Description

When an eminent American judge has his life threatened by a ruthless gang of mobsters, Albert Campion comes to the rescue and hides him away in the remote village of Mystery Mile.But when the judge disappears and a strange Turkish art expert arrives at Mystery Mile, the village locals begin to panic and Campion agin is in the thick of kidnapping and sinister deeds. ... Read more

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The normally unflappable sleuth Albert Campion (played by a former Doctor Who, Peter Davison) loses a bit of his objectivity when murder strikesamong some good friends, the bohemian enclave that's built up around adeceased artist who decreed that every year after his death one of his12 last paintings should be unveiled. At the annual event, a suddenblackout gives someone the opportunity to stab an abrasive young artistwith a pair of ornate scissors. As is usual with Margery Allingham'smurder mysteries, the suspects in Death of a Ghost are a collectionof eccentric personalities; their tics and accents are as entertaining asthe elaborate unraveling of the improbable murders. This particularmystery is weakened by the small role of Campion's crusty manservant Lugg(Brian Glover), whose earthy attitude generally provides a much-neededcounterbalance to Campion's smooth facade. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

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"The Empty House"
Did Sherlock Holmes survive his apparent demise at the hands of Professor Moriarty in "The Final Problem"? Clearly so, as his resurrection three years later in this story is a dramatic and happy event--though it causes his old friend Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) to faint at the sight of him. Jeremy Brett is outstanding as the famed sleuth, whose return from what Sherlockians call the Great Hiatus is challenged by one of Moriarty's most murderous lieutenants (Patrick Allen), already a killer on the run in London. The action is swift and exciting, and the colorful reentrance of Holmes into the life of Dr. Watson is a highly memorable event. With Rosalie Williams in a more extensive part than usual as the wonderful Mrs. Hudson, Holmes's Baker Street landlady.

"The Abbey Grange"
"We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson, but this is our Marengo, for it begins in defeat and ends in victory," says Sherlock Holmes, in the midst of a bloody mystery with significant moral and ethical implications. Holmes and Watson are summoned to the Abbey Grange, where Sir Eustace Brackenstall has been brutally murdered, apparently by a local gang of thieves. But the case proves much more complex, and ends with one of Holmes's rare but decisive and personal interpretations of justice. An early episode in the new onscreen association of Brett and Hardwicke (who ably replaced the departed David Burke), the two actors seem as perfectly meshed as their allied characters. This fine production is as enjoyable for the casual viewer as it is for the most dedicated Sherlockian. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (12)

We are so glad to have you back, Mr. Holmes
While it is wonderful to have Sherlock Holmes back among the living, the real star in this video is the introduction of Edward Hardwicke as Watson. He is so comfortable and bemused as the teller of Holmes adventures that you believe him to be Watson. The screenplay is a bit uneven at points. It's almost as if the short story was unnaturally stretched to fill the time slot. But despite all that, Jeremy Brett is in top form as he keeps Holmes barely one step ahead of Moriarty's thugs and the infamous air guns.

Sherlock Holmes is back!!
When Conan Doyle wrote the "Final Problem" it was supposed to be his last chronicle as he was tired of the character. But through public pressure he brought back the first Consulting Detective. In this adventure we find out that Sherlock Holmes didn't die with his "evil counterpart" but had to stay in hiding in order to evade Dr Moraity's accomplices. When the story starts, years has gone bye since the "death" of Mr Holmes and a crime gets the attention of Holmes old cohort, Dr Watson. A murderer is afoot, and nobody knows who he is and why he kills. You can guess who comes a calling. The scene where Sherlock reveals himself alive to Dr Watson is right out of the book and brought off in great fation. This is an exellent sequel to the "Final Problem" where Sherlock Holmes retakes his place in London as it's most famous Detective and ties off any loose leed left in the earlier story. As per usual Granada Television rendition of this story is visually astonishing in the period details and scenes and Mr Brett depiction of Holmes is right out of the book. If you saw "Final Problem" this a must see. If you haven't, get both

We love it
With Sherlock Holmes dead at the Reichenbach Falls, Watson returns to his daily life. But, three years later, when Holmes suddenly appears in his examining room Watson receives the shock of his life. But, it's not time for happy reunions; Holmes is on the track of a major villain, and he is in need of his able assistant. Once again, the game is afoot!

