Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. His 56 short stories and four novels were published in popular magazines between 1887 and 1927. Sherlock Holmes was an instant success in Doyle's day, and he remains so popular¹ that he is sometimes mistaken for a real historical figure.

Holmes was by all accounts born on January 6, 1854. He practiced as a consulting detective between 1881-1904 while living at 221b Baker Street with his friend and colleague Doctor John H. Watson. Almost all of what we know of Sherlock comes from a series of sixty memoirs, most of which were from the pen of his friend Dr. Watson. Holmes worked and solved his cases in London, mostly.

The stories were immensely popular as adaptations for the stage, and later film, and later television. The written 60 stories have stayed the same, have been adapted, ad to, and set in a modern context. Countless actors have played the role in film, TV and radio productions, not to mention the theatre plays and fictional spin-offs.

Sherlock is the most portrayed fictional character in film history, the quintessential English character – calm, rational, a little arrogant. We have made a list of nearly 300 filmed adaptations, counting only the films in which Holmes solved a case. So no cameo appearances. The oldest film dates from 1900 and the youngest Sherlock will be released this year. The Hound of the Baskervilles may be the most popular filmed story. The best story according to author Conan Doyle is The Adventure of the Speckled Band (1892).

According to the novels, Sherlock started his detective work when he was 27 years old. He retired at 50. However, the average age of Holmes actors is 49, too old. The youngest actor to play Holmes was Nicholas Rowe in 1985. He was 19 when he filmed Young Sherlock Holmes. The oldest Holmes was Patrick MacNee in the 1996 Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Temporal Nexus. He was 74. We have got in our list 62 Holmes actors and 58 Watson actors. In 21 films Sherlock operated without Watson.

In the U.S.A. Basil Rathbone's is one of the best known and most enduring Sherlock Holmes portrayals. He starred in fourteen movies between 1939 and 1946 alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson. European fans prefer the eighties television series with Jeremy Brett and David Burke / Edward Hardwicke. Also in the 1980's Russian television produced a series of five 80-minute adaptations of the stories featuring Vasili Livanov and Vitaly Solomin as Holmes and Watson.

The 2009 / 2011 version starring American actor Robert Downey takes a 21th century approach not "contaminated with previous symbols". And so both Holmes and Watson look remarkably fresh compared with the previous 200 films.

Robert Downey Jr. doesn't look like Sherlock at all, but Jude Law bears much resemblance to Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic literary creation. Doyle describes Watson as intelligent, if lacking in Holmes's insight ("I am still in the dark"). He is as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut, strongly built, with a thick, strong neck and a small moustache.

The series with Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett is for sale everywhere. The DVD quality varies however. Some of the older Sherlock films have fallen into the public domain. They may be sold, reproduced, or used in any way, at any time. And so you can get at a bargain price ($2 / €2 / £2) films of poor quality, moderate, colorized, or good quality.

We have collected a list with nearly 300 Sherlock Holmes films. And, as always, we update these pages on a regular basis.

Popular and best titles

• Sherlock Holmes (2009) with Robert Downey and Jude Law
• A scandal in Belgravia (2012) with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
• A Scandal in Bohemia (1984) with David Burke and Jeremy Brett
• The Crooked Man with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• The dancing men with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• Details (2013) with Jonny Lee_Miller and Lucy Liu
• M. (2013) with Jonny Lee_Miller and Lucy Liu
• The red headed league with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• The Scarlet claw with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone
• The second Stain with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
• Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone
• The solitary cyclist with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• The speckled band with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• A study in pink with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce
• The Blue Carbuncle (1984) with David Burke and Jeremy Brett
• The Blue Carbuncle (1968) with Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock
• The Dying Detective (1994) with Edward Hardwicke and Jeremy Brett
• The Empty House (1986) with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
• The Final Problem (1985) with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• The great game (2010) with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch
• The Greek Interpreter (1922) with Eille Norwood and Hubert Willis
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1981) with Vasili Livanov and Vitali Solomin
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1914) with Alwin Neuß and
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone
• The hounds of Baskerville (2012) with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
• The House of Fear (1945) with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone
• The Illustrious Client (1991) with Edward Hardwicke and Jeremy Brett
• The Musgrave Ritual (1986) with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
• The Norwood Builder (1985) with Jeremy Brett and David Burke
• The Pearl of Death (1944) with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone

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0 - Another case for Sherlock
Deadline - Another Sherlock Holmes
DVD active - A game of shadows in May
DVD active - Sherlock Holmes uncovers Blu-ray
DVD Times - Sherlock and the case of the Blu-ray
Empire - Sherlock Holmes sequel gets a title
Guardian - Doyle estate approves new Holmes story
HD-Digest - Sherlock Holmes searches for Blu-ray
High-def digest - Silent Sherlock on Blu-ray
Orion publishing - New Sherlock Holmes novel
The Filmstage - Houdini - Conan Doyle film in the works
TV shows on DVD - Sherlock Holmes from the sixties