Sherlock Holmes (15 Nov. 1981)

Prof. Moriarity returns to kill Sherlock Holmes, and unleashes a complex and clever plan to lure the great detective to his death.

Director:

Peter H. Hunt

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), William Gillette (play)

Stars:

Frank Langella, Susan Clark, Stephen Collins

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Frank Langella	...	Sherlock Holmes
Susan Clark	...	Madge Larrabee
Stephen Collins	...	Larrabee
Richard Woods	...	Dr. John H. Watson
George Morfogen	...	Prof. Moriarty
Laurie Kennedy	...	Alice Faulkner
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Atkins	...	Craigin
Louis Beachner	...	Sidney Prince
Robert Brolli	...	Forton
Yusef Bulos	...	Count von Stalburg
William Duell	...	Parsons
Hugo N. Furst	...	Cab man
Jennifer Harmon	...	Mrs. Smeedley
Frank Maraden	...	Leary
Sebastian Moran	...	Old gentleman

Storyline

Prof. Moriarity returns to kill Sherlock Holmes, and unleashes a complex and clever plan to lure the great detective to his death.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | based on play | character name in title

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Genres:

Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1981 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Williamstown Theatre Festival

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original play had four acts. This production has five.

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Crazy Credits

The Old Gentleman is billed as being played by Sebastian Moran. Sebastian Moran is a character who originally appeared in the Sherlock Holmes story "The Empty House", and who reappears in several Holmes films.

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Connections

Version of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem (1985)

User Reviews

A nostalgic treat

William Gillette, who wrote this melodrama, was the definitive Holmes of his generation, and this production is a great tribute to him. Being an old melodrama, the live audience laughed throughout: but the actors got in to the spirit of the fun and we should too. It is a very well-staged play, superbly paced and acted, and the audience applauded every time the curtain rose. In a word, I enjoyed it immensely.

What I think is particularly valuable here are the well-known props. Mr. Gillette invented the use of the deerstalker and the Inverness cape--they're here. I guess I miss the big calabash a little. Mr. Langella is a powerful force, and interprets the part most satisfactorily. One can see that, despite his important film roles, he is most effective as a stage actor. Stephen Collins did a good turn, as did George Morfogen as Professor Moriarty (wait till you see the tortuous vein throbbing in his forehead).

On the negative side, the ending was a little unsettling--but I don't want to spoil anything. Great fun.