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UCFC Movie Reviews Young Sherlock Holmes Year: 1985 Director: Barry Levinson Fencing Master: Arthur Howell Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins, Susan Fleetwood Review by V. Bjerreskov (02 07 23) The purist in me says that, since Doyle wrote the meeting between Holmes and Watson as adults, this movie has no place in the canon. However, the makers went to great lengths to indicate to their audience that they made this movie only out of enjoyment of Doyle's characters, and a sense of possibility, and as such, I can forgive them. While not a brilliant film, YSH was still quite enjoyable. The characters, from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to the incidentals, the plot, and the setting, all draw on Doyle's stories to make them believable in the context. Not that any of the elements pulled out of context are the slightest bit believable. An Egyptian death-cult operating unnoticed in the midst of London? The oddly-dressed assassin that allows her weapon of choice to be knocked from her grasp? And, heaven help us, Sherlock Holmes in love? Elizabeth is no Irene Adler, and seems to exist only to flutter her eyelashes, be blonde and pretty, and give Holmes a reason for not becoming attached in adulthood. And yet we accept it all, because whatever else, no one ever said that Sherlock Holmes was a believable character, and that his adventures might actually happen in real life. The writers did their research thoroughly, and I was quite impressed with the clarity of the plot, the use of original material in the story, and the characterisation of the main players. I have also seen worse acting. Rowe did an admirable job as the young Holmes, displaying the mannerisms very well, and even managing to lend a little weight to the love story. Cox did a good job as Watson, but seemed to have some trouble at some points keeping to his character. Higgins tended to overact slightly in his role as the villain, but it can be overlooked because any villain going up against Holmes is automatically prone to be over the top. Ward, well, she's blonde and has great lashes, and that was what she was supposed to be. The fencing was actually above average. Despite the fact that the class used sabres instead of foils or épées, and despite the fact that Holmes and Rathe are obviously sporting modern fencing masks, form and technique are recognisably modern fencing. Couple that with the fact that fencing as a sport is something that would appeal to Holmes' analytical nature, and we are completely set up for the duel at the end of the film. Of course, my father predicted exactly what was going to happen long before the duel's end, so there wasn't much suspense there. So, the film had decent writing, decent acting, and decent fencing. And yet, I can only give it two and a half stars. If you take all the pieces above and rate them as a whole, the deficiencies play off each other, and the film becomes like a bag of potato chips: filling, but not very healthy. If you're a Holmes fan (but not obsessively so), and if you enjoy fencing movies (but are willing to set aside your disbelief a little), then this movie can be a pleasant and amusing way to spend an evening. Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us