Sir Ian McKellen as "Mr. Holmes"

[Boswell]

Re. Holmes' depression, I liked how he credits Watson with "bringing me back from the brink".

Also, I was intrigued that he refers to Watson as "John" - didn't folks use last names only circa 1880s?

[Inge l-w]

Well, he demystifies a lot of things, if you remember: the actual address, the "silly hat", the pipe-smoking, he says :"to me he was always John", obviously in private, but Watson or Dr Watson in public, his little subterfuge to put his Japanese correspondent's mind at ease after the death of the latter's mother, there are a lot of little gems hidden in there.

In fact, the film is going to come to a cinema in our area and I'm going to drag family and my four closest friends to watch it. I have only ever done this before with the Imitation Game.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... I was intrigued that he refers to Watson as "John" - didn't folks use last names only circa 1880s?

 

... he says :"to me he was always John", obviously in private, but Watson or Dr Watson in public....

 

Also, this movie takes place in the 1940's.  So Holmes may have been influenced by the changing times, to the point where he feels comfortable referring to his old friend by his first name.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Near as I can tell, the movie is currently showing only in art cinemas and university towns around here -- but it opens in some nearby regular theaters on Friday. 

[Inge l-w]

Oh, Carol, whoever has read ACD will enjoy this film!

[Carol the Dabbler]

We saw Mr. Holmes this afternoon and both liked it very much.
 

... Dr Watson is there but his face is never seen, the same goes for Mrs Hudson: they take care of him as per usual, but the scenes are shot so that you only see their feet and lower halves, not their faces, neither has a speaking role....

The scene with Mycroft takes place at the Diogenes club, but it never really happened.

 
Mrs. Hudson may not have a speaking role, but there is one scene where she clearly expresses her opinion of Holmes's client!
 
Why do you say the Diogenes scene never happened?  Did I miss something?
 

I particularly loved the ending, where he

places the little memorial stones in a circle and almost lays the paperweight with the bees down for himself, but the boy stops him: he still has much to live for, our favourite detective!

 

 
I liked that part too, although

wasn't it the boy who placed the paperweight in the circle, and Holmes who picked it up and handed it back to him?

But in either case, I'm sure you're correct about the reason!
 

I don't understand some of the published reviews calling it a 'slow' movie as I can't see how it can be done any other way. Of course it's not a roller coaster, it is a movie to be savoured, and not a single minute of screen time is wasted.

 
I saw one of those reviews too -- just the blurb that came up on Google, but that was enough.  Basically they were claiming people would be disappointed because Holmes wasn't an action hero.  Well, if that's the sort of movie they want, they can go watch Robert Downey, Jr. -- there's a Holmes for every taste these days!
 
It slipped my mind (until we were in the theater today) that when Holmes goes to a movie theater to see a movie based on one of Watson's stories, the actor playing the movie Holmes is Nicholas Rowe, AKA 1985's Young Sherlock Holmes!

[Inge l-w]

Dear Carol, I'm so glad you liked it!

Guess I shall have to live with all the Sherlock results I've been getting in Shadow Dweller's little game : What you missed is that as he hands the letter to the postman to send to Mr Umezaki, he narrates how he has written his first ever piece of fiction. Perhaps he feels bad about the man's mother dying because her husband abandoned her, using him as a pretext, perhaps he's getting mellower in old age, but he does it! Didn't you see how he looks at his books for inspiration when writing the letter to say that Umezaki Sr. served the Crown from Malay to the Arabic Sea?

And you are right about the ending.

[joanneta1]

I saw that film about a fortnight ago and it fulfilled all my expectations: fragility of old age, imperiousness and masterfulness from old habit, a sense of loneliness which is hinted at in the novels and stories, but was depicted here clear as crystal, his attachment to the boy and his fleeting attachment to his last client's wife, to share their loneliness, his fear of losing his mental acuity, his generosity of spirit when

 

writing to his Japanese correspondent for the last time, inventing a whole story to assuage the man's anger over having his father replaced by Sherlock himself.

 

 

 

What is there not to like about such a film? It has a superb cast and a moving plot, and above all, it's real Sherlock Holmes, not a curly-haired pale reincarnation.

