then he could write Sherlock Holmes half decently.
Although many have portrayed them there is only one Holmes & Watson...Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
Beautiful research my own father born 1901 edwardian though victorian in sensibility always had this fear of change and the workhouse. Many of that generation lost themselves in music or the church society and reality was almost unbearable without this escape. Massive changes in tech a hierarchical societal structure where most of the population were enslaved led to this fear. lots of money that could have been used for society went into the battleships bristling with guns truth will out!
I beg the differ if there was no Edgar Allan poe there be no Sherlock Holmes plain and simple
Blathering accademicics with little to say about a genius
So you re not an accademicic yourself then
Basil Rathbone was the best Sherlock Homes.
FAR too many ad interruptions.
Volume is too low to be comfortable to listen to
This would be better without the bloody adverts.