Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes (TV Mini Series) The Photographer's Chair (2001) User Reviews

I don't care how nice it is outside, stay in and watch this.

[missrljane · 9/10 · 10 March 2002]

I do admire this programme very much and I hope that all who watch it will too. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a murder mystery, the Victorian era or Sherlock Holmes and anyone else looking for something new and brilliant. This episode focuses mostly, (apart from the murders obviously) on Doyle being converted to spiritualism, a transition he finds difficult being a scientific man (even though in reality I'm sure this didn't happen until much later in his life). Murder Rooms makes great use of dreams, hallucinations and flashbacks, this episode uses all of these and even some ghosts. This really adds to the intensity of the story and manages to keep it completely believable. Doyle can't stop thinking about the murder of his girlfriend/fiancée and is becoming obsessed, losing his faith in the fellow man. This worries Bell but this has to be put aside to find the murderer of two people, (later 12!). The title of this episode doesn't mean much until a terrifying finale involving Doyle. I can't tell you much without giving the plot away but there are plenty of twists so it was only on my third viewing that I completely understood everything. The acting is electrifying (even from the bit parts) and added with the writing and proxemics this series is an all time great. There is even razor comedy, the best bit coming from Doyle's housekeeper overhearing Bell explaining he is off to a whore house. Charles Edwards seems to have a constantly worried look but this could be explained as, why is it Doyle seems to get nearly killed EVERY episode? If this were true it really is astonishing that he had such a brilliant mind and lived as long as 71 years. Even so Doyle is portrayed extremely positively and Edwards is a fantastic actor.

Please watch this and please enjoy it.

Well made but the story seemed ridiculously fanciful.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 31 August 2013]

"The Photographer's Chair" is one of several films about the fictional exploits of Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor, Dr. Bell. While it is very true that Dr. Bell was, in part, the inspiration of Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, the films greatly exaggerate their relationship and give them some fantastic adventures together that never actually occurred.

This film is EXTREMELY fanciful--with a plot that had many ridiculous plot elements. Some might like them but I would have MUCH preferred the show was more like the actual Sherlock Holmes stories. These stories would have had nothing like the stuff you'll see in "The Photographer's Chair". What sort of stuff? Well, a maniac who wants to prove the existence of the soul but murdering people and photographing them to show the soul leaving the body! Also, there are séances, guys with syphilis and lots of other things that just made the whole thing seem too weird to be taken seriously. While I do admire the production quality, give me the original Holmes stories--they are ALL much easier to believe than this film.