[Boswell]

I saw that film about a fortnight ago and it fulfilled all my expectations: fragility of old age, imperiousness and masterfulness from old habit, a sense of loneliness which is hinted at in the novels and stories, but was depicted here clear as crystal, his attachment to the boy and his fleeting attachment to his last client's wife, to share their loneliness, his fear of losing his mental acuity, his generosity of spirit when writing to his Japanese correspondent for the last time, inventing a whole story to assuage the man's anger over having his father replaced by Sherlock himself. What is there not to like about such a film? It has a superb cast and a moving plot, and above all, it's real Sherlock Holmes, not a curly-haired pale reincarnation.

Wonderful summary 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I saw that film about a fortnight ago and it fulfilled all my expectations: fragility of old age, imperiousness and masterfulness from old habit, a sense of loneliness which is hinted at in the novels and stories, but was depicted here clear as crystal....

 

I was greatly impressed by McKellen's ability to portray all of those things so accurately.  He has clearly done his homework, visiting with elderly people, but he doesn't just mimic them, he inhabits them.  His bewilderment in some scenes reminded me so much of my mother on a bad-memory day that it brought tears to my eyes.

[Arcadia]

Saw it tonight with some friends, we all enjoyed it. A little sad, but a little hope at the end. We all had a laugh when both Phil Davis and John Sessions appeared, but it never occurred to me that was Nicholas Rowe in the "film within a film." Nice touch!
 
As much as I liked Mr. McKellan, the one who really impressed me was Laura Linney, one of the great but under-appreciated actresses. She made the film for me. And that kid; does every child actor in England today look like that? Are they all related? Is there a factory where they clone them? :D
 
I thought it was very much in the vein of our Sherlock, with the obvious exceptions necessitated by the character's age (no flouncing! ) That was the hardest part for me, imagining our younger Sherlock coming to this. And I note they draw the same conclusion I do; intellect's not much use in the end, if you haven't used it to connect with people.
 
Anyway, nicely done, it's too bad so few theaters are showing it. Although I saw why; there were only five other people in the theater besides my small group.
 

 

The scene with Mycroft takes place at the Diogenes club, but it never really happened.

 
Why do you say the Diogenes scene never happened?  Did I miss something?

 

Yep. :P

The Diogenes scene was part of the story Mr. Holmes made up to tell Mr. Umizake.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, right -- thanks!  I suppose that was still "the real Mycroft" however, even if the scene was imaginary.

 

Thanks for reminding me to add Laura Linney to my favorite actresses list!  I just loved her in Love Actually, and now that I've seen (and very much liked) her in this as well, she qualifies for my list.

 

The kid actually reminds me of my youngest brother-in-law, many years ago (he was in his late teens when I first met him, but I've seen earlier pictures).  He's still cute now, just older!  (Something like Nicholas Rowe.)

 

[Inge l-w]

Dear Arcadia, I'm so glad you, too, liked it. In my case, the cinema was very nearly full, mostly couples my age and older, but also a lot of young people, mostly groups of friends.

The running gag between Roger and Mr Holmes is "the thing"! The boy keeps asking him to do his instant deductions! And you're right about Laura Linney! She is at her best in the scene with the handbell, where, of course, being Sherlock, he must have the last word: "I wasn't aware this had become an industrial dispute." I giggled at that, imagining both my other favourite Sherlocks saying the same thing under the circumstances!

[Arcadia]

Question for those who have seen this movie.

 

At the end:

 

 

When Holmes "deduces" Ann:

 

I thought he said he knew she was pretending to make plans to poison her husband, but really she was planning to poison herself.

 

But one of my friends thought he genuinely believed she was planning to poison her husband, and didn't realize she was planning to poison herself.

 

In some way the 2nd theory makes more sense, or why did he let her walk away since she was obviously suicidal?

 

Or was this supposed to be an instance of he failed because he thought he'd changed her mind, because he had no understanding of "sentiment?"

 

Also, why did she wait for him at all? Why didn't she just run out into the street and gulp down the poison? Why did her plan depend on him catching up to her?