Every once in a while, an actor comes along who not only plays the role of Sherlock Holmes, but actually redefines the role. In 1984, veteran actor Jeremy Brett (1933-95) actually did it yet again! This fifty-minute episode, the Empty House, was episode one of the third season, and originally aired on July 9, 1986. (By the way, if you like Jeremy Brett, you can see him in an entirely different role in My Fair Lady (1964) as Freddie Eynsford-Hill!)

I loved this tape and think that any fan of Sherlock Holmes, or just plain fan of mysteries, will love it, too. My family and I highly recommend it to you!

Excellent DVD
These two stories may not be as involved as some contemporary mysteries involving modern forensics, but Holmes' use of rational deduction and the forensics of his time (late 19th Century) is grand. If you are a true mystery fan, this is the place to begin--and return to again. Conan Doyle was a superb story teller.

The first story involves Holmes reappearance following his reported death at the hand of his arch enemy. Conan Doyle "killed" his dectective because he was tired of writing Holmes serials for the newspaper, but Holmes fans were so outraged and heartbroken the author was forced to resurrect him.

This volume marks Holmes "return" following the notorious "fall" in the Alps only to find himself pursued by a crony of his dead arch enemy (Professor Moriarity). The second tale involves the death of the owner of the Abbey Grange--who did it? Was it his Australian wife, her nanny, or the three villans the wife says hit her and tied her to a chair. Holmes is back in fine form and the "game's afoot" he tells Watson. The film includes the live depiction of illustrations from the Sherlock Holmes books we read as kids.

The DVD version of these two Sherlock Holmes tales is excellent. I love the reenactment of past times where every detail is faithfully depicted down to the steam from the locomotive engines and being able to see the detail with clarity is a pleasure.

Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes
I am once again transfixed on my television and I have gleefully tossed out all my home tapes of the PBS series - they were horrible quality. What can I say...like a kid in a candy store..which episode do I watch next...were all life's problems so easy to deal with... I have most all of the old B&W ones in various 'collections' but...to me...there has been no Holmes like Mr. Brett. I would definitely recommend any and all of these episodes to EVERYONE!! A true 'must see'. Superb! I have them all up to date as far as I know but I am hoping for more releases. ... Read more

Description

Averna, a tiny Dalmatian state of equally small significance, has attracted interest from a bold, bad baron of commerce, Brett Savanake.But its rightful heirs are the once noble, but now depleted Fitton familyWhoever can trace ownership by showing possession of the Pontsbright crown and documents will own Averna. With the help of the Fittons, especially the beautiful, young Amanda Fitton, Campion and Lugg, together with assorted companions, set off on a fine old fashioned treasure hunt. ... Read more

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The Case of the Late Pig, one of the best of the BBC adaptations ofMargery Allingham's mystery novels of the 1930s, takes her whimsicalgentleman sleuth Albert Campion (Peter Davison) and his cantankerousex-con manservant Lugg (Brian Glover) into the British countryside, wherethey encounter the usual collection of ridiculous personalities,improbable murders, and unexpected narrative twists--this time featuring achildhood bully, mysterious poetic letters, a human corpse replaced by adead pig, and some very important ice cubes. Thanks to particularly sharpwriting and dramatic flair, The Case of the Late Pig achieves theperfect mix of suspense and self-satire that marks Allingham's mysteries;and since one of the suspects is an old flame of Campion's, it allowsDavison the opportunity to play more than just his usual investigativerelish and slightly macabre humor. Topnotch. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

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In Police at the Funeral, Margery Allingham's genial but impishlymorbid sleuth, Albert Campion (Peter Davison, a former Doctor Who),accompanied by his ex-burglar manservant Lugg (Brian Glover), investigatesa murder among an upper-crust family of bickering middle-aged siblings andtheir imperious mother. Allingham's series, set in 1930s England, has aslippery tone--some mysteries seem to view the class system with blithereverence; Police at the Funeral treats the wealthy, aimlesssiblings as near-idiots, all waiting for the death of their fearsomemother, who's the only one with any wit or fiber. The Campion stories areless about whodunnit than howdunnit--the roundabout plots featureimprobable killings that poke fun at the conventions of murder mysteries,while simultaneously providing all the comfortable pleasures of the genre.Meanwhile, a cast of fine British thespians sink their teeth intoAllingham's gloriously eccentric characters. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

