.... this Sign of Four was made in 1968 and starred Peter Cushing as Holmes. So why are most commenter's discussing Jeremy Brett's version here? And why is the picture associated with this TV episode a picture of Jeremy Brett? Peter Cushing admittedly did not like the Holmes he portrayed on for the TV episodes, but to me he is not what is wrong with this version or the other Holmes adaptations he has done. The made for TV Holmes of the English 60s makes you feel like you are actually watching a play rather than a movie. I think this is a great aspect to viewing an already known piece of material. (I am sure that this will not be the first sign of four anyone has seen nowadays.) It shows the viewer a different perspective of the characters. It definitely makes you feel like you are actually in the room with the actors. With that being said I give this version a 7.
16 Reviews
Nice episode stunningly by Peter Cushing as Holmes and well accompanied by Nigel Stock as Watson
ma-cortes20 December 2007
While uncanny Sherlock Holmes and the ever-faithful Watson encounter into 221 Baker Street they are visited by a beautiful young woman , Miss Mary Morstan . She goes to the famous consulting detective asking for advice in how to answer the message . Later on , they're hired to investigate why has been anonymously sent a series of valuable pearls from an unknown party after the disappearance of her daddy . Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Watson (Nigel Stock , the perfect counterpoint to Sherlock) are involved in killing , poison darts , a fortune in Indian jewels original from luxurious palace of Agra and much suspect behavior by strange characters .
The film packs suspense , intrigue , unanswered mysteries , thrills and excellent set decoration . This is a good Holmes mystery dealing with a woman who receives pearls beyond price and an intriguing message from an anonymous source , then Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate. It includes a gripping London setting in which Holmes investigates with his staunch comrade , Dr. John Watson, and a mutt named Toby, and subsequently they track down the secret of the Sign of Four, adding first-range nasties . One of the most charming Holmes television pictures and in 50 minutes runtime . Intriguing blending of suspense , thriller , detective story and fun . Well cast by the best TV Holmes , Peter Cushing , who starred the series in the 60s and in 1984 was played by Jeremy Brett . Peter Cushing as Holmes plays in a clever , broody and impetuous manner . Cushing and Brett , in TV , and Basil Rathbone in the cinema are the history's best Holmes . Cushing played 16 episodes , these are the followings : The Blue Carbuncle (1968) , The Sign of Four (1968) ,The Solitary Cyclist (1968) ,Shoscombe Old Place (1968) ,Wisteria Lodge (1968) , Black Peter (1968) ,The Musgrave Ritual (1968) , Thor Bridge (1968) , The Naval Treaty (1968) , The Greek Interpreter (1968) , The Boscombe Valley Mystery (1968) ,The Hound of the Baskervilles: Part Two (1968) , The Hound of the Baskervilles: Part One (1968) , A Study in Scarlet (1968) ,The Dancing Men (1968) ,The Second Stain (1968) . This story was nicely adapted and professionally produced as well as directed by William Sterling , series' ordinary . Rating : Better than average , 7/10 . Well worth watching .
Other adaptations about this Arthur Conan Doyle's novel titled ¨The Sign of Four¨ are realized by Desmond Davis (1984) with Ian Richardson . Another TV episode ¨Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : The sign of the four¨directed by Peter Hammond with Jeremy Brett , Edward Hardwicke . Another rendition filmed by Rodney Gibbons (2001) with Matt Frewer and a Sui Generis version by Fraser C. Heston titled ¨Crucifer of blood¨ and played by his father Charlton Heston as Holmes.
