book & film club: Sherlock
Introduction
Conan Doyle’s stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they’re about brilliant
detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes—and frankly, to hell with the
crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that’s
what matters.
– sherlock executive producer and head writer steven moffat
Film historians believe Sherlock Holmes to be the most filmed role in history, a
character so real to so many for so long that letters addressed to the “consulting
detective” at 221b Baker Street, London, have been arriving in the mail regularly
for over a century.
When Arthur Conan Doyle first invented the character Sherlock Holmes in
A Study in Scarlet, published in 1887, the brilliant but eccentric detective was regarded
by many as the perfect hero for his age. A “reasoning machine” who believed in science
above all, he was an ideal fit for an era of dizzying advances and ideas, from Charles
Darwin’s The Origin of the Species to Thomas Edison’s electric light bulb. (For more
about Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, see “Sherlock Holmes as Icon” at
http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/hound/tg_icon.html.)
In three new Masterpiece films airing in fall 2010 (A Study in Pink, The Blind
Banker, and The Great Game), written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, actor
Benedict Cumberbatch plays a reimagined Holmes in contemporary London.
Although he now has the power of the Internet and a smart phone, Holmes still needs
only his formidable powers of deduction to determine on first meeting Watson (played
by Martin Freeman) that the doctor has just returned from Afghanistan.
Whatever the century, Sherlock continues to fascinate and intrigue audiences. As the
BBC notes, “Sherlock Holmes was always a modern man. It’s the world that got old.
Now he’s back as he should be: edgy, contemporary, difficult—and dangerous.”
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book & film club: Sherlock
Discussion Questions: A Study in Pink
1 Who is Sherlock Holmes? Before watching A Study in Pink, think about or jot down
how you would describe him. Consider his skills, personality, habits, relationships, and
so on. After watching, think back to your initial description. How well do you think
the screenwriters updated the character for a contemporary audience, yet kept what
was essential about him?
2 What do you expect from any portrayal of this iconic character? What do you think
makes this Holmes—or any Holmes—tick? In A Study in Pink he is called a freak, a
lunatic, and a psychopath. (“I’m not a psychopath, I’m a high-functioning sociopath.
Do your research,” he responds.) If you were Holmes’s therapist, what would be your
diagnosis for him? In a 2009 New York Times Magazine article, a doctor suggests that
Holmes is suffering from both Asperger’s syndrome and bipolar disorder. Given our
contemporary understanding of psychology, how believable a character is he? At what
points does A Study in Pink show the limits of cold-blooded reason divorced from
emotional understanding? How does this new version use humor to make Holmes
likable in spite of his limitations?
3 In many ways A Study in Pink is the story of the developing relationship between
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. As actor Martin Freeman says, “…still at the
heart of the drama is (the) relationship between Holmes and Watson. That’s pivotal.”
In one of the opening scenes, Watson’s therapist notes that Watson is having “trust
issues.” By the conclusion of A Study in Pink, has Watson resolved his “trust issues”?
Does he place his trust in Holmes? If so, at what point does Holmes earn Watson’s
trust? What common bond do these two very different characters share, and how
does each of them rely on the other to compensate for personal vulnerabilities or
shortcomings?
4 Steven Moffat believes that Conan Doyle’s stories “lend themselves incredibly well to
a modern setting.” Unlike other writing of the era, they are much more fast-paced, so
much so that they “must have given the Victorians whiplash.” Of course, Moffat was
referring to the experience of reading Conan Doyle’s stories; now he has reinterpreted
that frenetic experience for a contemporary film audience. From the opening credits to
the film’s soundtrack, how does the direction and digital-age cinematography of
A Study in Pink reflect Moffat’s fast-paced vision of Holmes?
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5 How does the availability of cell phones, GPS, and the Internet challenge the
conventions of the old-fashioned detective story? How does this film use those
devices to update the Holmes stories plausibly, yet still retain the central idea that any
technology—whether it be the early forensic science of the original stories or a Google
search in this version—is merely another tool for a detective with a superior mind?
