Sherlock Holmes and his partner Watson have long since become household names as detectives. However, their modern faces are indeed shaped by a series of film and television dramas, which is far from the depiction in the original book. What happened in between that caused Holmes to emerge from the text and pass down in a whole new life form? And what gives him a unique personality? And what role does The City of Mist, where the great detective lives, play in the middle?
Today we will lead you through a few cold knowledge about Sherlock Holmes to witness a great detective you don't know!
The starting point of the great detective
In the history of Sherlock Holmes, there is a person who must have a name. It was he, with his rich imagination and dexterous hands, that laid the foundation for the image of The Legendary Sherlock Holmes.
Illustrator Sydney Paget, who made Sherlock Holmes widely known
Prior to this, illustrators had created illustrations for the Sherlock Holmes series, but most of their work consisted only of propositional compositions, "which did not reflect anything extraordinary or memorable about the detective—perhaps only his eccentricities".
Illustration of "The Study of Blood Words", in which Holmes and Watson appear ordinary, and it is impossible to distinguish who is who
Fortunately, fate made a "mistake" that gave the detective a new image: Strand Magazine, which published the Story of Holmes, originally wanted to commission the illustrator Walter Paget to create an illustration, but the entrustment letter only wrote "Mr. Paget Kai", so walter's brother Sydney opened the letter, and then an unforgettable Sherlock Holmes was born.
Today, we don't know how much time Peggett spent digesting the original book, and how much brain hole he spent to construct the appearance of the great detective and the detective scene; what we can see is his confident, agile and unique Sherlock Holmes, and the worrying British hairline. These illustrations gave Holmes a unique recognition, and later, in order to restore this image in film and television dramas, some actors with thick hair had to shave their foreheads just to show Holmes's bright brain full of wisdom.
Sydney Paget's illustration of The Greek Translator, Sherlock Holmes's hairline is particularly touching and unforgettable
One of Holmes's symbols, the deer hunting hat, also came from Paget's pen. This configuration is not clearly reflected in the original work, and Paget "brainwashed" to Put on a deer hunting hat for Holmes and a matching tweed coat. In his paintings, such attire appears only when Holmes is out on a mission, subtly matching the scene. It can be said that Paget's work made the image of Sherlock Holmes deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and laid the foundation for countless later derivative works.
Sydney Paget's illustration of The Silver Horse, in which the deer hunting hat and the thick tweed coat became one of Holmes's classic outfits
Paget was the first illustrator to define Sherlock Holmes's appearance, and he played a decisive role in creating one of the world's most iconic pop figures.
Chapter III Sherlock Holmes, Sydney Paget and The Strand Magazine
Dead
For old Holmes fans of the late 19th century, December 1893 was an incredibly dark month. It was at this time that Conan Doyle killed his great detective, causing him and the villain Professor Moriarty to stage a "I jump, you jump" thrilling (ji) dangerous (qing) drama. In fact, Conan Doyle had endured Holmes for a long time, and when Holmes had only cracked a few cases, he had already written in his letter: "I am considering killing Holmes... Kill him, a hundred. He always hurt me from doing my job. ”
Trapped by sherlock Holmes, who can't get out of himself, Conan Doyle, from Clumsy magazine
Readers at the time were shocked and desperate, and fans of the Great Detective "sent blades" to the author while marching in protest in black veils on the streets of London. However, Conan Doyle did not immediately compromise: in order to carry out the so-called serious writing, he stubbornly resisted for 8 years before resurrecting Sherlock Holmes. Fortunately, Holmes did not completely leave the public eye, during which time the American actor William Gillett adapted the Sherlock Holmes story with the approval of Conan Doyle and put it on stage.
The image of Sherlock Holmes portrayed by stage actor William Gillett was extremely influential at the time
The stage play Sherlock Holmes: A Play in Four Acts was a hit, with Gillette himself playing detectives on stage as many as 1,300 times (if performed once a day, for nearly four years!). ), and was invited by Hollywood to play Sherlock Holmes in the film. The iconic feature in the stage play is the curved pipe used in the concave shape of Sherlock Holmes. It is said that it was because Gillette thought that the straight-handled pipe would sway up and down with the movement of speaking, which was not elegant, so he chose the curved pipe as a prop.
