Some characters lend themselves well to constant rethinking. There are several Supermen, a dozen Doctors Who and a host of Bonds. But the most often filmed character, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is Sherlock Holmes, an English detective in an invariable felt hat, with a sharp mind. There are 200 films about Holmes and about 70 actors who performed this role. It is difficult to narrow that number down to ten, but we tried our best and selected the 10 best on-screen versions of Sherlock Holmes.
10. Robert Downey Jr.
One of the more recent interpretations on the list, Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock in the 2009 film Guy Ritchie as well as its 2011 sequel. A third film was discussed, but filming was never confirmed. And Robert Downey Jr. himself said that he would star in the new part if the script could, as before, "excite" him. Although the film is set in the Victorian era, this era is portrayed in an extraordinary and bold manner. Guy Ritchie's ideas are full of anachronisms. The film received good reviews, Robert Downey Jr. and his Dr. Watson, Jude Law, were highly praised by critics. One review noted, "When Downey Jr. and Lowe are together, the screen sparkles so brightly that it can catch on fire." This is a film with a lot of energy. It allows some liberties regarding the geography of London (the houses of parliament are located next to Tower Bridge), but the hero of Sherlock Holmes conquers with charm and charm, which cannot be said about some other on-screen versions.
9. James D'Arcy
The youngest interpretation of Sherlock on our list is James D'Arcy. He starred in the 2002 film Sherlock: A Work of Evil. This action-packed thriller features Sherlock as not only a detective, but also a celebrity and heartthrob. He is a 28-year-old fool, extremely confident in his abilities when it comes to killing his nemesis Moriarty (in his role as Victor D'Onofrio). D'Arcy's play was called convincing, noting that his hero is characterized by "the passion and drive that are so necessary for such a strong dedication to solving crimes, although the hero is not devoid of emotional weaknesses that strike him." Other critics were not so good-natured, one of them ridiculed the excessive replay of the main characters and the simplification of the script. But this film is the first attempt to transfer Sherlock Holmes' actions into the 21st century, setting the stage for other, better-served interpretations.
8. Christopher Lee
This list features two stars of the Classic Hammer Horror Series, and the first is Christopher Lee, best known for playing Dracula and of course the legendary Saruman from The Lord of the Rings! He first appeared in the 1962 film Sherlock Holmes and the Lethal Necklace, and then starred in two more films one after the other in the 1990s, when Lee was already in his 60s. These films were Sherlock Holmes and the Prima Donna and Occurrence at Victoria Falls ”, which shows the meeting between Holmes and Theodore Roosevelt. They were to be part of the Sherlock Holmes: Golden Years series, featuring an elderly Sherlock in the early 1990s. However, only two films were made. Lee also appeared in The Hound of the Baskervilles, while Sherlock was played by another actor. But more about him later ...
7. Ronald Howard
Ronald Howard (not to be confused with director Ron Howard) played Sherlock in the 1954 American TV series Sherlock Holmes, 39 episodes. This version of Holmes was younger than many others. He was "an extremely sensitive young man trying to get the most out of his profession," not the highly regarded genius of later stories. Many episodes were not based on the books of Conan Doyle, but were the original script, although there is a faint connection between the two. Many of the episodes appear to have targeted American audiences in The Texas Shepherd Case, The Pennsylvania Gun Case, although the series was set in London. The series was filmed in Paris, so archival footage was used to create the impression of filming in London. And Ronald Howard himself is a native British born in London, South Norwood, who studied at Cambridge.
6. Johnny Lee Miller
The only American television version of Sherlock with a different name from the name of the protagonist is the series "Elementary". So named after Holmes' widely quoted but non-canon phrase "Elementary, Watson." Johnny Lee Miller plays Sherlock, and Lucy Liu is the controversial female Watson (although Miller says they will never be a couple). This is probably the most original version of the story, with modern storylines including computer break-ins and Wall Street bankers. The costumes are minimalistic, the script is sparkling, and Sherlock is an alcoholic anonymous, to whom Watson was assigned as a "sober partner", that is, to help with recovery. Despite the fact that the series is American, the main star of the series is British. Sherlock is supported by his friends, Rhys Ivans and Sean Pertwee, as Mycroft Holmes, and Inspector Lestrade, respectively. Debuting at the same time as Guy Ritchie and BBC's Sherlock, Elementary played in the background. But, despite this, the series received many good reviews and high ratings.