The film packs suspense , intrigue , unanswered mysteries , thrills and excellent set decoration . This is a good Holmes mystery dealing with a woman who receives pearls beyond price and an intriguing message from an anonymous source , then Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate. It includes a gripping London setting in which Holmes investigates with his staunch comrade , Dr. John Watson, and a mutt named Toby, and subsequently they track down the secret of the Sign of Four, adding first-range nasties . One of the most charming Holmes television pictures and in 50 minutes runtime . Intriguing blending of suspense , thriller , detective story and fun . Well cast by the best TV Holmes , Peter Cushing , who starred the series in the 60s and in 1984 was played by Jeremy Brett . Peter Cushing as Holmes plays in a clever , broody and impetuous manner . Cushing and Brett , in TV , and Basil Rathbone in the cinema are the history's best Holmes . Cushing played 16 episodes , these are the followings : The Blue Carbuncle (1968) , The Sign of Four (1968) ,The Solitary Cyclist (1968) ,Shoscombe Old Place (1968) ,Wisteria Lodge (1968) , Black Peter (1968) ,The Musgrave Ritual (1968) , Thor Bridge (1968) , The Naval Treaty (1968) , The Greek Interpreter (1968) , The Boscombe Valley Mystery (1968) ,The Hound of the Baskervilles: Part Two (1968) , The Hound of the Baskervilles: Part One (1968) , A Study in Scarlet (1968) ,The Dancing Men (1968) ,The Second Stain (1968) . This story was nicely adapted and professionally produced as well as directed by William Sterling , series' ordinary . Rating : Better than average , 7/10 . Well worth watching .
Other adaptations about this Arthur Conan Doyle's novel titled ¨The Sign of Four¨ are realized by Desmond Davis (1984) with Ian Richardson . Another TV episode ¨Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : The sign of the four¨directed by Peter Hammond with Jeremy Brett , Edward Hardwicke . Another rendition filmed by Rodney Gibbons (2001) with Matt Frewer and a Sui Generis version by Fraser C. Heston titled ¨Crucifer of blood¨ and played by his father Charlton Heston as Holmes.
Average
klingon-attack19 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I suppose you have to put this into perspective - after all it is a TV production - but I wasn't too convinced of this adaptation; the Granada one with Jeremy Brett is infinitely better. I'm sure budget restraints have kept the producers from including a flashback in order to show the actual background behind the storyline. And yet I feel that especially in this story the flashback is an important means to enable you to appreciate the character Jonathan Small's thirst for revenge.
Cushing as Holmes is OK but what he definitely lacks is the unconventional air and the charisma that surrounds someone like Jeremy Brett. He does his job solidly enough, though.
Cushing as Holmes is OK but what he definitely lacks is the unconventional air and the charisma that surrounds someone like Jeremy Brett. He does his job solidly enough, though.
An absolutely wonderful film, beautifully made.
Tinlizzy24 September 1999
This is an outstanding adaptation of a really weird story. Although it was made for television it was shot in 35mm and frankly, it is better made than many theatrical features done at the same time. The casting is wonderful and the production values are, as usual, outstanding.
Jeremy Brett is a delight as Holmes; his 'most winning woman' speech to Watson ranks as one of my favorite scenes in this entire series. Edward Hardwicke gives him able support.
This story featured the first chase scene ever written in a detective story, and it's staged beautifully.
It's a pleasure to watch this series after suffering through the arch, camp, or (worst of all) deadly serious Holmes films made by so many other actors. THE SIGN OF FOUR is an excellent picture by any standard and a lot of fun, period.
Jeremy Brett is a delight as Holmes; his 'most winning woman' speech to Watson ranks as one of my favorite scenes in this entire series. Edward Hardwicke gives him able support.
This story featured the first chase scene ever written in a detective story, and it's staged beautifully.
It's a pleasure to watch this series after suffering through the arch, camp, or (worst of all) deadly serious Holmes films made by so many other actors. THE SIGN OF FOUR is an excellent picture by any standard and a lot of fun, period.
They Sucked the Juice Right Out of It
Hitchcoc7 April 2021
This is my favorite Holmes book. By the time they finished this, it had none of the life of the story left. Cushing is a decent Holmes but the plot is the essence here. For one thing, the viewer is never really given anything about the pact made that led to the result. The surviving Sholto brother is uninteresting and not nearly as weird as he should be. Give us some background. I believe that the one hour limit on a teleplay created little opportunity to flesh out the story. Also, I grew tired of Watson and his attraction to Ms. Morston.
