I just watch an episode of this, after watching "The Adventures of..." I was really saddened by poor Jeremy Brett; he really was ill when they made this. I hadn't so much noticed the difference before but I don't think I can bring myself to watch "Memoirs" again. Brett is irreplacabe and there is no better Holmes.
shareAbsolutely ageeed. There will never be a better Holmes. What's more, I doubt there will be a better Watson. Edward Hardwicke was brilliant.
share"Better" is beside the point. There will always be another Holmes and another Watson, and no doubt fine ones. It is tragic that Jeremy Brett died young and that the physical brain disorder (bipolar) which led to his death continues to be regarded as a figment of the imagination by the general public.
It is also a pity that Brett did not live to complete the two novels (A Study in Scarlet, The Valley of Fear) and sixteen short stories remaining in the Conan Doyle canon.
Saddest of all is that too many viewers cannot or will not look past Jeremy Brett's unhealthy physical appearance in his last films to focus on the greatness and increased depth of his performance and characterization. People get old, fat and sick. People die. Jeremy Brett did, and so no doubt (had he ever lived) would have Sherlock Holmes himself.
There is every evidence that the fictional Holmes was not impervious to the same devastating cycles of mania and clinical depression which tormented one of his finest portrayers. Let us not, in our adulation, deny life.
Doctor_Mabuse
"Saddest of all is that too many viewers cannot or will not look past Jeremy Brett's unhealthy physical appearance in his last films to focus on the greatness and increased depth of his performance and characterization. People get old, fat and sick. People die. Jeremy Brett did, and so no doubt (had he ever lived) would have Sherlock Holmes himself."
I never had a problem here. I just looked at it as years had passed and Holmes was aging.
I recently have begun to catch these renditions of the Sherlock Holmes' stories courtesy of the Biography channel. I've read most of the Conan Doyle books and enjoyed them years ago, but always found whatever film adaptation I saw to be weak or boring.
Not so with these. Granada TV's interpretations are engrossing -- made especially so by Jeremy Brett's definitive portrayal of Holmes. Still, after watching several of the earlier episodes, I watched "The Red Circle" last night and was immediately aware that Brett was not "himself". Never mind weight, age, etc. - this is immaterial. But having known depression in my life and seen despair in others, it was clear to me that Brett was suffering badly from something dark during the making of that episode. I felt heavily for Brett when I saw the anguish in his face and the vacant look in his eyes. Even the first moment we see Holmes in this episode he is sitting in a chair, hair untidy, a deadness about him. It made me sad for Brett. But he was truly great.
Jeremy Brett didn't die from being bipolar! He'd had rheumatic fever as a child, which is caused by an untreated strep infection. Rheumatic fever is very serious and damages the heart, and THAT is what killed him. As he aged, he developed congestive heart failure; likely caused by the rheumatic fever. When they filmed 'The Memoirs', it's the reason why he had less demanding of a role; his heart couldn't handle it. As for calling him 'fat'; when you have congestive heart failure, you retain water and get bloated. He was not 'fat' from overeating...remember how thin he was in all the other SH episodes? All I can say is poor Jeremy! The day he died, we lost the best Sherlock Holmes ever, and I still miss him, to this day.
shareI believe most of what you're saying about how the rheumatic fever he had as a child damaged his heart is true. However he was also Bi-polar (self proclaimed,) and the medication he was taking for his mental illness, adversely effected his heart condition, during that last bout, (I don't remember if it was a result of cross-medication or a direct effect on his heart) which caused his demise. It's in a documentary.
shareI agree on many points with you. I wish Jeremy Brett didn't die young. He astounded me with his intensity and versatility. I knew his name from him starring in "My Fair Lady", but imagine what effect he had when I first watched him as Holmes! I knew that he and Edward Hardwicke were the only real contenders as the definitive Holmes and Watson alongside Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (who were THE Holmes and Watson for over 40 years even with legends taking on the roles). Jeremy Brett is a legendary actor.
I knew he was dying when he made this series, but to have at least as strong a grip on the role then, and to have his heart problem diagnosed then, must have been extremely difficult! The role itself is quite draining to play, he said, but his Holmes was so full of life and expression!
He didn't die of bipolar disorder. Longtime smoking weakened his heart (in a scene from "Priory School" Holmes was supposed to have smoked out the huge amount seen, which was shocking to watch).
But I could see past his illness, apparent aging and see a handsome aquiline face and unweakened performance. He was so gracious, and from all I've read about him, loved laughter and friends, and even beneath what I first called an untouchable Holmes, I could see what made him such a dear to others. He won me over completely.
THe real problem with Memoirs was not Brett, but that the production team thata did the first seasons were not involved.
shareGiven that Jeremy Brett's health was bad at the time when he was filming Memoirs, he puts in a remarkable performance. He's still running around after criminals, climbing through trap doors in ceilings, being thrown against windows ("He broke our window!"), showing Holmes' humour, analysis and determination.
I do notice Brett changing - mainly because I tend to watch the DVDs one after another in order, so it's more obvious when episodes are seen back to back like this. However, I see Holmes changing also. He is older and wiser. Somehow, for me, Brett's own ill-health only strengthens his performance. I can only admire him for it.
I still love the episodes in Memoirs, and feel that Brett did an absolutely fantastic job, ill health notwithstanding. He never let it get in the way of delivering a bravura performance. Right up to the end, he was spot-on perfect.
The only problem I have in watching this last series is my own sentimentality. It's so terribly sad to see Brett so ill, and to know that he would die shortly after completing these episodes. I try not to let it affect my viewing experience too much, and I still appreciate the great performances and the fine productions...but I do find myself lamenting the sadness of the fact that the world lost such a wonderful actor in such an untimely fashion. If anything, however, it only deepens my appreciation of the work that Brett did in the Memoirs.
I have to say, though, it's sometimes very hard to watch The Dying Detective. It's a top-notch episode...but with Brett being so close to death himself, it's quite upsetting to see him playing ill.
Knowing of Brett's condition at the time, I agree that 'The Dying Detective' episode is uncomfortable viewing in particular. It's very title must have been playing on his mind as he performed it.
shareI would like to know why Brett wasn't offered a heart transplant. He was young--60 when he died--and a great actor with an international reputation. His BP should have been under good control.
I was horrified when I saw him in the late episodes and furious when he died, chalking it up to the British National Health Service rationing.
Anyone know anything about this? Maybe he refused it, couldn't find a match, whatever.
He refused a heart transplant. He missed his late wife so much that he didn't see death as something tragic.
Having seen some episodes of Memoir's recently, I noticed the decline in production values as well as Brett looking unwell.
It looks that there were budget cuts imposed.
Its that man again!!
I read that he could have had a heart transplant, but that the anti-rejection medication he would have had to take after the operation would have interacted badly with the medication he was taking for his bipolar disorder (or so his doctors believed). I get the impression that both his bipolar and his heart condition would have been better managed these days. Can't forget though that he smoked like a chimney, and that must have had a terrible effect on his heart also.
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