Sherlock Holmes has appeared in more than 260 film and television works and has been played by 75 actors. He is the most played fictional character in history; in this regard, except for his Apart from Dr. Watson, his close comrade-in-arms, only the vampire Count Dracula can follow. With Pearl and Jade ahead, Robert Downey Jr. is happy to appear in "Sherlock Holmes" this time. It can not be said that it is not full of courage; and the brand-new creation of the image of Sherlock Holmes by Gerich has also made many "fu fans" quite criticized. What is rare is that when "Avatar" is unstoppably sweeping the global box office, "Detective Sherlock Holmes" can still get a share of it, which is really not to be underestimated.
Under the guidance of Guy Ritchie's weird approach, the Holmes portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. looked unusual. Wigram, one of the producers, said: "The Holmes we created is more modern, behaved like a Bohemian, and dressed like an artist or a poet. It's different from any Holmes in the past." Some of the personality traits of this great detective have been deliberately exaggerated: the mania and depression when there is no case, the lack of interpersonal relationships, the obsession with all kinds of weird experiments, the sloppy and irregular living habits... If these are in There are still traces in the original work, so the love affair between Holmes and Irene Adler is completely baseless gossip. In the original book, Holmes, who is not close to femininity, really admires this woman who values both beauty and wisdom, and has always called her "That woman"; but according to Watson, it is just a kind of respect and not a romantic idea. The unthinking of it. Nowadays, the two people not only have eyebrows in the film, but also appear in scenes where they meet naked more often, which really surprises fans.
In addition, Guy Ritchie, who loves Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and street fighting, has always been persistently seeking "the bottom line of pain", so his understanding of Sherlock Holmes has increased the weight of "wu", and said that "Holmes is the first kung fu in the Western world." Grandmaster". So the action scenes in the film run through, not only Holmes became an underground boxer, but Watson played by Jude Law also became a fighting expert. The American Variety Magazine commented: "The protagonist of this movie should be renamed James Bond. "As for the relationship between the two people, it is even more mixed with ambiguity that transcends brotherhood. The bickering is like teasing, the hands are like molesting, and the jealousy is often heated, causing laughter in the audience; no wonder the film is also called jokingly. "Fuer Mengsi". Although the plot is compact and the picture is wonderful, it should be the essence of the Sherlock Holmes play-the reasoning play has been greatly weakened. As a result, I am afraid that no one will regard this film as a detective film; so Robert Downey Jr. In the ball award, he was actually the best actor in a comedy/musical drama.
Looking back at the image of Sherlock Holmes that has appeared in more than 120 years, the changes in it are intriguing. In 1887, when "The Study of the Words of Blood" was published, Conan Doyle described the great detective who made his debut: "He is more than six feet tall, and his body is extremely thin, so he looks extraordinarily long; his eyes are sharp (lost and lost). Except for time); the slender hooked nose makes his appearance particularly alert and decisive; the square and prominent jaw shows that he is a very persevering person. Although his hands are stained with ink and chemicals, he moves But he is unusually skilled and careful." Most of the actors who have played Holmes fit the physical characteristics described in the book; Robert Downey Jr. seems to be an exception. As for Sherlock Holmes's "standard attire"-deerstalker hat + crank pipe + cloak + magnifying glass + walking stick, in fact, it is not from the original work, but gradually developed and stereotyped in the interpretation of illustrators and actors.
When the Sherlock Holmes series was first published, many illustrators included images for the novel, including Conan Doyle's father-unfortunately his work was a terrible failure. Sidney Paget (Sidney Paget) is one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes illustrators. He used his younger brother Walter as a model to create a handsome Sherlock Holmes. This image is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people that Walter later walked on the street. Will cause onlookers. When painting "The Mystery of Boscom Valley", Paget put on Holmes the iconic deerstalker hat; Conan Doyle liked this look very much, and later wrote the hat into the novel.
The most famous Sherlock Holmes actor at that time was stage actor William Gillette (William Gillette). His clothing almost established the classic image of Sherlock Holmes in people's hearts; the portable pipe first appeared in his hands. He was also the first actor to be approved by Conan Doyle. Gilt visited Doyle for the first time in May 1899. He dressed as Sherlock Holmes, walked to Doyle, took a magnifying glass and examined it carefully, and said, "There is no doubt that he is a writer." Conan Doyle was on the spot. Laughing more than ever.