Exoticism has no limits
Dr_Coulardeau18 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The Sign of Four is a very strange story that reflects the exoticism of life in London at the end of the 19th century. A father could disappear in no time leaving a daughter behind. A messenger could reappear later in life and cause no surprise. A present could have come every year to the girl and no one would have found it bizarre. A quite normal Englishman would live in a Hindu temple in a street of semi-detached brick houses without anyone saying anything, nor by the way seeing anything either. Some Polynesian dwarf could run around half naked in the cold streets and that would look normal and a man with a wooden leg trampling the avenues of the city would be just everyday humdrum news. Not to speak of all the boats going up and down the Thames as if it were a free passage between nowhere and nowhere else. That's the atmosphere created in this story and the poor daughter who would like to get the treasure of her father, what about her? Not much except that the promise is strong enough for her to do something about it. But will it be too late? Never with Sherlock Holmes but at times his sense of justice is quite different from ours and lying at the bottom of the Thames seems a decent prospect to a gentleman like him.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID
I make it TWO AND A HALF
profh-119 December 2021
Repeating what they did with "A Study In Scarlet", the BBC series with Peter Cushing & Nigel Stock decided to adapt Doyle's 2nd-ever Holmes story-- and the 2nd novel-- as a single episode, rather than a 2-parter. This seems insane, except on watching the result, I'm stunned that so little that seems important was left out. In fact, there are several sequences in this version I have not seen in ANY of the multiple other ones I've seen, and several scenes that are allowed to play out at a rather relaxed, leisurely pace. Of course, to make up for this, huge chunks are cut out entirely, and what's left races by at a frightening pace, the likes of which I've only seen in the 2nd half of the Tom Baker version of "HOUND".
Ann Bell presents a very sweet, attractive version of Mary Morstan, and more time is spent focused on the budding romance between her & Watson than any other version I've seen outside of the 1932 Arthur Wontner-Ian Hunter film. Paul Daneman's Thaddeus Sholto is reasonably eccentric (including his "Elmer Fudd" lisp), much younger than Miles Malleson's from the '32 film, not as handsome as the one from the Ian Richardson film, but nowhere near as annoying-as-hell as when Ronald Lacey played him in the Jeremy Brett version. It's amusing and a bit awkward when, near the end, both Mary & then Watson mistake his actions as those of a romantic rival, when he's just someone out to do the right thing.
Cushing's Holmes is genuinely hyper-active in this, as he's racing to get thru as much of the dialogue and the story as possible in the absurdly-limited time allotted. He doesn't even have a chance to go undercover in disguise as Wontner, Richardson or Brett did. But I did enjoy his amusment at the expense of his Scotland Yard counterpart.
The highlight of this version, for me, was John Stratton as Inspector Athelney Jones, a man who's so arrogant, egotistical and conceited, he makes Lestrade look like a real sweetheart by comparison. More than any other version of Jones I've seen, Stratton is hilarious when he first dismisses Holmes as "the theorist", then, only seconds later, begins spewing out his own half-baked theories, which Holmes takes almost too much delight in picking apart. "And the dead man gets up to lock the door from the inside?" "...There's a flaw there... Somewhere... "
In recent years, the locked-door murder has become to me a blatent tribute to the one in Poe's "The Murders In The Rue Morgue", with a sailor and an organgutan replaced by a one-legged man and a pygmy. Despite this episode being near the end of the 2nd BBC series, so much of it displays Holmes explaining his methods and philosophy toward life that it screams to be watched before all the others (except for "A Study In Scarlet", which should be watched first). I especially enjoyed his meeting up with the butler, McMurdo, who he once went several rounds of boxing with years earlier.
In a bit of continuity I missed on earlier viewings, Wiggins (Tony McLaren) makes his 2nd appearance, coming to see Holmes by himself after he was instructed to leave the rest of his underaged detectives in the street in "Scarlet".
