A seemingly minor issue involving a mislaid hat and Christmas goose turns fascinating for master detective Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) when a priceless gem is found in the bird's gullet...
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle made its debut in January of
1892. The story offered a tremendous showcase for showing off Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle's famed sleuth's ability to make precise deductions
from the most mundane of materials. It also shows off the character's
rigidly applied personal code, in that he rejects a pushy dowageress'
offer of a substantial sum to retrieve her stolen gem because the case
(and the client) strikes him as petty at best, while he subsequently
throws himself into the mystery for his own personal amusement because
it's a riddle which captures his imagination. In many respects, it's
one of the most satisfying and intriguingly plotted of the Holmes
stories - and yet, it remains a seldom dramatized tale so far as film
and television are concerned.
The first - and as of this writing, last - version for cinemas
emerged in 1923. It was part of the long running Ellie Norwood series
of Holmes films - and like the majority of the films in that franchise,
it is believed to be lost today. It would take until 1968 for the next
version to emerge, this one as part of the BBC produced Sherlock Holmes
series starring Peter Cushing. It would take over a decade for the
story to be filmed again, this time as a TV film produced in the
then-Soviet Union. Granada added the story to their stable of Holmes
adaptations starring Jeremy Brett in 1984, while an animated version was
done for the program Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (1999).
The
BBC version presents a generally faithful adaptation, courtesy of
screenwriter Stanley Miller. Though suffering from some of the same
cramped production values that dogged some of the other entries, this
is, on the whole, a very satisfying and briskly paced entry in the
series. Cushing gets one of his best showcases as Holmes in this
episode - he perfectly captures the character's arrogance and unerring
sense of logic, and he also has a marvelous moment of realization
wherein the long-suffering Dr. Watson is able to gloat over one of his
deductions being inaccurate.
Nigel Stock, for his part, again proves to
be a most satisfactory Watson - he has moments of befuddlement worthy
of Nigel Bruce in the Basil Rathbone series, but on the whole he is
allowed to play the role as Doyle intended, as a sturdy and reliable
medical man. The supporting cast performs quite ably, as well,
including Frank Milddlemass in the role of Peterson. Middlemass was a
busy character actor who would go on to play one of the stuffed shirt
lodgers that Cushing verbally lacerates in Frankenstein Must Be
Destroyed (1969). Intriguingly, he would also go on to play the meatier
role of Harold Baker - the gentleman whose loss of his hat and prized
Christmas goose sets the mystery in motion - in the 1984 version with
Jeremy Brett as Holmes.It has to be said that, overall, the Brett
version is the stronger of the two versions - it offers up healthier
production values and much more stylish direction (Bill Bain's work in
that capacity in the Cushing version is very much of the "efficient"
school), but it also tinkers with the finale somewhat, making it less
true to the original story than the Cushing
version. Purists may therefore prefer this earlier version - and those
who prefer Cushing's more controlled take on the character versus
Brett's ultra-neurotic characterization are also bound to find this a
much more tolerable viewing experience
Ultimately, it is to be regretted that the majority of the Cushing
episodes have been lost to the mists of time. While the majority of
the earlier episodesstarring Douglas Wilmer have survived, many of the
Cushing episodes were not so fortunate and fell victim to the BBC's
practice of "wiping" old shows to make room for new ones. Of those
believed to be lost, one that seems of particular interest is The Naval
Treaty, which featured such outstanding character actors as Dennis Price
and Peter Bowles.
Price and Cushing would later go on to appear in Hammer's Twins of Evil (1971), by which point former matinee idol Price was reduced to appearing in small roles in low budget horror films just to keep the tax man away from the door. Another lost episode, The Greek Interpreter, actually costarred Edward Hardwicke, the son of the distinguished thespian Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who would later go on to play Watson opposite Jeremy Brett's Holmes. The loss of these episodes is indeed unfortunate, but in the "small miracles" category, at least Cushing's fanbase is not completely deprived of seeing their favorite actor playing Holmes on this series.
Indeed, The Blue Carbuncle would mark his final portrayal of the character for many years - until he was enlisted to play an aged, but still sharp, version of the detective for the Tyburn TV production Masks of Death (1984), costarring John Mills as Watson. Cushing would later be offered a chance to play a choice supporting role in the Jeremy Brett vehicle The Last Vampyre (1994), but ill health made his participation impossible - and the role would be played instead by Maurice Denham. Cushing's association with the role nevertheless remains quite strong for many, and he is frequently cited alongside Rathbone and Brett as being the definitive interpreter of the role on screen.
Price and Cushing would later go on to appear in Hammer's Twins of Evil (1971), by which point former matinee idol Price was reduced to appearing in small roles in low budget horror films just to keep the tax man away from the door. Another lost episode, The Greek Interpreter, actually costarred Edward Hardwicke, the son of the distinguished thespian Sir Cedric Hardwicke, who would later go on to play Watson opposite Jeremy Brett's Holmes. The loss of these episodes is indeed unfortunate, but in the "small miracles" category, at least Cushing's fanbase is not completely deprived of seeing their favorite actor playing Holmes on this series.
Indeed, The Blue Carbuncle would mark his final portrayal of the character for many years - until he was enlisted to play an aged, but still sharp, version of the detective for the Tyburn TV production Masks of Death (1984), costarring John Mills as Watson. Cushing would later be offered a chance to play a choice supporting role in the Jeremy Brett vehicle The Last Vampyre (1994), but ill health made his participation impossible - and the role would be played instead by Maurice Denham. Cushing's association with the role nevertheless remains quite strong for many, and he is frequently cited alongside Rathbone and Brett as being the definitive interpreter of the role on screen.
REVIEW: TROY HOWARTH
IMAGES AND FORMAT: MARCUS BROOKS
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