The relationship between Holmes and film can be traced back to April 1900. At that time, American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. produced a silent film called "Sherlock Holmes Baffled" (Sherlock Holmes Baffled). The film was only 45 seconds long, telling the story of the face of Holmes in a nightgown The story of a thief who disappeared out of thin air and fell into perplexity-if it can be considered a story. The actor did not even leave his name. Since then, many film and television companies have tried to put Sherlock Holmes on the screen, but none of them are truly successful. It wasn't until the early 20th century that Ellie Norwood's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes was truly widely recognized. At the age of 60, he has appeared in Sherlock Holmes in 47 silent films and more than 120 stage plays, and has maintained the record for the most number of times playing Sherlock Holmes. Although Conan Doyle was slightly dissatisfied with the introduction of telephones, cars, and many unimaginable Victorian luxury goods in the film, he still gave Norwood a very high evaluation: "He played Holmes so well that surprised me. "
Coincidentally, Norwood's real name was Anthony Edward Brett (Anthony Edward Brett); seventy years later, another "Brett" once again succeeded in shaping a deeply rooted Sherlock Holmes. Before he appeared, the most dazzling Sherlock Holmes in the audience’s mind was Basil Rathbone (Basil Rathbone)
, who played in Fox’s investment "The Hound of Baskerville" for fifty years since 1939. In the past time, Basil Raisburn has always been the best incarnation of Holmes. He succeeded in shaping this mysterious and arrogant detective with his bright, tough appearance and aloof and arrogant demeanor; crazy movie fans even insisted that he sign "Sherlock Holmes" for them. It was Lethborn who carried forward the line "Elementary" that we are familiar with but not from the original book, and the Sherlock Holmes radio drama he produced was unmatched at the time. Perhaps his success stems from his love for this role, as he once enthusiastically expressed: "When I was a child and started to understand the greatest detective in the world, I wished to be like him. People... to me, playing such a role is as meaningful as playing Hamlet ten times."
However, there are only two Lethborn films set in Victorian England, and the others are a bit nonsense. The same person is original, and there are often scenes of Holmes dressed up in the 1940s fighting wits and brave Nazis. This is naturally unacceptable for senior Sherlock Holmes fans, so Universal Studios explained that: Sherlock Holmes is "eternal and invincible, so when he is in today's world and solves the doubts that occur in today's world, he can also maintain As usual, the authority in reasoning.” It is understandable that in the turmoil and chaos of the Second World War, people eagerly expect that a calm, wise, and omnipotent character like Sherlock Holmes will appear to thwart crime, save the world, and rebuild order. . Therefore, Holmes at this stage presents an American hero image that is deliberately elevated and deified; and for the purpose of contrast, the Watson played by Nigel Bruce is unfortunately portrayed as a mediocre and stupid. The presence of clowns, this also deeply affected people's impression of Watson in the future.
The Lathborn version of Sherlock Holmes was so influential that later every actor who played Sherlock Holmes would be compared against him until Jeremy Brett was born. In 1983, when the Granada company invited Bret to star in Sherlock Holmes in a TV series, the veteran Shakespearean actor hesitated again and again-he thought Sherlock Holmes had been played too many times and it was difficult to make a breakthrough. In the end, he took over this role out of financial needs. Who would have thought that a brand-new classic would be created from this, and Brett has since equated the name of Sherlock Holmes in the hearts of the audience.
Brett has a handsome face, an extraordinary bearing, a long and thin body, and a deep and cunning eyes. He fell over all beings as soon as he appeared on the stage; you know, he is a beautiful man who has played the opposite role with Audrey Hepburn in "The Fair Lady", although he played Holmes. At the age of 51, his charm has not diminished at all. Perhaps Sherlock Holmes shouldn’t be so handsome, but Brett convinced the audience with his superb acting skills, and even some fans commented like this: “Brett is not playing Sherlock Holmes; he is Sherlock Holmes.”
It is said that Bret is the only one who really reads Sherlock Holmes. The actor who finished Doyle’s original work: He is not only used to carrying an original work with him, but also keeps in touch with Doyle’s daughter for a long time. On the set, he often reminds the director and screenwriter to pay attention to the important lines in the book, and combines his own understanding and relatedness of the original work. Historical knowledge modifies costumes and sets. It was under his research that Holmes' deerstalker hat became a black top hat, the cloak became a black dress, and the crank pipe became a straight handle—this was the dress that was in line with the reality of the time.
Since then, Holmes is no longer a polite and perfect gentleman. Although he is still fortitude and wise most of the time, he occasionally gets confused and tells jokes; when he is praised he will be trivial and depressed when he is ignored; he will be depressed when he is ignored. He hurriedly cleaned up the messy room, and was as sleepy and unkempt when he was caught out of the bed early in the morning. The relationship between Holmes and Watson was no longer the relationship between the big detective and the little attendant. Instead, they began to transform into good brothers with deep feelings and mutual trust. From time to time, they lifted the bar and quarreled, much like the bridges often found in boys' dormitories. As Brett understood: "The story of Sherlock Holmes is a great friendship. Without Watson, Holmes might have been burned out in cocaine many years ago."
Brett's health has not been very good. He is often incapable of performing action scenes, and the shooting progress is very slow. In 1995, due to myocarditis, he passed away peacefully in his sleep; and the unfinished classic series of Granada Company also brought eternal shortcomings.
