A Mystery Film: Silver Blaze - Term Paper Example

Silver Blaze Silver Blaze is a mystery film that is directed by Thomas Bentley. The movie stirs Arthur Wontnre as Sherlock Holmes, Ronald Shiner as Simpson the stable Boy and Ian Fleming as Dr. Watson. In the United States the film is known as Murder at the Baskervilles. In Silver Blaze, Sherlock Holmes embarks on a holiday by visiting his old mate Sir Baskerville. Unfortunately, his vacation comes to an end when Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson abruptly find themselves entwined in a double –murder mystery. At this point, the two are compelled to go and find Professor Robert Moriarty and the horse-Silver Blaze that is supposed to appear in a horse race and bring the offenders to book. Sherlock Holmes eventually goes to Sir Henry Baskerville estate in the countryside along with his sidekick Dr. Watson (Bleiler 45). Silver Blaze the short story focal point is the sudden disappearance of a race horse on the eve of a significant race and on the evident murder of its trainer, John Straker. The legend is illustrious by its distinctive surroundings and late-Victorian sporting background. The story provides one of Conan Doyle’s most efficient plotting. In the story, Inspector Gregory apprehends the suspect perceived to be in connection with John Strainer’s murder. This happens in abeyance with the arrival of Holmes and Dr. Watsons’s arrival at King Pyland, the Dartmoor stable possessed by the affluent Colonel Ross, from which Silver Blaze is missing. The criminal is suspected to be Fitzroy Simpson. He is a London bookmaker and the suspicion of him being responsible with the murder of John Straker as well as stealing of Silver Blaze is based on the fact that he had gone to the Dartmoor, and specifically to King’s Pyland to collect information associated with professional activities, including the race in which Silver Blaze is to run (Bleiler 70). In both the film and movie, both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are searching for someone to share their quarters with at the same time. The two friends find a kindred spirit in each other and they decide to stay together. Watson is a professional doctor finds himself in tricky situation whereby he is intrigued by Holmes’s cases and begins to help him. Holmes calls Watson his shrewd friend and perfect helpmate. Yet still, the relationship between Watson and Holmes is that it goes beyond mere friendship. The two mingle passionately when they function as pair in manner that meets more than the eye. Holmes can even go overboard when he is displeased with Watson’s actions, which start Watson’s irritation. Furthermore, Watson is Sherlock Holmes’s sidekick who, by and large, is not as brilliant as him. However, Wanton somehow does make things easier for Holmes. Through sly questions and ejaculations of surprise, Dr. Watson synthesizes the focal point of this story. No doubt, after reading this story carefully, one is instinctively aware that Holmes is homosexual. This is a subject that had become so intense in the nineteenth century. Not only does Holmes exhibit hints of homosexual propensity, there is also the idea of homoeroticism felt between him and his sidekick Watson. Holmes in not impressed by women or their appeal, yet still, this is clearly a rare character when it comes to the male species. He instead favors the company of a man, for this case, Watson over that of a woman no less (Robb 24-30). There are still a few instances of heated encounter as well as physical contact between Sherlock Holmes and Watson, including the holding of hands, murmur against earlobes and sleeping in double beds. Sherlock Holmes’s gender is somehow bent. And according to Bradley, there is a great possibility that there exists a homosexual relationship between the two (Robb 33). For instance, Sherlock Holmes possesses remarkable knowledge of perfumes and has a refined gift to smell. Conan Doyle characterizes Sherlock Holmes in a very refined, almost feminine, manner. Sherlock Holmes is not at all to get occupied with women. He doesn’t appreciate or value marriage or love in the manner in which many people, like his friend Watson do. Not only does Holmes undervalue love, he also does not think positively about love and/or about other sex (Robb 33-60). In this story, Holmes is not at all determined to tell of his own story. Conversely, it is his friend Dr. John Watson who tells the adventures he and Holmes embark upon in the structure of written accounts that are to be in print in the newspaper. Holmes detests with certain alacrity the sensational and melodramatic legends that Watson chronicles. The manner in which Watson describes the whole situation makes him a mediator between the reader and the traits of Holmes. On many occasions, Sherlock Holmes encounters with many of London’s criminal, for this case, Scoot Yard sporadically request Holmes’s assistance. They appear to require Holmes’s ability of deduction, since they are not the smartest people there is. There are several primary problems that embattle any mystery show specifically introducing the crime each week. Ideally, there is no problem with that if the character is a police officer. Arthur Conan Doyle has done a great job in solving a murder mystery. I feel that many people appear because they have heard of Sherlock Holmes (Bradley 67). The story starts with Sherlock Holmes poring over the information about a crime which involves the disappearance of Silver Blaze a winning race horse. Thereafter, Holmes is received by the police detective who he respects by saying that he is quite proficient only lacking in imagination. Conversely, this without doubt is the overall point of Sherlock Holmes. He strongly belives that other detectives are not bad; however, they merely don’t take their time to think through the crimes in the manner that Sherlock Holmes does. He tells Watson “There is no crime to detect, or at most, some bungling villainy with a motive so transparent that even a Scotland Yard official can see through it.” The detective that Holmes encounters more often is George Lestrade-other detectives such as Steinbrunner and Penzler call Lestrade an incompetent Scotland Yard detective. In all, Sherlock Holmes says that Steinbrunner is absolutely lacks reason as detective. On the contrary, the primary clue in this story is that the dogs never backed at the person who came in the stable. This is very important because the dogs were familiar with the offender. As a matter of fact, this limits the number of suspects considerably (Ross 45). Sherlock Holmes’s personal accounts for tolerating cases are his personal curiosity and enthrallment with certain circumstances. In some instances, he is proffered considerable amounts of rewards, but at times he works for free. Sherlock Holmes is obsessed with challenging his own mind by resolving subtle problems, whether against the law or effortless crosswords. For instance, Sherlock Holmes’s in the story manages to trace Silver Blaze, accurately. The tracks of the race horse were clearly observable in the soil, although intermittently. Further, Holmes’s deduces that the reason why the detectives could not trace the horse, in spite of having stared right at him. Thereafter, Sherlock Holmes’s makes sure that Silver Blaze’s safety is no compromised. After this success, he puts his mind into other elements of the case. Sherlock Holmes’s techniques are well-practiced models of common sense. For this case, he uses the curious incident of the dog at night-time in Silver Blaze (Klinger 39-45). Holmes’s ability unknots the mystery and exposes the villains responsible for the murder. Silver Blaze is such a great to story to read. The movie version of it makes it possible for the reader to have a deeper understanding of the story. Work Cited Bleiler, Richard J. Introduction: Reference and Research Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction. London. Routledge, 2007. Print. Bradley, Edwards. Holmes of Baker Street: The Truth about Sherlock. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2004. Print. Klinger, Leslie. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print. Ross, Timothy. Good Old Index: The Sherlock Holmes Handbook. Colombia: Camden House, 2001. Print. Robb, Graham. Strangers: Homosexual Love in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Scribner, 2006. Print. Read More