Sherlock fever has undoubtedly infiltrated the house of Jerry and Sally Goldsmith...we cannot get enough Sherlock!

It is no mistake that we love mysteries--British mysteries in particular--but, lately, we find ourselves enamored with all things Holmes. We are working our way through TheAdventuresOfSherlock starring--in our opinion the BEST and ONLY Sherlock Holmes--the incomparable Jeremy Brett. Not only does he play the part of Holmes brilliantly, but also he has become one of my favorite actors of all time, almost eclipsing RObert Hardy (the guy who played Cornelius Fudge in the HarryPotter movies and played a plethora of brilliant roles before that).

Jeremy Brett is a fascinating actor who, as I have read and seen in various interviews, suffered immeasurably from depression, anxiety, and even suicidal tendencies. The character of Sherlock Holmes, for him, became almost too much for him to bear, as he got so deeply enmeshed into his character's life, that he became actually more downwardly spiraled into the abyss of sadness and melancholy...he actually 'credits' his retirement from playing Sherlock to the fact that it was too mentally exhausting and emotionally crippling on his body..

A lot of folks have this pop culture 'vision' of a romanticized Sherlock Holmes who sits in his armchair, smoking his pipe, and introvertingly seeking out folks to help--almost like a very deductive grandpa. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth; Sherlock HOlmes, as created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was in fact introverted to a fault--in fact, one might even call him somewhat of a hermit. He is incredibly obsessive compulsive, he is outwardly mean and socially inept, lacking any warmth whatsoever. Furthermore, he is an addict. In the best of situations, exercising his brain cells in an effort to solve a crime will suffice as his 'drug.' But in the doldrums of life--in between cases--he becomes morose, often returning to his cocaine or opium. Obviously, this is not the Sherlock society portrays!!

Many Sherlock series' have been produced--from the old ones with Basal Rathbone to the newest ones with that ENglebert Humperdink guy or whatever the heck his name is.. Sherlock is pretty 'hot' right now in pop culture, but in this case, I dont think you can do better than the one portrayed by the great Jeremy Brett! Amanda and I get excited to view one each night! And, contrary to what you will see with Agatha Christie, Inspector Lewis, etc, Sherlock stories are not 'mysteries.' Rather, they are 'detective fiction.' In college, during my senior year, I took an honors seminar with Professor James Krasner (who wrote his Ph.D dissertation on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, btw...) who taught "Horror, mystery, and adventure across the centuries." An awesome class. I dont remember the difference between detective fiction and mystery...something with the genres. But I do know that, according to literature professors, StarWars is NOT a fantasy...or scifi...or adventure.....Star Wars, according to the rules and conventions of literature, is a....wait for it....a WESTERN set in space!!! Ieeee!!!!

I even love the intro to the show--the song, the shots, etc etc. The music, at first, goes in rhythm with the ubiquitous steps of the horses that were the transportation of the day....but then, you catch a glimpse of Holmes, looking out into the streets of London, and you realize that the convoluted, yet rhythmic music crescendos, matching what must undoubtedly be the thoughts racing through the mind of ultra-observant Sherlock Holmes.

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34sPW1azwOo