Product Details
ASIN : 6304025874
Editorial Reviews
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From the later years of the long-running Granada Television series, this episode from the Sherlock Holmes canon features actor Jeremy Brett in a particularly strenuous and emotionally compelling performance as the Great Detective. Following Holmes's uncharacteristically provocative threat to expose Culverton Smith (Jonathan Hyde)--a planter with an expertise in rare poisons--as a murderer, Holmes becomes mortally ill and delirious. Denouncing the medical expertise of his friend Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) as amateurish (the good doctor having been summoned to help the ailing sleuth), the feverish Holmes ends up begging for his life from the cold-blooded Smith. The late Brett, who was actually suffering from cardiac problems at the time, certainly looks the part of the doomed hero, and his urgency in the role is haunting and poignant. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
An excellent film (2003-05-05)  In Sir A. Conan Doyle's original story, THE ADVENTURE OF THE DYING DETECTIVE, a reference is made to Holme's knowing too much about the death of a certain young Victor Savage. In this delightful show, we discover what Holmes had to do with the death of this young man. What did he have to do with it, you ask? You'll have to watch the film to find out, and I can guarentee that it's a good way to spend 50 minutes.
Recommended (2002-07-07)  While not as good as the early episodes, "The Dying Detective" is still quite good. It gets off to a slow start due mainly to the fact that one of Arthur Conan Doyle's shorter stories was stretched into a fifty minute episode. But it gets very good in the second half when it gets around to the scenes that were actually in the story. And, for the most part, Mr. Brett was brilliant in the episode. I would definitely recommend it.
Tricky trick (2002-03-17) I think this was one of Holmes's trickiest tricks on Watson. I think the narrator ruins the whole film! She says a sentence every time someone talks! This is about a woman who comes to Holmes saying she thinks her husband's cousin is trying to get control of the large and vast property they have. Coverton Smith, the cousin is an expert on a type of horrible fevor. When the husbad dies, the wife becomes suspicious. Smith says his cousin died of the fevor! Find out what happens!
Never mind Dame Jean! (2001-12-27) The sight of Jeremy Brett, only a year before his death, playing the dying Sherlock Holmes is riveting stuff. One of the darkest entries in the Granada TV series, this is also one of the most atmospheric. Visually, it's stunning with strong use of contrast and haunting Victorian overtones underlining the malevolent sense of doom that permeates the episode. Brett is in superb form, releasing a torrent of rage and, later, almost unbearable anguish in this most emotional of all Holmes instalments. He is brilliantly supported by Edward Hardwicke as the indefatigable Watson, and Jonathan Hyde as a superbly chilling villain. At the time of this episode's airing in 1994, considerable media attention was focused on the disapproval of Conan Doyle's daughter, Dame Jean, who felt the series was becoming too dark. Her criticisms seemed to please a self-righteous press set on attacking Brett for over-acting, shouting, and a host of other sins. They seemed to overlook the fact that Holmes was never meant to be portrayed as your neighbourhood milkman. He's a highly eccentric individual with enough idiosyncrasies to satisfy a convention of psychiatrists! As a distant relative of Conan Doyle's myself, all I can say is I'm confident the author would have applauded the integrity, depth and insight that Brett gave to his portrayal of Holmes. Regardless of his health problems, I doubt that he could have bettered his performance here. Highly recommended.
Jeremy Brett's performance lacking??? BALDERDASH!! (2001-06-23) I will be honest, I think Jeremy Brett's performance as the greatest consulting detective that never lived were among his best. He seemed to be very comfortable in the role and his performance were top notch and at points over the top. Which I absolutely love because the character of Sherlock Holmes is quite over the top to begin with. I really liked this episode. It elaborates on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's shorter of Sherlock Holmes stories. Victor Savage dies of a parasitic virus and his cousin Culverton Smith, who is an expert on this certain virus, is a prime suspect. But there no solid evidence connecting Smith's knowledge of the virus and Savage's death. In his search for the truth behind Victor Savage's death, Sherlock Holmes himself contracts the virus. Even with his real life health problems, Jeremy Brett is brilliant as usual. Edward Hardwicke does a great job as Doctor Watson as well and it is all explained in the end why Holmes treats his old friend so cruel. A great story.
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