The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

Overview

Between 1979 and 1986, Soviet television produced a series of five films at the Lenfilm movie studio, split into eleven episodes, starring Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson. The last film, The Twentieth Century Approaches was shown in cinemas in 1987 (as Sherlock Holmes in the XX Century), ahead of its 1988 television premiere.

Episodes

The series ran as follows:

• 1979 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
  • 1st episode: "Acquaintance" (based on "The Adventure of the Speckled Band").
  • 2nd episode: "Bloody Inscription" (based on "A Study in Scarlet").
• 1980 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
  • 1st episode: "The King of Blackmail" (based on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton").
  • 2nd episode: "Deadly Fight" (based on "The Final Problem").
  • 3rd episode: "The Tiger Hunt" (based on "The Adventure of the Empty House").
• 1981 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles. Two episodes based on "The Hound of the Baskervilles".
• 1983 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Treasures of Agra. Two episodes based on "The Sign of the Four" and "A Scandal in Bohemia".
• 1987 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Twentieth Century Approaches. Two episodes based on "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", "The Adventure of the Second Stain", "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" and "His Last Bow".

Production

The script was written by Julius Dunsky and Valery Frid on their own initiative. Igor Maslennikov was not a big fan of Conan Doyle's work, but he liked the idea of a future TV movie. In addition, there was an interesting juxtaposition of characters in the script Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, which was supposed to attract the viewer and what, according to the director, previous film adaptations lacked.

Unlike some of their Western counterparts, the films are very close to the literary source. Some of the departures include Holmes' easy-going and humorous demeanor, as well as comic relief provided by some of the characters (most notably that of Sir Henry Baskerville and his butler Barrymore in The Hound of the Baskervilles episode).

Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin met at the auditions, and they immediately formed friendly relations:

A street in old Riga doubles as Baker Street (the same street was used for exterior locations of Tsvetochnaya street in "Seventeen Moments of Spring"). Many scenes were filmed in Saint Petersburg and Tallinn. "The role" of the Reichenbach Waterfall was "performed" by Circassian waterfall in Abkhazia.

Regular cast

• Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes
• Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson
• Rina Zelyonaya as Mrs. Hudson
• Borislav Brondukov as Inspector Lestrade
• Igor Dmitriev as Tobias Gregson
• Boris Klyuyev as Mycroft Holmes
• Viktor Yevgrafov as Professor Moriarty

Soundtrack

The series' soundtrack was composed by Vladimir Dashkevich; the introductory piece has become one of the most recognizable pieces of cinematic music in the former Soviet Union. The tune intentionally resembles an hourly musical logo played on the shortwave BBC Russian Service (the Prince of Denmark's March), and Maslennikov later confirmed that he wanted a similar tune which could be identified with the spirit of the British Empire.

Official soundtrack was released in 1997 (CD) and in 2023 (LP).

Reception

The films were positively received by the Soviet audience, noting the actors' masterful portrayal of the main characters and the production's attention to detail. The series became a cultural phenomenon and to this day remain a legendary masterpiece of Soviet television. Holmes and Watson, performed by Livanov and Solomin, became the heroes of jokes and the people's favorites, their sayings have become catch phrases. In 1982, for the Novy God's episode of "Little Blue Light" the interlude "Sherlock Holmes", written by Livanov, was played by Livanov and Solomin in modern costumes.

In the West, the reception of the series was warm, especially in the United Kingdom. British critics have pointed out that the creators of the series have treated the original source with due care and respect, and have successfully transferred the atmosphere of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works. In 2006, Vasily Livanov became an Honorary MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — "For service to the theatre and performing arts". The British ambassador called Livanov one of the best actors who played Sherlock Holmes. Livanov's wax statue is displayed in the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. In 2007, a statue to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, as played by Livanov and Solomin, was erected in Moscow near the British embassy.

References

References

1. [https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/091119/44622/ За кадром «Приключений Шерлока Холмса»: Как на съемках Ливанов едва не лишился главной роли, а Соломин – жизни]. In Russian
2. [http://www.versiasovsek.ru/material.php?2616 «Тот самый Холмс» Татьяна Гурьянова, Ирина Иванова, Екатерина Сахарова «Версия» 11.2.2005 г.] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-05-11 In Russian)
3. [https://www.221b.ru/archive/arch-040.htm «Игорь Масленников. Многоуважаемые Дшх И Ддв…» «Аврора», июль 1985.] In Russian
4. [http://gazeta.aif.ru/online/europe/69-72/03_03 «Яуниела, она же Цветочная, она же Бейкер-стрит» Никита Красноглазов № 05 (69-72) от 31 мая 2004 г. «Аргументы и Факты»] In Russian
5. [https://www.221b.ru/geo.htm География мест, где снимался сериал] In Russian
6. [https://back-in-ussr.com/2018/06/kak-snimali-luchshiy-film-pro-sherloka-holmsa.html Как снимали лучший фильм про Шерлока Холмса?] In Russian
7. [https://www.kursivom.ru/%d0%b2%d0%bb%d0%b0%d0%b4%d0%b8%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%80-%d0%b4%d0%b0%d1%88%d0%ba%d0%b5%d0%b2%d0%b8%d1%87-2-%d1%88%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%ba-%d1%85%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%bc%d1%81/ Кинохиты Владимира Дашкевича — 2: история музыки из к-ф «Шерлок Холмс и доктор Ватсон» (1979-1986). КУР.С.ИВ.ом - сайт Курия Сергея Ивановича]In Russian
8. Игорь Масленников. (2020). "Бейкер-стрит на Петроградской". Litres.
9. {{discogs master. 236893
10. {{discogs release. 26348174
11. [https://www.spb.kp.ru/daily/27129/4215893/ «Всё должно было закончиться совсем не так»: как снимался культовый сериал «Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона»]. In Russian
12. [https://dzen.ru/a/Y87-N6YtwW7QHhTk ''А. Седов''. Советский "Холмс" как духовная скрепа (листая энциклопедию)]. In Russian
13. [https://cccp.fun/anekdoty/anekdoty-pro-sherloka-holmsa-i-doktora-vatsona.html Анекдоты про Холмса и Ватсона]. In Russian
14. [https://www.maximonline.ru/entertainment/luchshie-anekdoty-pro-sherloka-kholmsa-i-doktora-vatsona-id511584/ Лучшие анекдоты про Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона]. In Russian
15. [http://bakerstreetdozen.com/russianholmes.html The Russian Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson] ссылка проверена 12 марта 2009
16. link. (2014-10-14 ссылка проверена 12 марта 2009)
17. (2014-07-10). "Curious incidents: the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Russia".
18. [https://dzen.ru/a/YSo9ww4rBR6-G5Nc "Vassily Holmes"]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', Martin Walker, August 17, 1987. In Russian
19. [https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130217073211/http://foi.fco.gov.uk/content/en/foi-releases/2006-releases/2.1-awards List of Honorary Awards January – June 2006, Foreign and Commonwealth Office – UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
20. (2006-02-22). "Ливанов - Кавалер ордена Британской империи".
21. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6607249.stm Moscow honours legendary Holmes]
22. (2007-04-27). "В Москве открыт памятник Шерлоку Холмсу и доктору Ватсону". РИА Новости.