So much of the back-story, mood and character were left out of this adaptation, yet the parts that are here make me enjoy this as a very enjoyable alternative to the others. My favorite is still the Ian Richardson film, while my least-favorite, sadly, is the one with Jeremy Brett. (Now I'm just waiting for the British Film Institute to do their massive restoration project on the Eille Norwood series, so I can see the 1923 version cleaned up properly. The video currently on Youtube is a real chore to plow through until then.)
Ann Bell presents a very sweet, attractive version of Mary Morstan, and more time is spent focused on the budding romance between her & Watson than any other version I've seen outside of the 1932 Arthur Wontner-Ian Hunter film. Paul Daneman's Thaddeus Sholto is reasonably eccentric (including his "Elmer Fudd" lisp), much younger than Miles Malleson's from the '32 film, not as handsome as the one from the Ian Richardson film, but nowhere near as annoying-as-hell as when Ronald Lacey played him in the Jeremy Brett version. It's amusing and a bit awkward when, near the end, both Mary & then Watson mistake his actions as those of a romantic rival, when he's just someone out to do the right thing.
Cushing's Holmes is genuinely hyper-active in this, as he's racing to get thru as much of the dialogue and the story as possible in the absurdly-limited time allotted. He doesn't even have a chance to go undercover in disguise as Wontner, Richardson or Brett did. But I did enjoy his amusment at the expense of his Scotland Yard counterpart.
The highlight of this version, for me, was John Stratton as Inspector Athelney Jones, a man who's so arrogant, egotistical and conceited, he makes Lestrade look like a real sweetheart by comparison. More than any other version of Jones I've seen, Stratton is hilarious when he first dismisses Holmes as "the theorist", then, only seconds later, begins spewing out his own half-baked theories, which Holmes takes almost too much delight in picking apart. "And the dead man gets up to lock the door from the inside?" "...There's a flaw there... Somewhere... "
In recent years, the locked-door murder has become to me a blatent tribute to the one in Poe's "The Murders In The Rue Morgue", with a sailor and an organgutan replaced by a one-legged man and a pygmy. Despite this episode being near the end of the 2nd BBC series, so much of it displays Holmes explaining his methods and philosophy toward life that it screams to be watched before all the others (except for "A Study In Scarlet", which should be watched first). I especially enjoyed his meeting up with the butler, McMurdo, who he once went several rounds of boxing with years earlier.
In a bit of continuity I missed on earlier viewings, Wiggins (Tony McLaren) makes his 2nd appearance, coming to see Holmes by himself after he was instructed to leave the rest of his underaged detectives in the street in "Scarlet".
So much of the back-story, mood and character were left out of this adaptation, yet the parts that are here make me enjoy this as a very enjoyable alternative to the others. My favorite is still the Ian Richardson film, while my least-favorite, sadly, is the one with Jeremy Brett. (Now I'm just waiting for the British Film Institute to do their massive restoration project on the Eille Norwood series, so I can see the 1923 version cleaned up properly. The video currently on Youtube is a real chore to plow through until then.)
Classic Sherlock Holmes
hedgehog-1025 May 1999
Another great Holmes mystery from the boys at Granada!
poolandrews4 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The Sign of Four again has Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) & his trusty assistant Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) sifting through various clues to solve another mystery, this time Holmes is hired by a young lady named Miss Mary Morstan (Jenny Seagrove). Morstan tells Holmes her story about her Father Captain Morstan (Terence Skelton) whom disappeared without trace six years prior, the only person to have seen Morstan while he was in England was an old Army colleague named Major Sholto (Robin Hunter) who claims to know nothing of where he is or what happened to him. Ever since her Father disappeared Miss Morstan has received a valuable pearl in the post on the same day for six years, however this year she has also received a letter with instructions to meet the person responsible. Holmes & Watson go with her & find one of Major Shalto's twin son's Thaddeus (Ronald Lacey) who explains his involvement in the pearl sending, add to this a dead body, poisoned arrows, missing treasure, clueless police officers, a mysterious man with a wooden leg & a boat that might unravel the case & Holmes has his work cut out...