Do you think the filmmakers matched the right modern technology with Holmes’s
character? For instance, why do you think they chose to have him text and create a
Web site rather than a Facebook page or a Twitter account?
6 What other mysteries have you read or watched lately that use current technology?
Read a brief overview of the history of the genre at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/
masterpiece/hound/tg_mystery.html. What “commandments” does the genre still have
to obey today, regardless of how society has changed?
7 Just as Holmes and Watson pursue the mystery of the “serial suicides” in A Study in
Pink, viewers of the film are attempting to unravel the mystery of Holmes’s character
as they watch him interact with other characters. Since A Study in Pink is the first in
a series of three films, how do creators Moffat and Gatiss entice viewers to continue
watching the series? For instance, which of Holmes’s relationships seem to have an
emotionally fraught backstory that has not yet been revealed? What other unanswered
questions remain at the end of A Study in Pink?
8 Moffat and Gatiss have revealed that they were inspired by a number of previous
film adaptations of Holmes, most notably those starring Basil Rathbone, as well as
Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. There have been dozens of film
interpretations of Holmes; many popular television characters have also been modeled
after Holmes, including Adrian Monk of Monk, Gregory House of House (even his
name is a play on “Holmes”), Robert Goren of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and
a certain famous extraterrestrial. “What’s Mr. Spock,” Mark Feeney noted in a 2008
Boston Globe article, “but Holmes sent into space with pointy ears? There’s the same
stunning intellect—and stunning lack of emotion.”
Choose another Sherlock Holmes film or a television show that features a Holmesian
detective. What are the essential characteristics that appear in these adaptations?
What elements do Moffat and Gatiss echo? Of all the Sherlock Holmes versions you
know or have viewed, which one is your favorite, and why?
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book & film club: Sherlock
9 Try your hand at Holmesian deduction at a Sherlock viewing party with one of the
following simple parlor games:
a A
t some point during the gathering, ask everyone in the room to relinquish the
same everyday object they’re likely to have with them—a set of keys, a wallet, or
a cell phone, for instance. Have them do this in secret, perhaps by carrying the
object to another room and putting it in a bag, and have them remove or conceal
any aspect of the object that makes ownership obvious, such as a driver’s license.
Then have the group look together at all the keys or wallets arrayed in one place
and sleuth out which object belongs to which person in the room and why. In
general, what clues about ourselves do we give away without knowing it?
b B
efore the gathering, cover a tray with seven to ten ordinary but varied objects,
such as a mug, a book, or a scarf. Have the tray in the room where you are
gathering, placed somewhere where the guests will see it but where it is
unobtrusive. Do not call attention to the tray, but at some point take it out of
the room. Then ask participants to write down as many objects as they noticed
and remembered in as much detail as possible. Bring the tray back in to see who
noticed the most and in the greatest detail.
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book & film club: Sherlock
Resources
Sherlock Holmes Web Sites
Masterpiece Web Sites
Sherlock
http://www.pbs.org/sherlock
This official Masterpiece site offers, among other features, the opportunity to go
behind the scenes of Sherlock and see exclusive video interviews with star Benedict
Cumberbatch and co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss on reimagining
Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/hound/index.html
Starring Richard Roxburgh, this film aired on Masterpiece in 2003. The site
features essays (“The Lure of the Moor,” “Through the Magnifying Glass”), interviews,
games, a biography of Conan Doyle, and a Teacher’s Guide at http://www.pbs.org/
wgbh/masterpiece/hound/tguide.html.
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/silkstocking/index.html
This Web site, created in conjunction with the 2005 Masterpiece film, includes an
interview with actor Rupert Everett, Sherlock-related novels not created by Conan
Doyle, a catalog of Sherlock Holmes films that aired on Masterpiece Mystery!,
and more.
General Web Sites
The Baker Street Journal
www.bakerstreetjournal.com
This “irregular quarterly of Sherlockiana” features both scholarly and popular articles.
A companion blog is available at http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/.
The Beacon Society
www.beaconsociety.com
Aimed at teachers, librarians, and students, this organization encourages the reading
and study of Sherlock Holmes literature among young people, and features an annual
award for a project that has “successfully introduced” young people to the Sherlock
Holmes stories.
