The Sherlock Holmes Adaptations - Essay Example

Adaptation: Fiction and Film Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes refer to the Sherlock Holmes stories adapted for stage, television and film. Many of these adaptations had strong themes and messages that viewers would not overlook (Doyle, Crowder, 2010). Critics of these film adaptations have often talked about the perceived weaknesses of the adaptations whereby some of them promote conservative values, promote a mono-cultural English society, give privilege to the upper class and long for an England that never existed. These and many other ideas are propagated in these adaptations (Heller, 2009). So many films, and TV shows have been produced in the form of adaptations. The focus of this essay is to discuss the above claims with reference to five adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. The essay will direct specific attention to films produced in England. The films include the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Without a Clue, The Great Mouse Detective; they might be Giants and The Hound of the Baskervilles. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes The adventures of Sherlock Holmes film was released in the United Kingdom as Sherlock Holmes. It was released in 1939, and it is full of adventure and mystery. This film was adapted from William Gillette’s 1899 play called Sherlock Holmes. The plots of the two works of art do not resemble each other though. This film was released as part of the film series called Sherlock Holmes that hit the screens between 1939, and 1946 (Leitch, 2007). This film features the adventures, and actions that would fit to describe 20th century London. The adventures taking place in the film may not be found in today’s society. They therefore bring about a nostalgic feeling for the past among the viewers of the film (Doyle, Crowder, 2010). The film features the detective Sherlock Holmes together with Doctor Watson who is fighting a person intending to attack a rich family and steal crown jewels. This kind of action is set in the past, and cannot be thought of in the modern England. It brings back nostalgic memories of the days when crown jewels were the desire of many, and a man would dare go and risk his life to steal them (Heller, 2009). The act of going to steal crown jewels also shows how the royal class was privileged to have such things that were highly coveted by those who didn’t have them. This act could most probably be prompted by a need and desire to have what the rich have the privilege of accessing and making use of (Doyle, Crowder, 2010). This film is made up of fiction, and therefore presents scenarios where one would only wish to have them happen today. As Holmes gate crashes on the garden party he sings a song about him wanting to be beside the sea side. This song also evokes nostalgic feelings, and memories about the luxury, and pleasure that people enjoyed being on the seaside in those days. The song was composed in 1907 and hearing it would make one want o live at the time it was written (Dennis, 2012). Critics therefore have a point in highlighting the negative side of this film. Without a clue The film “Without a clue” has a fictional character called Sherlock Holmes. This character is a creation of Dr. John Watson. The film puts much emphasis on the British Empire and its people. An example is the case of stolen £5 banknote printing plates that as it is reported could bring about the collapse of the British Empire. The British Empire in this case is elevated above other societies as it appears to receive special attention. The fact that the movie features British characters in a British setting is indicative of the movie’s promotion of one culture in a land where many cultures existed (Dennis, 2012). The movie also takes back the minds of viewers when it brings the action where Kincaid shows off his skills of fighting with swords. Fighting with swords would have been a fashionable thing in England many years ago when this movie was being released. Today it only remains a nostalgic thing since technology has evolved and people have discovered more fashionable weapons. Fighting with swords therefore brings back to mind the England that was when such was the most common mode of fighting. Sherlock Holmes in the film is notable for playing the fictitious role which may be misleading to many people. The aim of fiction in the film is to entertain but some times this turns out to be resentful to some viewers (Heller, 2009). The movie also promotes conservative values through the talk about the collapse of the British Empire. The British Empire was alive in the past years but today it may not be a functional as then. There is fear that the British Empire could collapse because of the stolen bank note printing plates. This makes the viewers of the movie to long for the days when the British Empire was powerful, and economic problems were minimal. It brings nostalgia, and a longing for the past that may be was not as good as depicted in the film (Porter, 2012). The fiction in the film also has its effect on the minds of the viewers. It makes people imagine and fantasize about an England that they are meant to believe existed even when it never existed. Fiction as it comes sought of “lies” to the mind because it is all about things that cannot exist in reality (Leitch, 2007). The great mouse detective The Great Mouse Detective is one of the film adaptations in the Sherlock Holmes series. This movie has its setting in London around 1897. It features animals in the place of human beings and has been rated as one of the most preferred by children for entertainment. It is also popular with adults in England since its themes are all about England and its leadership. The mouse called Olivia Flaversham from Scotland is the main character. First, the movie promotes the conservative order of governance by the Queen (Porter, 2012). This was much pronounced in the past and England was synonymous with the rule of the Queen. Today the rule of the queen exists but is not very much pronounced. The movie paints the picture of a powerful queen who may have existed in the times of the release of the movie. This to the viewer would bring about nostalgia and conservative emotions about the rule of the Queen of England (Doyle, Crowder, 2010). The decision