This English made-for-TV feature length Holmes story was directed by Peter Hammond this is another highly entertaining murder mystery. The script by John Hawkesworth based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle (which I have not read so I cannot compare it to this adaptation) is both engaging & gripping which is essential for a mostly dialogue driven mystery like this. The mystery elements really grabbed me & as a whole the story is excellent although having said that I wasn't that keen on the final reveal as I felt it went on for too long & became a bit predictable where it was going for that reason & the fact that the main suspect has a wooden peg leg narrows the field of potential suspects down considerably wouldn't you say?! The character's are pretty good if a little familiar, I mean how many more times do we have to put up with yet another incompetent Scotland Yard Inspector (Emrys James)? Did they ever solve any crimes back then with officers like him running around? What was that little freaky monster guy Tonga (Kiran Shah) all about? A strange colour & a set of sharp fanged teeth, he looks like he belongs in a cheap Star Trek (1966 - 1969, yeah one of the 60's ones) episode rather than a period Holmes mystery! To be fair these are very small quibbles overall & the sheer excellence of the rest of the production more than compensates these admittedly minor flaws. Technically The Sign of Four is the best of British, no one makes period pieces like us, believe me I've sat through enough of 'em! The production design is superb & the dirty, grimy London docks in particular add tremendous atmosphere & there are even a few shots where prominent landmarks appear in the background like Big Ben & London Bridge. The acting is top-notch by a strong cast although I'm not too sure about Lacey as a ginger-haired dope smoking idiot. Jeremy Brett is excellent again, this is the third time I've seen him as Holmes & he's just perfect. The late John Thaw also turns up as well. The Sign of Four is another fantastic mystery that was a pleasure to watch from start to finish, an absolute must for Holmes & murder mystery fans & I also think more casual viewers may find something here to enjoy or at least have a bit of fun by seeing if they can guess who did it & why. Definitely worth watching.
This English made-for-TV feature length Holmes story was directed by Peter Hammond this is another highly entertaining murder mystery. The script by John Hawkesworth based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle (which I have not read so I cannot compare it to this adaptation) is both engaging & gripping which is essential for a mostly dialogue driven mystery like this. The mystery elements really grabbed me & as a whole the story is excellent although having said that I wasn't that keen on the final reveal as I felt it went on for too long & became a bit predictable where it was going for that reason & the fact that the main suspect has a wooden peg leg narrows the field of potential suspects down considerably wouldn't you say?! The character's are pretty good if a little familiar, I mean how many more times do we have to put up with yet another incompetent Scotland Yard Inspector (Emrys James)? Did they ever solve any crimes back then with officers like him running around? What was that little freaky monster guy Tonga (Kiran Shah) all about? A strange colour & a set of sharp fanged teeth, he looks like he belongs in a cheap Star Trek (1966 - 1969, yeah one of the 60's ones) episode rather than a period Holmes mystery! To be fair these are very small quibbles overall & the sheer excellence of the rest of the production more than compensates these admittedly minor flaws. Technically The Sign of Four is the best of British, no one makes period pieces like us, believe me I've sat through enough of 'em! The production design is superb & the dirty, grimy London docks in particular add tremendous atmosphere & there are even a few shots where prominent landmarks appear in the background like Big Ben & London Bridge. The acting is top-notch by a strong cast although I'm not too sure about Lacey as a ginger-haired dope smoking idiot. Jeremy Brett is excellent again, this is the third time I've seen him as Holmes & he's just perfect. The late John Thaw also turns up as well. The Sign of Four is another fantastic mystery that was a pleasure to watch from start to finish, an absolute must for Holmes & murder mystery fans & I also think more casual viewers may find something here to enjoy or at least have a bit of fun by seeing if they can guess who did it & why. Definitely worth watching.