5. Michael Caine
Now this interpretation of Sherlock Holmes may seem strange to us. Indeed, in it, Dr. Watson is shown as a genius, and Holmes is his faithful assistant. The 1988 film was called "No Evidence" and was shot in the comedy genre. Dr. Watson's birthplace is Ben Kingsley, his characteristic feature in the film is his constant use of meaningful phrases like: "Try not to shoot yourself, even if until I give the signal." In this universe, Sherlock is a character imagined by Watson, played by drunken actor Reginald Kincaid, who eventually begins to consider himself the real Holmes and tries to confront Moriarty. This is an unorthodox and, to some extent, irreverent interpretation of the legendary work. Even in the credits it says: "We apologize to the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson." Kane as Sherlock Holmes is a jester, a drunkard and an invention that makes him so hilarious.
4. Peter Cushing
And here is the second star of the "Classic series of horror films Hammer" Baron Frankenstein himself - Peter Cushing. He played Holmes in three separate productions. The first was the 1958 Hammer film The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is Holmes's first color adaptation and critically acclaimed (Time Out magazine noted it as Cushing's best play). The next was the 1968 BBC series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, in which Cushing reclaimed the role from Douglas Wilmer. But filming for the series was chaotic and chaotic, the scripts were poorly written and arrived late. Cushing himself said: "It was not Peter Cushing doing his best in the role of Holmes, it was Cushing, sighing with relief when he remembered his line and uttered it." Cushing's last appearance as Sherrock Holmes was in 1984 on Channel 4's Death Masks, in which he played a retired Holmes looking to solve one last case. He's definitely the most controversial Sherlock on our list.
3. Benedict Cumberbatch
And now we will talk about the best of the modern Holmes. Cumberbatch starred in Sherlock, the BBC TV series. There are three episodes every few years, which often disappoint fans by leaving some questions unanswered.The series takes place in modern London, with all the technologies available now (Watson's magazine is a blog, Moriarty communicates through text messages). The episodes are only loosely based on the original story, and sometimes deviate from it altogether, but Sherlock's almost autistic memory and deduction abilities remain at the center of the show. Sherlock Cumberbatch is socially unadapted, describing himself as a "highly effective sociopath." However, he manages to breathe love into those around him, including Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman) and pathologist Molly (Louise Brailey), who has long had a crush on the elegant detective. An insane version of the original story, in some places, with fast-paced, brain-tempting events, was a huge hit in the Air Force, and Cumberbatch is great at it.
2. Basil Rathbone
But for many people, the only Sherlock will be Basil Rathbone, a South African-born British actor who starred in 14 Sherlock films between 1939 and 1946, starting with The Dog of the Baskervilles. Nigel Bruce played Dr. Watson. The films combine Victorian and World War II plots. Once Rathbone realized that success had doomed him to play the same type of roles, and subsequently he refused to appear in the role of Sherlock Holmes in television advertisements. He also played Sherlock in the theater, but Nigel Bruce was too sick to play alongside him, and the play only lasted three performances. The actor died suddenly in 1967, but his voice was used posthumously in the 1986 Disney cartoon The Great Mouse Detective, in which the protagonist was named Basil as a tribute to the greatest Sherlock of all time.
1. Vasily Livanov
The only Russian on our list, and, oddly enough, it is he who is the most authentic image of Sherlock in world cinema, Vasily Livanov played Sherlock in a number of films in his native country, including the 1981 adaptation of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles. In total, in 1979-1986, five films were shot, divided into 11 episodes. Livanov played Sherlock Holmes excellently, and Arthur's daughter Conan Doyle noted that her father would have approved of his interpretation. He was honored with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2006, and in Moscow, next to the Embassy of Great Britain, there is a statue depicting Livanov as Holmes and Dr. Watson, Vitaly Solomin. Russian Holmes may not be the most obvious choice, but he left a noticeable mark on Sherlock's history.
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