Sherlock Holmes - The Elementary Box Set [DVD]

Fantastic to have this series on DVD in the UK at last. Jeremy Brett is, for many, the definitive Sherlock and it is a delight to be able to see these adaptations again. Brett's performance is a remarkable one. His interpretation of the great detective in the early episodes is very true to the original stories, showing a cold, sometimes harsh figure who has no time for human foibles and trivialities. And yet, slowly, as the episodes progress and the years creep by, Brett's Sherlock grows more human, more kind, more eccentric; a warmer man, and one who, I suspect, shows far more of the actor beneath the skin. The six Casebook epsiodes are, for me, the best, and whilst some of the later programmes are, sadly, not up to much (Brett was very ill by this point), it is good to have the complete set together. Messrs Burke and Hardwicke give admirable support as their respective Watsons.The boxset comes in a large, cardboard carrier, which is not luxurious but is eminently capable of storing them all. You get over 20 discs for your money too and it is cheaper than buying them all singly. Picture quality is good TV standard - as one would expect, the earlier episodes are the most prone to some graininess and colour loss, but this is by no means a problem and the image is absolutely fine - and, besides, only a real stickler would complain (I believe some of the mastertapes were damaged in some way, so we are lucky all episodes look this good). Sound quality is excellent too and the problems which marred the 80s/90s video releases of these programmes have been eradicated.All in all, a superb collection of wonderful dramas - great locations, great period costume and setting, great supporting roles from a host of well-known British actors. And the great Jeremy Brett in his greatest triumph.

I've been reading and re-reading Sir Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes for 10 years now. A few years ago I saw "The Hound Of The Baskervilles" and "The Sign Of Four" on Dutch television, with Jeremy Brett playing the role of Sherlock Holmes.When I read that Jeremy Brett is regarded as THE Sherlock Holmes among the majority I was thrilled to see that there was a boxed set available with all of the episodes that were made with mr. Brett. I was a bit taken aback when I read the reviews on this site, rating the boxed set from 1 star to the full 5 stars.At the moment that I discovered that there was a 51% discount I decided to order it anyway and lo and behold, it arrive about a week ago!I was a bit nervous when I played the first disc but I was not disappointed by the set. I'm really looking forward at watching the remaining discs.There are no extras, that's true. But how many people watch extras on expanded DVD sets. I informed among friends and co-workers. The majority just like the idea of extra material but admitted they only watched once, and prefered just only to watch the film they initially wanted to buy in the first place.A nice documentary about the series and its' most important leading actors would have been nice, but as an extra on a DVD these things always turn into commercial ads for the product.A nice documentary about Jeremy Brett and co-actors would be nice, but made independent from the series by objective people. The good things and the latter difficulties stand a better chance of being in balance. That would be a nice DVD to buy and add as a bonus.But in the meantime, I'm perfectly happy with the set as it is.

The late, great Jeremy Brett is rightly regarded as the definitive Sherlock Holmes in the most faithful and entertaining adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective stories. This box-set contains the five feature length episodes from the series, including 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles', 'The Last Vampyre' and the awesome 'Sign Of Four'. Sadly, the prints used for these DVD's leave a lot to be desired.The discs appear to be straight transfers from an old VHS source with picture quality that fluctuates between adequate and poor. 'The Sign Of Four' is especially bad, with many dark scenes/backgrounds being alarmingly grainy and Fuzzy. In addition, the soundtracks for some episodes are noticeably hissy for long periods. Curiously, the versions that are regularly screened on ITV4 look and sound fantastic, indicating that there are better prints that could have been used for this release.The 'Sherlock Holmes Elementary Box Set' would have been an essential, 5-star purchase had it not been for the aforementioned issues. It is still recommended to fans, but I would advise potential buyers to consider waiting until Granada (hopefully) remasters and reissues these episodes with the sound and picture quality they deserve.