MR HOLMES: Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes

[Allyn Gibson]

Yesterday, a new trailer for Sir Ian McKellen's forthcoming film, Mr. Holmes, was released:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSsf17Exa4g[/yt]

Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world's most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love -- before it's too late.

This may be the film I'm most looking forward to this summer. I read Mitch Cullin's novel last month, and it's a moving and haunting piece of work. It's not really a mystery in the traditional Holmesian sense. Part of the narrative resembles the classic Holmes set-up -- the client upon the stair, some investigation, some deduction, and a resolution -- but the novel is much more than that. It's a meditation on the unknowables in life, about the places where the powers of the rational mind cannot take you. It was, surprisingly for a Sherlock Holmes story, a bit of a tearjerker. And so I'm looking forward to seeing how this story translates to film.

Anyone else looking forward to this? Or read the book?

 

[Jedi_Master]

I have not read the novel, but I plan on seeing the film. It looks fantastic.

 

[Christopher]

Looks intriguing. And we get to add another Holmes to the glut of screen Holmeseseses we have at the moment -- now including Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Magneto, and the Lizard's brother. The more the merrier!

But seriously, getting to look at Holmes so late in his life sounds very interesting. As the trailer shows, they were making Holmes movies set in contemporary times during WWII and after, so it should be interesting to see a story of the "original" Holmes having lived to that era. It also seems to resonate with "His Last Bow" and "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane," which are set during Holmes's retirement, with the latter being "written" by Holmes himself in the first person -- although I'm not sure it's quite consistent with the canonical details there.

 

[auntiehill]

Oh, I am SO looking forward to this! I can't wait to see it.

 

[Beagleman]

Huge Holmes-geek here, these are great times with all the vastly different interpretations we get right now. Can't wait for this...

 

[Owain Taggart]

Wow, very cool! I'll need to see this!

It kind of reminds me of the Christopher Lee movies where he played Holmes at an older age.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Yeah, this looks great.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Didn't like the novel at all. Far too sentimental.

 

[publiusr]

Rip-off or no, I'd like to see something done with Derleth's Solar Pons

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Rip-off or no, I'd like to see something done with Derleth's Solar Pons

I would be down with that.

 

[Christopher]

Isn't that more a pastiche than a ripoff? "Ripoff" implies dishonesty and the attempt to pass off someone else's idea as one's own. That certainly wasn't the case here.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'm in.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

A new US trailer is out today:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G1lIBgk4PA[/yt]

Yes, that's Young Sherlock Holmes' Nicholas Rowe as the Basil Rathbone-like cinematic Holmes.

 

[Christopher]

Yes, that's Young Sherlock Holmes' Nicholas Rowe as the Basil Rathbone-like cinematic Holmes.

That...

is...

awesome!!!!!

I always wanted to see him as the adult Holmes, ideally in a YSH sequel. I gather he and Alan Cox reprised Holmes and Watson in some really obscure direct-to-video film some years back, but that wasn't something I could find a rental copy of.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Yes, that's Young Sherlock Holmes' Nicholas Rowe as the Basil Rathbone-like cinematic Holmes.

That...

is...

awesome!!!!!

Isn't it?

I always wanted to see him as the adult Holmes, ideally in a YSH sequel. I gather he and Alan Cox reprised Holmes and Watson in some really obscure direct-to-video film some years back, but that wasn't something I could find a rental copy of.

There was some talk a few years ago of a Sherlock Holmes Vs. Frankenstein film with Rowe and Cox, but nothing ever came of that.

 

[bbailey861]

I just showed this to my wife. I told her I'm taking her to dinner and a movie. She is delighted, as am I.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world's most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love -- before it's too late.

Anyone else looking forward to this? [/QUOTE]

I'd never heard of the book, but was looking forward to it from the announcement - until I read the above description, and now I'm not, Though, ironically, it sounds like the one Holmes movie ever that our local cinema will actually get.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world's most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love -- before it's too late.

I'd never heard of the book, but was looking forward to it from the announcement - until I read the above description, and now I'm not, Though, ironically, it sounds like the one Holmes movie ever that our local cinema will actually get.

To be honest, I'm not really happy with that description of the film, because there are a few things in it that aren't true to the novel and I suspect it's deliberately misleading. Specifically:

Spoiler: spoiler

"he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement"

The case in the past, at least in the book, isn't that at all. It's a late case in his career, an extraordinarily trivial one at that, and the case isn't unsolved. It certainly didn't "force" Holmes' retirement to the Sussex Downs some time after it. It may have... nudged him, though, but I'd rather not explain why it might have.

 

[bbailey861]

I hadn't even heard about this film until the thread showed up here. It is solely on the basis of these two trailers that we want to see this film. We're going in with no other preconceived notions other than we trust that Sir Ian will give us a magnificent performance.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I hadn't even heard about this film until the thread showed up here. It is solely on the basis of these two trailers that we want to see this film. We're going in with no other preconceived notions other than we trust that Sir Ian will give us a magnificent performance.

Of that, I have no doubt.