by Professor Ratigan to have Olivia the Queen captured and fed to his pet cat is also misleading. It is suggestive of a non democratic, tyrannical and barbaric pursuit of power that should not be in existence today. This type of actions could only be imagined in the England of the past and not that of today (Dennis, 2012). The effect of this scene in the movie is to give the viewer a nostalgic and conservative desire that would long to be fulfilled. By the toy queen making a declaration to the effect that Ratigan is the new ruler of the Mousedom, the viewer is also taken back to the days of tyranny. Some people would long for these days because they prefer “strong” leaders that seize power strongly. However this to many would be disgusting and a draw back in societal civilization (Doyle, Crowder, 2010). This movie also promotes mono-culture in England since the plot of the movie and the characters are all about the English society and culture. The mousedom which would be a representation of the Kingdom of England and Wales is all an idea of the English people. There is nothing about other cultures that has been featured in the movie. This therefore tends to narrow the minds of viewers as they are made to focus on the English culture and kingdom and the structure of government instituted in the past (Porter, 2012). They might be Giants This is a film produced in 1971 about a man who fantasizes a lot when his wife dies. Justin Playfair as a millionaire goes into fantasy as a result of losing his wife. He puts on a hat, and plays the violin in a home criminal laboratory afraid of the plots he suspects have been devised by Professor Moriarty who happens to be his biggest enemy. This film is basically highlighting the problems of the upper class (Porter, 2012). The millionaire is featured as the one who goes through the loss of his wife and this can be seen as a huge loss because of the way he reacts to it (McCaw, 2011). He represents the upper class in the movie and the attention the movie gives him means that the upper class is privileged. The other characters in the film such as Dr Mildred give him some attention. One would reason that the attention that the millionaire gets from those around him show that the upper class gets more attention compared to the rest of the people. Justin Playfair, being a millionaire may not be expected to start fantasizing because he can get solace through his wealth. The millionaire breaks down shows that he is used to getting attention, and privileges that he still expects to get even when his wife dies (Porter, 2012).  The Hound of the Baskervilles This film was produced by Hammer Film Productions in 1959 in England. It has mystery and horror as its major themes. The film is a bit different from the novel it was adapted from. This is a horror film that has some fiction. The characters and scenes in the film seem to be imaginative. Other things are just fantasized. The dog like creature that appears to kill Baskerville is not known (Fields, Conan, Doyle, Doyle, 2011). Even though it is revealed later as a real do with a mask, the viewers would not stop believing early in the film that it is a ghost or an unknown creature. The hound of hell and the hound of Baskervilles tend to cause viewers of the movie to go into fantasy and nostalgia. The setting of the film in moorland sets the stage for nostalgic feelings as well. This film is also about people with financial capability or those in the upper class. It therefore emphasizes on class as a theme and therefore hinting at prejudice (Fields et al., 2011). The horror film is full of killings whereby certain characters kill others. These types of actions and scenes only take people back in time because the civilized world of today is totally against such. The film is set in England with English characters. The fact that all the action is stages in England and those involved in the film are English is enough evidence that the English culture is the agenda in the film. The mono-culture theme is very obvious in the film based on this observation (Fields et al., 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, the essay discusses the various Sherlock Holmes adaptations in England that promote various ideas and themes that may not be acceptable to a certain section of viewers. In reacting to these Sherlock Holmes adaptations, critics claim that some of them promote conservative values, promote a mono-cultural English society, and give privilege to the upper class and long for an England that never existed. The discussion is focused on four films form the Sherlock Holmes adaptations. These films are the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, without a clue, the great mouse detective; they might be giants and the Hound of the Baskervilles. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes promotes nostalgic and conservative values as well as monoculture in the English society. Without a clue revives nostalgic feelings and ideas in the viewers and also promotes a mono-cultural society. The great mouse detective also brings back nostalgic thoughts and shows that the upper class is more privileged in society than other people. They might be giants is another film that shows how the upper class gets the privileges that the rest of the society fails to get. Many of the adaptations of Sherlock Holmes have various outstanding themes that are seen to be negative. References Fields, J., Conan, S., Doyle, F. Doyle, C. A. (2011). Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles. MIT Press. Porter, P. (2012). Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century: Essays on New Adaptations. Routledge. Doyle, A.C. (1974). The Valley of fear. Cengage. Doyle, S., Crowder, D.A. (2010) Sherlock Holmes for Dummies. Oxford. Heller, N. (2009). The Case of the Weird Sherlock Holmes. John Wiley & Sons. Adaptations. Available at http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2009/12/the_case_of_the_weird_sherlock_holmes_adaptations.html Dennis F. (February 2012). 8 Unconventional Sherlock Adaptations. http://theweek.com/article/index/224974/8-unconventional-sherlock-holmes-adaptations Leitch, T.M. (2007). Film Adaptation and its Discontents. JHU Press. McCaw, N. (2011). Adapting Detective Fiction: Crime, Englishness and TV Detectives. Continuum International Publishing Group.   Read More