elaby | Even more Russian Holmes babbling, with added Brett goodness

_melisande_ and I talked about this yesterday, but I wanted to write it down because this is the kind of stuff I think about. Someday I'll post stuff that isn't related to Holmes, I swear.

The interesting thing about watching the Russian Holmes movies is that they were made between 1979 and 1986, so they were filming these right before, and concurrently for two years, with the Granada series (which ran from 1984 to 1994). This, in my experience with Holmes movies, means that the Russian movies were the first ones to do a series that actually pays close attention to canon, that keeps the stories and dialogue close to the books and the details consistent (mostly) with Victorian London. They also obviously strove to keep the characters as close as they could to ACD's conception of them, especially in that Watson is not a bumbling moron and that Holmes actually makes mistakes and feels things. That earns extra points with me no matter what, of course.

I think the main difference between Vasily Livanov's Holmes and Jeremy Brett's Holmes is that while both of them are rooted in canon, they each took what alterations they made in different directions. Brett Holmes is, on the whole, grouchier and sadder than Holmes is in canon. Holmes in canon is subject to his "black moods" and can be a sarcastic jerk at times, but that isn't his default setting. The thing I love about Jeremy Brett, and

_melisande_ was first to point this out, is that he keeps everything just under the surface - he maintains the very canon mask of the cold, analytical reasoner but shows us the excitement and emotion underneath from time to time. As the series proceeds, this sort of morphs into a cantankerous front with serious emotional issues and deep compassion occasionally breaking through. And I would never say I don't like this interpretation, but it isn't exactly my perception of canon Holmes. It's delightful to watch because Brett is so skillful. However, it does mean that he ends up taking out a lot of his crankiness on Watson. And as canon as that is, it still makes me make the sadface.

Livanov's interpretation of Holmes goes in the other direction. Instead of playing up Holmes's self-destructive qualities, he emphasizes Holmes's weird sense of humor and excitement in the chase. He reminds me of Holmes in the earlier stories, the Holmes who would run around singing bits from the concerto they just went to, or who would collapse laughing in a chair for several minutes before getting hold of himself. Jeremy Brett's Holmes seems to reign himself in whenever he smiles or laughs (except when he's high, of course O_o). Livanov's, on the other hand, finds himself so damn funny that he occasionally gets weak in the knees from it. He's still sarcastic and impatient and doesn't have any qualms about telling people when they've done something stupid, but he can also be remarkably affectionate. This last, again, is not particularly canon-like, but I love it because it really shows how much he appreciates Watson (and Mrs. Hudson too, in fact). He's impish in a way that Brett's Holmes isn't, just like Brett's Holmes is dark in a way Livanov's isn't.

I actually think, all in all, that Clive Merrison's Holmes comes closest to my perception of canon Holmes, and even his interpretation is very different from how I see Holmes in some respects. I don't know if I'd want anyone to get it "perfect," because there are certainly things about canon Holmes that I don't like, and things I prefer about the versions of him I've seen and heard. It's all good, really :D

P.S. My icon is from the Charles Augustus Milverton episode, in which there is not handholding at the part where there is in canon, but there is surprise handholding earlier, and that totally makes up for it XD