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"Do you take the long road?" a gruff restaurant manager asks a haplessdrifter, and thus is launched one of the serpentine mysteries featuring a1930s sleuth by the name of Albert Campion, created by Margery Allingham.Look to the Lady centers around the attempted theft of a1000-year-old golden chalice from the upper-class family entrusted with itscare; along the way are woven in witchcraft, a vast criminal organization,strange rituals, and a murderous horse. Peter Davison, a former Doctor Who,stars as Campion, a bland-faced and genteel fellow with an almost ghoulishrelish for crime. His interplay with his crusty manservant/assistant, Lugg(Brian Glover), a former burglar with an almost impenetrable Cockneyaccent, is the series' strongest element. The stories slip in and out ofself-satire and seem to tweak the classic mystery genre, yet always stayfirmly within its confines. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

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Jimmy Sutane, a brilliant star of musical comedy and the toast of the West End theatre scene, has become the victim of a series of malicious practical jokes, which are beginning to affect his performance.Campion and Lugg are recruited backstage to discover the perpetrator.Campion's investigations lead him to Sutane's Sussex residence, where matters take a more serious turn with the death of one of Suntane's friends and fellow actors. ... Read more

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"The Devil's Foot"
One of the most interesting stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon, "The Devil's Foot" finds the Great Detective's friend and ally, Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke), pressuring the exhausted sleuth (Jeremy Brett) into joining him on a vacation on the Cornish coast. Instead of relaxation, however, Holmes and Watson encounter one of the most horrifying multiple murders they have yet come across. Though our heroes nearly die from Holmes's effort to prove the cause of death, they carry on until Holmes finally unmasks the identity of the culprits--and then makes a controversial decision about the fate of one. Brett and Hardwicke excel as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous team, who are under more duress than usual in this fascinating tale.

"Silver Blaze"
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle caught a fair amount of flak for getting a lot of details wrong in this story about the training and racing of horses. Nevertheless, it is one of his most popular yarns and makes a fine basis for this vigorous 1988 episode from the Granada Television series about Sherlock Holmes. The Great Detective and Dr. Watsonhurry to Devonshire, following the murder of a trainer and the disappearance of Silver Blaze, a swift horse heavily favored to win the big-money Wessex Cup. Holmes takes some snarly barbs from Blaze's rich owner in stride--though he has his revenge on the arrogant fellow later. The mystery is a keen one and the solution is among Doyle's most inventive. Brett and Hardwicke are at their best as the dynamic duo.

"The Bruce Partington Plans"
A junior clerk working for Britain's defense planning dashes off in the middle of a date with his fiancée, and turns up dead along some railroad tracks--apparently having been pushed from a train while carrying several secret documents related to England's development of a submarine warship. Was he a traitor? If so, who killed him? The case is brought to the attention of Sherlock Holmes and his Dr. Watson, by none other than Mycroft Holmes (Charles Gray), brother of the Great Detective and indispensable repository of government business. Sherlock's conclusions, however, prove there is more to the truth than meets the eye. Brett, as always, is the perfect Holmes while Hardwicke is the ideal Watson for the latter years of their crime-fighting career. A strong story with some of the sleuth's most impressive investigatory work, "The Bruce-Partington Plans" is a worthy part of the long-running Granada Television series, based on Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Holmes, excellent television...
These three Holmes episodes are a good variety of Holmes stories, and possibly might be the best DVD for the starting Holmes viewer. Brett and Hardwicke make the best Holmes/Watson ever seen on screen. The adaption of the Conan Doyle stories to TV work perfectly and are some of the best written, directed and acted television made yet.

Particularly memorable are the drug sequences in Devil's Foot, along with the story's very odd and lucid atmosphere. Bruce Partington is one of the best episodes since it has brilliant interaction between Sherlock, Holmes, Mycroft, and Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock's ever working, ever chiding house keeper. This story based around stolen plans for a top secret submarine puts Holmes through his greatest odds against a case with a thinnest thread to begin. And it is also the case with the greatest political conseqences for the world. It seems everytime the highest level of government calls on Holmes he winds up going to the furthest extreme, such as the cat burglery he commits in this episode. Arthur Conan Doyle's writing plays on so many levels and in Bruce Partington it is particularly adept because he writes about the arms race and balance of power in Europe that would eventually snap into World War One. His stories of Holmes also persevere because of the underlying optimism of his Britain; he writes the main criminals as generally rich and priviledged while the average man might be grubby, unrefined and ignorant, is extremely loyal and hardworking. It is no doubt why these are classic literature, and now classic television. ... Read more

Description

A highly valuable Congreve manuscript stored in the Golden Quill publishing company'ssafe, leads to murder. Campion, determined to prove his friend's innocence, digs deep and discovers hidden secrets of the company's staff.But will Campion find out who the murderer is before the murderer gets to him? ... Read more