Another nicely conceived entry. I sometimes wonder why the screenwriters feel that the plots of these stories aren't adequate. Still, this is pretty true to the original. A room has been rented by a mysterious person at three times the normal rent with the caveat that there is to be no intrusion of any kind. The resident or residents are acting in a very unsettling way. There have also been some significant events. A man has been accosted on the street and stabbed to death. The husband of the landlady of the boarding house is himself kidnapped and later thrown out of a carriage onto an out-of-the-way road. The landlady, a friend of Mrs. Hudson in this one, comes to Holmes so he can investigate. He assures her he will give it appropriate attention. She returns in a dither when her husband is attacked. Now the case becomes more interesting. Holmes seems to have a connection with a person working in a mafia-like underworld. He sends Watson to see this man which puts the man in grave danger. It is all sorted out but is a bit confusing. It has a sort of darkness hanging over it. Good acting, all in all. We get to see Holmes' involvement in the netherworld.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (TV Mini Series)
The Red Circle (1994)
User Reviews
Review this title8 Reviews
Nicely Executed Episode.
rmax30482313 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the duller tales from Conan-Doyle's later work, somewhat confusing, but it's so well adapted, acted, and presented that the weaknesses of the story itself are compensated for.
Holmes is visited by a distraught landlady who complains that her recent tenant never leaves his room and has all his meals and other necessary items delivered to him by leaving notes in print.
It isn't long before Holmes and his faithful Boswell determine that the lodger is, in fact, a young woman, not the man to whom the room was originally let.
The story gets complicated but basically the woman is the wife of an Italian immigrant from New York. Both are being pursued by The Red Circle, the equivalent of the Mafia, and the husband is trying to keep his wife safe by secluding her and maintaining her incognito.
Holmes and Watson team up with Scotland Yard and an American investigator from the Pinkerton Agency who is on the track of the chief of the Red Circle. It ends in violence.
Jeremy Brett as Holmes was by this time pretty ill and it shows. He looks pale and his eyes are rimmed with red. But he has a couple of good moments, joyously perusing the personal ads ("the agony columns") and carrying on about the banalities revealed therein. He also has his face slashed at one point by the villain's dagger. That's bad, but it's compensated for by the dark beauty of Sofia Diaz as a terrorized woman.
It's more of a noirish film than the tale of Sherlock Holmes. A dark tale full of shadows and night-time streets. Holmes doesn't do any detection of a spectacular sort. There are no footsteps to be analyzed, nobody's pocket watch is deconstructed, no trichinopoly ashes on the floor. It's all love, lust, betrayal and revenge. Yet it's exceptionally well done for what it is. One particularly dramatic moment has a dead body suspended over the stage of an opera, with the victim's throat slit.
Holmes throws in a couple of apt quotations from Shakespeare. "Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney sweepers, come to dust", is from "Cymbeline." "Journeys end in lovers meetings (every wise man's son doth know)" is from "Twelfth Night."
Holmes is visited by a distraught landlady who complains that her recent tenant never leaves his room and has all his meals and other necessary items delivered to him by leaving notes in print.
It isn't long before Holmes and his faithful Boswell determine that the lodger is, in fact, a young woman, not the man to whom the room was originally let.
The story gets complicated but basically the woman is the wife of an Italian immigrant from New York. Both are being pursued by The Red Circle, the equivalent of the Mafia, and the husband is trying to keep his wife safe by secluding her and maintaining her incognito.
Holmes and Watson team up with Scotland Yard and an American investigator from the Pinkerton Agency who is on the track of the chief of the Red Circle. It ends in violence.
Jeremy Brett as Holmes was by this time pretty ill and it shows. He looks pale and his eyes are rimmed with red. But he has a couple of good moments, joyously perusing the personal ads ("the agony columns") and carrying on about the banalities revealed therein. He also has his face slashed at one point by the villain's dagger. That's bad, but it's compensated for by the dark beauty of Sofia Diaz as a terrorized woman.
It's more of a noirish film than the tale of Sherlock Holmes. A dark tale full of shadows and night-time streets. Holmes doesn't do any detection of a spectacular sort. There are no footsteps to be analyzed, nobody's pocket watch is deconstructed, no trichinopoly ashes on the floor. It's all love, lust, betrayal and revenge. Yet it's exceptionally well done for what it is. One particularly dramatic moment has a dead body suspended over the stage of an opera, with the victim's throat slit.
Holmes throws in a couple of apt quotations from Shakespeare. "Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney sweepers, come to dust", is from "Cymbeline." "Journeys end in lovers meetings (every wise man's son doth know)" is from "Twelfth Night."
Very good adaptation
pfr168519 October 2021
The story had to be padded to fill the allotted time, since the original was one of the shorter Holmes stories. This was done quite well, with the addition of a couple characters and a couple scenes that fit in nicely with the original plot line.