Excellent adaptation with Jeremy Brett's marvelous performance as Holmes
mark-152316 June 2005
I have yet to see any performer outdo Jeremy Brett in the role of Sherlock Holmes. The stiff formality of "Elementary, My Dear Watson" is a symbol of Holmes that Brett utterly shatters. Rather, Brett's performance of Holmes is full of nervous energy and boyish excitement alternated by moments of silent absorption. Viwers expecting complacent arrogance should be pleasantly surprised by the humanity and vulnerability of Brett's portrayal. And, yet, his Holmes still has the focus, curiosity, tenacity, and ingenuity to demonstrate how Holmes became English Literature's archetype of cold logic and deduction.
As I recall, The Sign of Four is but one or two episodes in a series of series made of Sherlock Holmes stories by the BBC in the 1980's. I have seen many episodes from the various series and all have shown consistently high production values and strong acting performances. The actor Edward Hardwicke does a superb job as a Watson who's great admiration of Holmes's abilities and deeds is cut short of idolatry by an intimate understanding of the detective's weaknesses and flaws.
The Sign of Four is a solid crime thriller of the Victorian era and this performance does the story justice with colorful and memorable characters interacting in authentic and detailed environments. Conan-Doyle stores were what they were- action thrillers designed and paced for publication as a series of printed episodes. As such- there is more emphasis on excitement than literary quality and the plot is a bit compartmentalised and stretched in spots by suspense-building setbacks presumably meant to end an installment on a suspenseful note. Nevertheless, Doyle's skills as a storyteller (particularly in creating a mental image of the scenes where his stories take place) cannot be denied. Nevertheless, if one actively dislikes other manifestations of Sherlock Holmes one is not likely to like this one. Everyone should keep in mind that Thriller is a relative term, however- it's the Victorian era, after all.
As I recall, The Sign of Four is but one or two episodes in a series of series made of Sherlock Holmes stories by the BBC in the 1980's. I have seen many episodes from the various series and all have shown consistently high production values and strong acting performances. The actor Edward Hardwicke does a superb job as a Watson who's great admiration of Holmes's abilities and deeds is cut short of idolatry by an intimate understanding of the detective's weaknesses and flaws.
The Sign of Four is a solid crime thriller of the Victorian era and this performance does the story justice with colorful and memorable characters interacting in authentic and detailed environments. Conan-Doyle stores were what they were- action thrillers designed and paced for publication as a series of printed episodes. As such- there is more emphasis on excitement than literary quality and the plot is a bit compartmentalised and stretched in spots by suspense-building setbacks presumably meant to end an installment on a suspenseful note. Nevertheless, Doyle's skills as a storyteller (particularly in creating a mental image of the scenes where his stories take place) cannot be denied. Nevertheless, if one actively dislikes other manifestations of Sherlock Holmes one is not likely to like this one. Everyone should keep in mind that Thriller is a relative term, however- it's the Victorian era, after all.
Blech
loopydate16 March 2003
This is almost a direct adaptation of Doyle's "Sign of Four" novel, with a couple of exceptions. Unfortunately, the exceptions are the ones that sap the story of its humanity.
The novel itself wasn't that great. Pretty much a standard Holmes story. However, the story is kept readable by Holmes' inner conflict. According to the story, Holmes can never truly rest. His mind must always be stimulated. That's why, if he does not have a case to solve at the moment, he uses cocaine to keep his mind going. This is totally missing from the movie. I'm assuming that the filmmakers wanted to preserve the "integrity" of Holmes by eliminating a vile habit from his personality, but in doing so, they remove the personality itself, making Holmes nothing more than a crime-solving machine.
Doyle was not a great romantic author, to be sure, but the relationship between Watson and Miss Morstan seemed to be slapped into the film. In the book, it isn't too much better, but it at least made Watson sympathetic. In the movie, he's pretty much relegated to being an arm for her to hold on to as she hears each bit of bad news.
