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Hello and welcome to Back on Baker Street - a Sherlock Holmes blog managed by two Sherlock Holmes fans. One is a Sherlockian scholar; the other a Sherlockian novice. Together they will navigate over 70 years of Sherlockian films and Sherlockian culture.
However, before we begin we should take a moment to introduce ourselves:
Nick: I first encountered Holmes at the age of six. It was in the form of the Great Illustrated Classics edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which contained three abridged versions of the original stories. I distinctly remember looking at the cover and having this "a-ha" moment as I connected this unfamiliar character with that very famous, funny-looking hat. Soon after, my Mom and I began to read the stories together and it is no exaggeration to say that I was hooked at once. Mid-way through "The Red-Headed League" I was determined to find out what was going on and starting proposing my own theories as to "whodunit." Over time, I started watching a lot of Sherlock Holmes movies and TV until it blossomed into this obsession. And how about you? How did you first become aware of the great detective?
Cat: Well, to be honest, I don't remember exactly. As a kid, The Great Mouse Detective was (and still is) one of my favorite under appreciated Disney movies, and it's something I've only loved more as time's gone by. There was something about the thrilling sense of adventure and mystery in the movie that always left me enormously disappointed when the credits rolled and I was left without a sequel to continue the fun. I've always been one for a good adventure and even a good mystery, as I've been a fan of the Nancy Drew computer games since before I could actually properly play the game. I even opened a "detective agency" in the third grade with a friend. (We seemed to hit upon hard times in the detective business and never solved, or received, a single case). So, the Sherlock Holmes genre has always been up my alley, so to speak. I've always had this "consciousness" of who and what Sherlock Holmes is, as most anyone in the 21st century does (everyone knows what "Elementary, my dear Watson" means and that a deerstalker hat is the universal symbol of Sherlock Holmes), but I was never a "Sherlock Holmes fan" until relatively recently. My first "real" Sherlock Holmes encounter was with the Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law 2009 movie, which, like the GMD, had a fun sense of adventure and left me waiting for a sequel. At the suggestion of my best friend, I started watching the BBC Sherlock series during freshman year, and by then I was absolutely hooked. To date, the only Sherlock Holmes-related media I've encountered includes: The Great Mouse Detective, Sherlock Holmes (2009), Game of Shadows (2011), Sherlock (all seasons and the latest special), a handful of Elementary episodes, and I've also read A Study In Scarlet, So, while I consider myself to be a definite fan of the Great Detective, I have a LOT to learn…
Nick: I had no idea that you had read A Study in Scarlet! Very cool. I think it's an under-appreciated story which really gets lost in the shuffle of the other Holmes novels. It is, however, not my favorite novel...but we'll get to that. And no - my favorite isn't Hound of the Baskervilles! (As shocking as that may be). Anyway, I have always loved mysteries too (never had my own detective agency though), so I guess there's nothing especially surprising about me loving Sherlock Holmes. He is the archetypal detective. He wasn't the first, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of detectives owe something to Holmes. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Raymond Chandler (to name a few) who revolutionized the mystery genre during the 1930s. It's those kinds of people who have kept Holmes alive - even tangentially. More recently, of course, die-hard Sherlockians have made an even greater impact on our society. That's the greatest thing about Sherlock: it's made by people who live and breathe Sherlock Holmes. When I first heard about the show back in seventh grade, I was a little apprehensive. I couldn't for the life of me figure why Holmes and Watson should be brought into the modern day (I guess I conveniently ignored every other time this had been done) and figured that the whole thing was going to disappoint the Sherlockian inside of me. And then I started watching it and as soon as Sherlock started beating a corpse with a riding crop - per A Study in Scarlet - a big smile crossed my face.
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| We're getting a little ahead of ourselves |
Cat: It was when he winked and walked out the door and the music started playing that I was officially drawn in - but we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, I suppose. By now, you, people of the Internet, are probably wondering what exactly we're doing and what the purpose of this blog is. As this is all your idea, would you care to do the honors of explaining our mission, Nick?
Nick: Of course! Well, being something of a Sherlock Holmes expert I wanted to do something with this Sherlockian knowledge. Feeling unsatisfied with being just another Sherlock Holmes fan I was ready to take an active part in the Sherlock Holmes fan culture and I managed to convince Catharine to join me in this mission which we have called The Great Sherlock Holmes Experiment. This blog will be an outlet for us to converse about all things Sherlock Holmes-related - most of them stemming from an extensive watch-list of Sherlock Holmes movies and television adaptations, You could liken our experience to Star Wars: I am the wise, old Obi-Wan who is relaying his knowledge unto my pupil, Luke. At the same time, however, I will see whether Cat can successfully make it through over seventy years of Sherlockian film. (Though, to be honest, if you can make it past Pursuit to Algiers, it should be smooth sailing from there.) Anything you would like to add?
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| The resemblance between the two of us and them is uncanny |
Cat: That's right: much like Luke Skywalker, I know little in the ways of the Force. This experiment of ours is going to be an educational experience for me. I'm finally going to learn enough to be able to stop fearing embarrassment from making stupid mistakes when talking about Sherlock Holmes. I wouldn't hesitate to call Nick somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes expert, so I'm in pretty good hands. I am merely the novice who's taking her first steps into a much larger world. A world of suspense, sleuths, and, of course, Sherlock Holmes. (What have I gotten myself into...?)
Nick: Beautifully phrased. I am really excited to start on this project. In time, I hope that in time the names Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, and Peter Cushing will mean just as much to Cat as they do to me. I shall try my best to be a good Sherlockian teacher.
Check back soon as we begin our Sherlockian experience with Experiment #1 - The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939).
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