Very well done and atmospheric
TheLittleSongbird3 September 2010
I have made no secret of loving the Jeremy Brett adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, and The Red Circle is no exception. The beginning is perhaps a little stodgy, but it does pick up the pace quite quickly, so that is a minor discrepancy. As always the production values are terrific and the music is brilliant, particularly in the chilling sequence when the young lady is climbing the stairs towards the end. The script is sophisticated and arch, and the story is very intriguing and rarely loses momentum. The direction is great, and the acting is as always wonderful. Jeremy Brett looks tired but gives Holmes his all and does brilliantly and Edward Hardwicke is a dignified Watson. The supporting performances are fine too, the role of Gorgiano is quite brief but John Hallam brings some appropriate menace to the character, even hearing about the character makes us unnerved. I also found very haunting and chilling the scene with the villain talking through the door, with the music getting louder and everything it got rather tense admittedly. Overall, it is very well done and atmospheric. 9/10 Bethany Cox
A humdinger of an episode
Sleepin_Dragon21 August 2016
Holmes has to battle the Italian Mafia, the vicious Red Circle. A very intricate story, with lots of things going on, a case of passion and revenge. It boasts a great level of atmosphere and intrigue, from the curiosity of the lodger's identity, to the menacing scene in which Georgiano taunts Emilia through the door.
Wonderful production values as you'd expect, I thought the scenes in the theatre, although brief, looked fantastic. The music is particularly good too, the arias add to the theme of the episode.
Brett as always is fantastic, the very last scene where we see him tear up was deeply moving, he had such a brilliance about him, and will forever be Sherlock Holmes.
Two British comedy greats in Kenneth O'Connor and Betty Marsden, both do a great job, you just cannot help but watch them with a wry smile. John Hallam, never an actor to give a shy performance, gives a wonderfully theatrical characterisation of Black Georgiano, he has a wonderful speaking voice.
It's a great episode, so much going for it, 8/10
Wonderful production values as you'd expect, I thought the scenes in the theatre, although brief, looked fantastic. The music is particularly good too, the arias add to the theme of the episode.
Brett as always is fantastic, the very last scene where we see him tear up was deeply moving, he had such a brilliance about him, and will forever be Sherlock Holmes.
Two British comedy greats in Kenneth O'Connor and Betty Marsden, both do a great job, you just cannot help but watch them with a wry smile. John Hallam, never an actor to give a shy performance, gives a wonderfully theatrical characterisation of Black Georgiano, he has a wonderful speaking voice.
It's a great episode, so much going for it, 8/10
Great episode
grantss6 January 2023
A friend of Mrs. Hudson's, Mrs. Warren, is concerned about her lodger. He hasn't left his room for weeks and his constant pacing is causing Mr. And Mrs. Warren to be anxious. He appears to be Italian, which causes Dr. Watson to seek the help of Mr. Firmani, an Italian gentleman Holmes helped previously. The plot thickens when Mr. Firmani is murdered.
An intriguing episode of Sherlock Holmes. A fairly complex, engaging backstory makes for interesting viewing. The plot developments ramp up the tension.
In the end it's more like an American gangster drama than a detective drama which makes for something original and unpredictable.
An intriguing episode of Sherlock Holmes. A fairly complex, engaging backstory makes for interesting viewing. The plot developments ramp up the tension.
In the end it's more like an American gangster drama than a detective drama which makes for something original and unpredictable.
Holmes vs. The Red Circle.
planktonrules21 September 2023
A woman arrives at Holmes' room, asking to speak to the famous detective. It seems she has a border who is worrying her. After all, he came to her place and agreed to pay a handsome amount to stay there under the condition that NO ONE ever try to talk to him....just leave meals and go with no contact whatsoever, She's convinced something untoward is afoot, though she no idea what. What follows is an unusual tale about the Red Circle...a predecessor to the Mafia! But what can Holmes do against such a powerful and evil organization?!
While this one requires far less investigating than usual for a Sherlock Holmes tale, it is nevertheless well made from start to finish. Not one of the best of the series, not among the worst. Well acted, filmed and directed.
While this one requires far less investigating than usual for a Sherlock Holmes tale, it is nevertheless well made from start to finish. Not one of the best of the series, not among the worst. Well acted, filmed and directed.
unfortunately, a miss
mgl-9203730 November 2022
This episode has many problems. First of all, the acting in all the Italian parts is quite bad, especially the accents. Second, this is quite slow paced, despite being a 50 minute production. There were long stretches where I was quite bored. I found the logic of the plot unconvincing. The way Holmes got involved was hard to believe.
I'm a big fan of Brett's Holmes but here his I'll health was so obvious I found it painful to watch.
I consider this one of the weakest episodes of any of the seasons of Granada's Holmes. The story wasn't ridiculous, but I was bored and not caring about anybody.
I'm a big fan of Brett's Holmes but here his I'll health was so obvious I found it painful to watch.
I consider this one of the weakest episodes of any of the seasons of Granada's Holmes. The story wasn't ridiculous, but I was bored and not caring about anybody.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