Overall, this made-for-TV flick is not worth viewing. If you absolutely HAVE to, read the book, but pass on renting the video. It's really bad.
The novel itself wasn't that great. Pretty much a standard Holmes story. However, the story is kept readable by Holmes' inner conflict. According to the story, Holmes can never truly rest. His mind must always be stimulated. That's why, if he does not have a case to solve at the moment, he uses cocaine to keep his mind going. This is totally missing from the movie. I'm assuming that the filmmakers wanted to preserve the "integrity" of Holmes by eliminating a vile habit from his personality, but in doing so, they remove the personality itself, making Holmes nothing more than a crime-solving machine.
Doyle was not a great romantic author, to be sure, but the relationship between Watson and Miss Morstan seemed to be slapped into the film. In the book, it isn't too much better, but it at least made Watson sympathetic. In the movie, he's pretty much relegated to being an arm for her to hold on to as she hears each bit of bad news.
Overall, this made-for-TV flick is not worth viewing. If you absolutely HAVE to, read the book, but pass on renting the video. It's really bad.
Singular, recherche
rmax30482325 October 2002
The TV series with Jeremy Brett and his two Watsons, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke, Sir Cedric Hardwicke's son, represent the best that we can expect from transpositions of the canon. Brett could have been taller, maybe, and a little less tic-y, but he embodies the role. The Watsons were equally good, not a bit of the buffoonery carried over from Nigel Bruce. The Baker Street set was built from scratch and looks stunningly accurate to its period, from the opening freeze frame of the kids bothering the vendor and being shooed off by the bobby, onward. The modern urban landscape that showed at the end of Baker Street had to be blocked by greenery.
This is a two-part episode, and is one of the best. It was shot on location in Manchester, Liverpool, Yorkshire, Malta, and London, and the final chase on the Thames was recreated on the River Yare in Norfolk. John Thaw, aka Inspector Morse, is barely recognizable under that beard. (The makeup in this series was uniformly excellent.) Tonga, the Andaman Islander, gets a bad rap from Conan-Doyle, as does the rest of his tribe. They were shorter than Europeans, as most non-Europeans are (or were), but they weren't dwarfs. The personality traits they're supposed to demonstrate were convenient to the story. The islands themselves were a small group off the east coast of India and were the antipodes as far as Victorian England was concerned. They were later studied by the famous anthropologist Radcliffe-Brown. But that doesn't matter. I'd read the novella a number of times but could never bring myself to visualize too clearly what those two launches looked like. Now I know.
Poor Jeremy Brett had a difficult time during this series: a mental breakdown, the loss of a loved one, and congestive heart failure, from which he later died. Recently, John Thaw too passed on.
I doubt that we'll see another series, or even another production, that will have brought to it the care and affection that this one had. This film isn't perfect, nothing is, but it's about as good as you can expect to see.
This is a two-part episode, and is one of the best. It was shot on location in Manchester, Liverpool, Yorkshire, Malta, and London, and the final chase on the Thames was recreated on the River Yare in Norfolk. John Thaw, aka Inspector Morse, is barely recognizable under that beard. (The makeup in this series was uniformly excellent.) Tonga, the Andaman Islander, gets a bad rap from Conan-Doyle, as does the rest of his tribe. They were shorter than Europeans, as most non-Europeans are (or were), but they weren't dwarfs. The personality traits they're supposed to demonstrate were convenient to the story. The islands themselves were a small group off the east coast of India and were the antipodes as far as Victorian England was concerned. They were later studied by the famous anthropologist Radcliffe-Brown. But that doesn't matter. I'd read the novella a number of times but could never bring myself to visualize too clearly what those two launches looked like. Now I know.
Poor Jeremy Brett had a difficult time during this series: a mental breakdown, the loss of a loved one, and congestive heart failure, from which he later died. Recently, John Thaw too passed on.
I doubt that we'll see another series, or even another production, that will have brought to it the care and affection that this one had. This film isn't perfect, nothing is, but it's about as good as you can expect to see.