 

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Okay, I have read some of the comments but will stop now. It has finally made its way to the local theater and will be seeing it on the first showing Friday evening. Am really looking forward to it.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Arcadia:

 

I think she really was planning to kill herself, but Holmes let her go because he had explained everything rationally to her, and she had agreed with him.  Which didn't actually help.  Why did she wait?  Maybe she was hoping he'd be able to talk her out of it.

 

[Inge l-w]

The fact that he rejected her timid plea of sharing their loneliness and urged her to return to her husband, plus his whole deduction sequence go against her simple assertion that the dead are only separated from the living through a wall. Plus, it was a fairly straightforward adaptation of ACD's basic premise in The Veiled Lodger, with the difference that here, by leaving her free to choose, he indirectly fails to save her.

She waited for him to show him that his "parlour tricks" didn't work with her and that she was offended that her husband should know her so little as to resort to his services. Recall her face as she stands up and holds out his calling card!

He calls his retirement to Sussex his penance for his failure to understand her deeper feelings. Holmes and sentiment never a good mix!

[Arcadia]

Okay, thanks ladies!!! Looks like you agree with what I thought I heard; yay! :D
 
Carol:

So you're thinking that she was hoping he'd give her a reason to live? Yeah, that makes sense.

 

 

I wouldn't mind watching it again with subtitles, there were a few other bits of dialog I wasn't sure about. Maybe when it comes out on video.

 

By the way, I didn't find it slow at all.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I wouldn't mind watching it again with subtitles, there were a few other bits of dialog I wasn't sure about. Maybe when it comes out on video.

Alex and I agree with you! Some theaters apparently have little subtitle monitors that you can borrow, but I've never thought to ask for one. Not sure I'd like them anyhow, since (unlike with TV subtitles) it'd mean looking away from the action.

[Inge l-w]

Sorry, why would native English (ok, American English) speakers need subtitles in this one? All of them speak clearly and enunciate perfectly RP. And Sherlock may be in his nineties, but he doesn't mumble.

Also, dear Arcadia, you should not forget her visit to the solicitor's office, right after the bank, where he assures her that nothing has changed and upon the death of either spouse their estate would go to the other. She wanted to make doubly sure.

[Arcadia]

Maybe our ears need cleaning? :D

[Carol the Dabbler]

Sorry, why would native English (ok, American English) speakers need subtitles in this one? All of them speak clearly and enunciate perfectly RP. And Sherlock may be in his nineties, but he doesn't mumble.

 

There are lots of possible reasons, Inge.  There's generally a certain amount of difficulty in understanding a dialect different from one's own (regardless of how perfectly the pronunciation suits that "foreign" dialect).  Some people's hearing isn't as good as others' (due in many cases to age).  Some newer movies (though not this one, near as I recall) simply have a lot of other noise going on, which makes it hard for many people (including me) to understand the voices -- presumably something to do with how our brains are wired.

 

I had no trouble following this movie, but there were a few lines of dialog that I didn't quite catch, so I have no idea how significant they might have been.  Alex had the same experience.  Seeing the movie more than once would presumably help, but since our next viewing will be from a DVD, we might as well make use of the subtitles.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

It occurs to me that since neither royal jelly nor prickly ash were of any help to Mr. Holmes, he might want to stick around for another fifty years or so, and try PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone).  Though I'm nowhere near his 93, I've been using PQQ for a few years now, and while it is, alas, no help for absent-mindedness, when it comes to data retrieval, it's been a huge help.  I've been having things just pop into my head that I hadn't even thought of in decades!  I still lose words and names with annoying frequency, generally stuff that I haven't used for a while, but it seems to be getting easier to re-learn them.

 

Good stuff!

 

[greencat1999]

I haven't seen this movie yet, but am definitely excited to do so, soon, hopefully! Especially after hearing such wonderful things. One thing I am worried about is the heartache; I don't know if I will be able to handle the whole Holmes-after-Watson whilst he struggles with his fraying mental faculties   :(

[Inge l-w]

Dear Greencat, it's an epic battle which he wins, so no worries there! If you like the original ACD Holmes, you'll like this film!