Looking at the transformation of Holmes' image on the stage and in the film and television, it is not difficult to find that as he looks younger and handsomer and more vigorous and agile, his personality has become more humane. When the invention, popularization and vigorous development of movies and televisions gradually induced people’s desire for visual stimulation, the old-fashioned reasoning scenes of the 19th century were naturally far less attractive than the exciting action scenes of the moment; and with the improvement of women’s economic and social status , This huge audience has also become the target of the production company's efforts to strive for, so it is not surprising that the protagonist’s appearance and personality develop in the direction that women like. In addition, under a relatively stable social environment, the entertainment meaning of movies has been strengthened; what people need is no longer a perfect hero on the altar, but a mortal detective who can resonate. So there is today's "Detective Sherlock Holmes": because of rot, so cute; because of ordinary, so cute.
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"Detective Sherlock Holmes" at first glance looks like a magical film: the villain Sir Kuroki has a powerful mysterious power, organizes strange religious rituals, and can not only die And coming out of the grave, you can control the dark magic to easily kill the rebels. However, under Holmes's investigation, all the mysteries were solved one by one: the so-called magic is nothing more than science that ordinary people don't understand. The famous science fiction writer Arthur Clark once summed up: Any sufficiently advanced technology is no different from magic at first glance. So, are the methods mentioned in the film really valid on a scientific level?
First look at the most mysterious "resurrection from the dead". At the end of the 19th century, the Western standard for judging death was still the cessation of breathing, heartbeat, and pulse. But in fact, coma caused by concussion, mechanical asphyxia, carbon dioxide poisoning, drowning, hanging, cold, taking sleeping pills or anesthetics, etc., may reduce breathing and heartbeat to a very weak level, or even stop completely; after a certain period of time , It may also cause the body to be cold, stiff and stiff. However, if the patient is rescued in time, it is entirely possible for the patient to recover. This is a "feign death". Fake death cases are common in history, and knocking on the lid of the coffin after the burial of the dead often occurs. The signs of struggling and scratching are often found during the autopsy when the coffin is opened. This often causes people to panic and guess and associate. This is also one of the reasons for the vampire legend. Due to the serious misjudgment of heart death, in 1968, the Harvard University Death Definition Review Special Committee proposed the "brain death" judgment standard, which was adopted by the World Health Organization and gradually accepted by medical institutions around the world.
What drugs can be used to create "feign death"? The most commonly used anesthetic plant in Western stories is Datura. As early as in ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder pointed out in the "Natural History" that it "can make people fall asleep without being aware of the ongoing operation." The drug that made Juliet suspended for death in "Romeo and Juliet", according to textual research. It is made of mandala root; in "Othello" and "Anthony and Cleopatra", Shakespeare also directly mentioned the narcotic effect of this plant.
However, Sir Kuroki in this film is not taking Datura, but the toxin proposed in the Rhododendron genus-most likely lignosine extracted from the yellow rhododendron. This toxin can cause irregular heartbeats, and can also make the heartbeat and pulse very slow and weak; due to poor blood circulation, it can also cause paleness. At that time, Dr. Watson simply measured Sir Kuroki's pulse and heartbeat with his hands, and it was not surprising that he misjudged his death. Yellow Rhododendron is also known as sheep scorpion in China. The flowers and leaves are poisonous and have anesthetic effects. The poisoning of rhododendron nectar was also recorded in ancient Greece. Ingestion may cause shock or sudden death. If the proportions of the ingredients are properly grasped, and it is used on a man with a strong physique like Sir Kuroki, the possibility of successfully forging the illusion of death does exist.
Let's look at Sir Kuroki's last killer-a device that releases poison gas by radio remote control. This was indeed a miraculous invention at the time: Holmes made no secret of surprise when he discovered its role; Holmes’s rival Professor Moriarty’s series of careful planning was also to get this device in hand, and at the end of the film, it was pointed out that this is the "real The magic that can change the world", foreshadowing the sequel.
Many viewers here questioned that Gerich had advanced the invention of radio too much. In fact, Nikola Tesla had already demonstrated radio communication technology as early as 1893 and acquired it in 1897. Patent for wireless remote control technology. It's just that this shining genius has been buried for so long that no one knows Edison today, but few people understand Tesla's contribution to electricity.
Tesla invented alternating current shortly after Edison invented direct current and produced the world's first alternating current generator. However, perhaps out of jealousy, perhaps out of self-interest, Edison, who was at the peak of the time, had been suppressing Tesla, calling it a "heresy in the scientific world" and claiming that alternating current was very dangerous to the human body. As a result, Tesla was depressed for a long time. In 1904, under the influence of Edison, Tesla's patent for radio remote control technology was revoked by the US Patent Office and then transferred to Marconi. It was not re-certified until 1943.
Not only was Tesla regarded as a heresy at the time, even in today's society, many of his ideas seem very absurd. He once put forward the theory of distorting time and space, and believed that it is possible to invent a "mind camera" that projects people's imagination on film. In another movie "The Prestige" (The Prestige), Tesla could light up a bulb inserted in the soil, and finally made a device that can replicate the human body, enough to show people's positioning of him-genius plus madman. Therefore, as an important prop in the film, this epoch-making wireless remote control device is probably inseparable from Tesla; the upcoming sequel may soon give us a clear answer.
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