In addition, in Conan Doyle's original work, we can often see Holmes reading the newspaper or smoking a cigarette in a dressing gown, reflecting the lazy but humane side of the detective's unique personality. It was Gillette himself who concretized Sherlock Holmes, dressed in an elaborate dressing gown and a pipe in his mouth, and engraved this image in the hearts of the audience, and many subsequent film and television works have also been inspired.
William Gillett's version of Sherlock Holmes in a dressing gown
Gillett's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes is novel, and he gives Holmes a charm that does not exist in Conan Doyle's texts and is only slightly suggested in Sydney Paget's paintings. Holmes was personified in a new and memorable way, and a prop—a curved pipe—has since become synonymous with him.
Forever Sherlock Holmes
For audiences who were faithful to the original work, as well as Chinese viewers who watched the "Sherlock Holmes Detective Collection" broadcast by CCTV in the 1980s, Holmes was forever associated with actor Jeremy Brett. It can be said that this Sherlock Holmes even has superb acting skills and elegant temperament.
Jeremy Brett plays Holmes from The Complete Detective Sherlock Holmes, produced by Granada Television
Jeremy Brett graduated from Eton College, the cradle of nobility, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, when audiences commented that he played the killer with princely cold elegance. Brett's motto is "faithful to Doyle", and he is almost the author's Victorian gentleman detective, intelligent and calm, elegant and arrogant, full of chivalry, and occasionally showing meanness and irritability.
Brett's version of Sherlock Holmes is different from the big detective who loves to run around in hunting clothes in previous film and television dramas, his common attire is a top hat, black formal wear and wooden cane, and occasionally you can see a handsome look in a snow-white suit, and the deer hunting hat only appears when he goes to the countryside to handle cases, which is very in line with Conan Doyle's Identity Temperament of Holmes and Victorian dress habits.
After the filming of "The Last Case", Brett's beloved wife died, after which he suffered from grief and bipolar disorder, and because the audience could not accept others to play Sherlock Holmes, he still insisted on completing the performance. In the episode "The Dying Detective," the dying genius detective Holmes seems to coincide with the talented but feeble performer, and a year after the episode aired, Brett died in his sleep, and for those who loved him, their Holmes was also hidden.
Holmes existed far longer and more brilliantly than his creator, and this was predestined at the beginning of his screen career.
Chapter VI The Silent Sherlocks: Sherlock Holmes and Early Films
The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes has survived to this day because of the author, the reader, and every successful interpreter. Each's participation enriches Holmes's image and embodies the side that fascinates us: extremely sharp, selfless, willing to stand up for others. This great detective has never let us down, and this is another important reason for him to live forever.
The commemorative book "Sherlock Holmes: Never Existed, Forever Circulated" tailored for the majority of Fu fans appeared on the scene, believing that the professional interpretation and exquisite illustrations in the book can unveil the mystery of old London and Sherlock Holmes for you, and take you to witness the legendary process of this great detective.
Sherlock Holmes: Never Existed, Forever (Full Color Hardcover)
Alex Warner, Museum of London, ed
Translated by Han Yang and Sun Yijing
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, produced by the Intertextual Brand
This book not only contains beautiful photos of Roll Fu and Downey, but also goes deep into Victorian London, explores the prosperous but murderous metropolis behind Holmes, and leads everyone to witness the establishment and evolution of Sherlock Holmes's image, as well as the tortuous process of Conan Doyle's initial creation, murder and then resurrection of the great detective. Of course, the early Sherlock Holmes film and television works and their unique interpreters must also be mentioned, after all, Holmes's process of stepping out of the text, appearing on the big screen and surviving to this day is as legendary and fascinating as his detective story.