The Return of Sherlock Holmes Collection

Not sure what the one reviewer is referencing but this is the blu ray set of Jeremy Brett's second series as Sherlock Holmes. Before I begin, I'd like to thank my fellow reviewers who said go ahead and buy the blu ray disks, they absolutely are so much better than the regular dvds. They were so right. I previously owned the entire set for years and I already knew series one was pretty rough, both in visual (grainy) and sound but I thought the rest were okay.Well, not anymore. Not after seeing these.I bought this set because I wanted to see for myself how the quality stacked up against the old dvds and this particular season is my very favorite. I was not disappointed! This was like watching them again for the first time. There is still some graininess in the first season (can't be helped) but the sound is crystal clear, which helps when coping with all those 19th century British dialects. I was amazed - and thrilled - at the difference.Here is Jeremy Brett, still the gold standard for Sherlock Holmes for many of us, in all of his breath taking glory, aided and abetted ably by Edward Hardwicke, who took over the role of Watson after David Burke left. Brett is magnificent; he brings Holmes to life as a real person, albeit a strange one from time to time. While everybody now days is in love with the bad mannered Sherlock, Brett brings all aspects to the great detective, including a wonderfully quirky sense of humor, a passion for justice and small patience with fools. Hardwicke, whose Watson is less likely to shout out his disagreements with Holmes the way Burke's doctor did, brings a warm, likability to the role, as his Watson is truly a man of honor, of humor and loyalty but never is a lapdog or used as slapstick comic relief.The production values simply will never be matched by today's standards. For one thing, no one would ever spend this kind of money on a show these days, not when they can CGI in some ridiculous, fake looking background. Granada TV went on location to the fine old homes of England and the English countryside to bring an unrivaled look at the world of Holmes and Watson. Our heroes were in the houses of the rich and the slums where the poor were trapped. There are also the guest stars; a who's who of the British acting community in the 80s to early 90s. Every episode features quality acting and, in some cases, word for word adaptions from the Doyle stories.This particular set has some of my all time favorite stories. The Empty House kicks off as Holmes returns from the dead, with a nice bit of acting from his long suffering landlady, Rosalie Williams' Mrs. Hudson. Abbey Grange is next, a brutal murder mystery. The moody Musgrave Ritual follows, a creepy little mystery that has an interesting subplot with Holmes rather enjoying his drug habit too much. The Second Stain is one of those 'we have to find the missing paper or there will be war'. stories but it has a interesting twist and a great guest cast. The Man With The Twisted Lip was always my least favorite but I enjoyed more on these disks than I did previously. Not sure why but its true. Ultimate location filming for The Priory School; makes it another creepy outing with our guys out in the desolate north country.. The Six Napoleons features semi regular Colin Jeavons as Inspector Lestrade, and he and Holmes share a touching moment of mutual respect. The Devil's Foot is a kicker; Holmes confronted with a ghastly murder mystery while realizing his drug habit is taking over his life. Silver Blaze, is another location rich mystery about a missing racehorse. Wisteria Lodge is a dark murder/political intrigue story with Holmes having a competitor, an eccentric Freddie Jones as an odd police inspector who doesn't need or want Holmes around. Mycroft Holmes returns in a compelling mystery, The Bruce Partington Plans with missing submarine plans and a murdered junior clerk. There is not a weak story in the bunch.Extras include a touching interview with Edward Hardwicke, post JB's passing and a director's commentary on The Priory School with John Madden.I ended up buying the entire set of Brett episodes on blu ray after I watched these. I regret nothing.

I think I own every commercially available Sherlock Holmes movie and TV show and I've read the entire cannon start to finish more than twice. This is by far the most authentic Sherlock ever done-- one of the keys is a real Watson. Sherlock would never have tolerated a bumbler, after all.The shows get a bit bizarre toward the end of the series and almost seem to adumbrate Brett's tragic end, but even the worst of these are better than anyone else's best.

If you are a Holmes fan and haven't seen Jeremy Brett's portrayal, I think you are in for a treat. Brett's Holmes is definitive in my mind, and I've seen all the other actors who have played him. Brett truly and absolutely is Holmes. He springs straight from Conan Doyle's writing with all the delightful quirkiness and brilliance his creator imagined. Edward Hardwicke as Watson, is a perfect foil and companion, intelligent and capable in his own right, but ever the friend and subdued chronicler of his more brilliant...and often baffling and frustrating...associate. I first started watching this as the original BBC T.V. series in the 1980's and was thrilled to find it on DVD. This collection is only one among several collections and feature films from the original series. The DVD quality is good...I'm not a techno-nerd, so I won't attempt to critique that for which I'm ill qualified. But I can recommend this collection as an enjoyable tour of the stories contained therein. I'll wear out my collection enjoying it, I'm sure.

After watching Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, it is impossible to even imagine someone else in that role. And after you have watched him as Watson, the same can be told for Edward Hardwicke as well. These men graced this unbelievably rich & detailed Granada production that has assumed legendary fame not just because of the production values or the stories (many of them had been dramatised considerably), but because of the authenticity & honesty they rendered the characters. As you watch this series, you slowly get to see the terrible shadow of illness elongating itself over Jeremy Brett, which would eventually kill him. But even then, as his physical activity got severely hampered and those regal (and acidic) play of head & fingers became rarer, we got to see a Holmes who was NOT the calculating machine as his creator had envisioned him, but as a genius, chased by his demons (glimpses of whom can be seen during the "Devil's Foot" episode) and visions. Also, this series saw the last flash of wit & adventure combined, since the later episodes had become grimmer, darker, and eventually unsatisfactory (except those parts where we sat mesmerised by Jeremy Brett). The episodes covered in these discs are:1) The Empty House2) The Priory School3) The Second Strain4) The Musgrove Ritual5) The Abbey Grange6) The Man with the Twisted Lip7) The Six Napoleons8) The Sign of Four9) The Devil's Foot10) Silver Blaze11) Wisteria Lodge12) The Bruce Partington Plans13) The Hound Of The BaskervillesThis series is a classic, and all those who are yet to see these episodes should immediately get hold of them to see, as I have already stated, the ultimate portrait of Sherlock Holmes, played by a genius himself.

The episodes are as I remember them from TV. Cinematography, costumes and set design are above average for the time. The actors and their characters are likeable. The more recent reincarnations of Sherlock Holmes stories are more dramatic and dazzling, but also take more liberties with the interpretation. It is nice to have a choice.

I love the DVD’s,they arrived really fast. The only problem was the plastic container for the DVD’s was broken but that’s not a big problem.Thank you. I’m a big fan of Sherlock.

Thank you Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke for bringing us this wonderful collection of episodes. The scripts are riveting, the sets so authentic as to make one think that they were actually filmed in the 1890s, and the acting superb. Previously, in "The Final Problem" episode, Holmes is seen falling off a cliff to his "death" as witnessed by Watson. In "The Return of Sherlock Holmes", Holmes suddenly reappears at 221B Baker St. in disguise, to the shock and delight of Watson. He explains his 3 year hiatus and the danger now facing him as he once again enlists the aid of his long time friend and ally, Dr. Watson. This is a great collection of episodes with Brett as the quintessential Holmes. The game is afoot!

Arrived on time, case in very good condition as advertised, region 1 discs work, and episodes are great to watch! Thank you!

I'm just going through the series, but I bought it because of Jeremy Brett.