The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Scholarly Commons ...

While one does not wish to disagree with Mr Holmes, an ordinary individual he most
certainly is not. Watson, in The Adventure of the Abbey Grange, published in 1904,
quoted Inspector Stanley as stating: “I believe that you are wizard, Mr Holmes.”
Similarly, Watson also documented Mrs Holder, present during The Adventure of the
Beryl Coronet, released in 1892, as exclaiming: “Why, you are like a magician (Mr
Holmes).” Now compare such imagery with what poor Sherrinford had to work with;
some face putty for a nose and Robert Downey Jr‟s old tramp costume from Chaplin
(1992). The fact that anyone came to see him at all is testimony to the magical effect of
his predecessor, Mr Sherlock Holmes.
In hindsight, Sherrinford, with his copycat criminal and bag full of tricks, never really
stood a chance. But why was that? In search of an answer, one must turn one‟s criticism
toward Sherlock Holmes’s Watson, played by Jude Law. Watson, in this instance, did
not write nor have any literary control over the script before filming commenced and
therefore that which should have been filtered through the romanticised eyes of Dr John
H Watson was poorly scripted by none other then Ormond Sacker. Sacker, whose
slovenly-commercialised eye has chosen to depict Sherrinford as a Bohemian
savant/drifter undermines the worth and position he could have had. However, Sacker,
like Watson with his Strand Magazine patrons, knew how to entertain us, and therefore
any element of criticism placed upon Sacker could easily be laid on us and our
acceptance of such dribble. You see, for the past century, Ormond Sacker has never
been out of work; Sherlock Holmes (2009) is the mere tip of the ashtray for all the
imposters and forgeries that have come to pass. Yet is that not the magical effect of
Sherlock Holmes: the persistent amateur who dared to fail, only to succeed. An accurate
depiction of such a character will forever remain an illusive achievement, one that keeps
persistent producers and fans alike daring to fail, while allowing adaptations and
Sherrinford to thrive. However, in order to succeed we must first liberate The Good
Doctor, for without Dr John H Watson‟s admiration and wonder for his friend‟s talents,
Holmes‟s scientific methods lose their command and his magic fails to enchant and
inspire the imaginations of his readers. Holmes, and Holmes‟s magical effect, is “lost
without [his] Boswell”.
Sorry Sherrinford, close, but no cigar. And certainly no Meerschaum pipe.
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