Watson more the focus than Holmes
kevinolzak26 December 2022
Dec. 16, 1968 marked "The Sign of Four" as the penultimate broadcast of Peter Cushing's season of SHERLOCK HOLMES (just completed Dec. 6), Nigel Stock's Watson receiving the lion's share of footage with his attraction to Ann Bell as distressed leading lady Mary Morstan. An example of the type of locked room mystery that Arthur Conan Doyle was famous for, this hour long presentation doesn't spend a great deal of time in that very room, John Stratton making his sole series appearance as Inspector Athelney Jones (he later played a major role in Cushing's Hammer finale "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell"). Pearls and pygmies figure in the solution, the feared Baskerville hound replaced by a more acceptable tracker leading our heroes on a merry chase toward the Thames. Cushing nails the character so well that one cannot take their eyes off him, but the weak supporting cast proves a distraction, particularly Paul Daneman's dual roles, but Howard Goorney at least offers a late spark. "The Blue Carbuncle," with its yuletide setting, will make a suitable conclusion to the 16 episode sojourn.
the best Granada feature, and a great Sherlock Holmes film
Tinlizzy28 July 2000
This is a gorgeous production, expertly filmed, beautifully directed and scripted. The cast is also spot on and the pacing rarely flags.
The boat chase on the Thames is a marvel. This was the first 'chase scene' in detective fiction and it seems as fresh here as it was 100 years ago.
My one change would have been to put back the original beginning and end to the story, but the Granada production left Watson a bachelor and so there is no mention of his marriage. They had also used the 'cocaine' opening in another show and so did not repeat it here.
Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke give outstanding performances and the rest of the cast is also excellent.
The boat chase on the Thames is a marvel. This was the first 'chase scene' in detective fiction and it seems as fresh here as it was 100 years ago.
My one change would have been to put back the original beginning and end to the story, but the Granada production left Watson a bachelor and so there is no mention of his marriage. They had also used the 'cocaine' opening in another show and so did not repeat it here.
Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke give outstanding performances and the rest of the cast is also excellent.
Signs
tedg5 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Spoilers herein.
All films are either detective stories or they aren't. Better said: either a film's narrative is designed to include the viewer as a part of itself or it is old-style, detached.
This most frequently happens in film, but it was invented in literature right here. Exactly right here. This is Conan Doyle's second Holmes story. He was still feeling his way around how exotic he needed to be, and how much of what is now called `action' was required.
But the basic framework is here. This is the first story that began as a game between writer and reader to invent a world that made sense.
Unfortunately, this adaptation de-emphasizes all that and falls back on the TeeVee model: all characters, and sets, what I call faces and spaces.
But it does have Jenny Seagrove, possibly one of the finest film faces ever. All she is asked to do here is sit with poise, but just that is worth watching while the director bumps around with the rest.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
All films are either detective stories or they aren't. Better said: either a film's narrative is designed to include the viewer as a part of itself or it is old-style, detached.
This most frequently happens in film, but it was invented in literature right here. Exactly right here. This is Conan Doyle's second Holmes story. He was still feeling his way around how exotic he needed to be, and how much of what is now called `action' was required.
But the basic framework is here. This is the first story that began as a game between writer and reader to invent a world that made sense.
Unfortunately, this adaptation de-emphasizes all that and falls back on the TeeVee model: all characters, and sets, what I call faces and spaces.
But it does have Jenny Seagrove, possibly one of the finest film faces ever. All she is asked to do here is sit with poise, but just that is worth watching while the director bumps around with the rest.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
Excellent rendition
SeventhSeal3 September 2003
If you're a fan of the Granada series, or of Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Holmes, this is a must-see. Despite the negative reviews given by some, this is actually an excellent version of The Sign of Four. The makeup on the Andaman Island native is amazing - and startling - and the story proceeds crisply and logically. Everything works, and Brett is always marvelous to behold as Holmes. It doesn't stay spot-on accurate to the story - but it is very good in its own right.
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