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The Case of Sherlock Holmes
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/07/19/sherlock_holmess_staying_
power/
Writer Mark Feeney discusses the continuing appeal of Sherlock Holmes in film in
this July 19, 2009, article in The Boston Globe.
Discovering Sherlock Holmes
http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/index.html
This Stanford University site contains informative overviews on Conan Doyle and
Victorian London, as well as facsimile copies of various Sherlock Holmes stories as
they originally appeared in The Strand Magazine.
Hidden Clues
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06diagnosis-t.html?_
r=1&pagewanted=print
This December 4, 2009, article in The New York Times Magazine, by Lisa Sanders,
M.D., discusses various psychological theories regarding Sherlock Holmes’s
personality.
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/
This is the site of the official Sherlock Holmes Museum in London, located at 221b
Baker Street—Holmes’s supposed address. One interesting feature is the Baker Street
Times, an illustrated periodical of articles that allows readers to explore what it was
like to live in Victorian London.
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London
http://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/
Besides providing information about the events sponsored by this Holmes
organization, this site also sponsors The Sherlock Holmes Journal, a biannual academic
publication that features articles by Holmes scholars from around the world.
Sherlockian.Net
http://www.sherlockian.net
This comprehensive site is maintained by scholar Chris Redmond, author of
A Sherlock Holmes Handbook, and contains the original Sherlock Holmes stories,
extensive information about Conan Doyle and his world, and even a set of Holmesian
“pictures, sounds, and games.”
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A Study in Pink Web Sites
A Century of Sherlock Holmes on Screen
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/
article6960786.ece
Shane Murray’s annotated list of film adaptations of Sherlock Holmes (from 1910
to the 2010 Moffat and Gatiss Sherlock) was featured in the December 18, 2009,
issue of The Sunday Times.
Elementary
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/8291270.Elementary/?ref=rss
This July 24, 2010, article in The Northern Echo features an interview with Moffat and
Gatiss, co-creators of the new Sherlock adaptaton.
The Personal Blog of Dr. John H. Watson
http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/
This entertaining tie-in BBC Web site by Joseph Lidster contains posts that refer to
many plot developments in A Study in Pink (e.g., the posts “My new flatmate” and
“Serial suicides”).
The Science of Deduction
http://www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk/
Another BBC tie-in written by Lidster, this site contains more cryptic content—such
as “Hidden Messages,” text-message-style “Forum” notes, and archived “Case Files.”
“Sherlock’s got sexy!”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1297023/Sherlocks-got-sexyWith-nicotine-papers-instead-pipe-taxis-replacing-hansom-cabs-new-TV-Holmes21st-century-hero.html
This article and review appeared in the July 23, 2010, issue of the Daily Mail.
The Weekend’s TV: Sherlock
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-weekends-tvsherlock-sun-bbc1bramish-worlds-squarest-teenagers-sun-channel-4-2035302.html
Read Tom Sutcliffe’s July 26, 2010, review in Britain’s The Independent.
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book & film club: Sherlock
Sherlock Holmes Stories
A comprehensive Conan Doyle bibliography, which includes numerous works other
than the Holmes stories, can be found on many of the Sherlock Holmes Web sites.
Below is a list of Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories.
Sherlock Holmes Novels
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of Four (1890)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
The Valley of Fear (1915)
Sherlock Holmes Short Story Collections
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-headed League, A Case of Identity, The Boscombe
Valley Mystery, The Five Orange Pips, The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Blue
Carbuncle, The Speckled Band, The Engineer’s Thumb, The Noble Bachelor, The
Beryl Coronet, The Copper Beeches
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)
Silver Blaze, The Yellow Face, The Stock-broker’s Clerk, The ‘Gloria Scot,’ The
Musgrave Ritual, The Reigate Squires, The Crooked Man, The Resident Patient,
The Greek Interpreter, The Naval Treaty, The Final Problem
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
The Empty House, The Norwood Builder, The Dancing Men, The Solitary Cyclist,
The Priory School, Black Peter, Charles Augustus Milverton, The Six Napoleons,
The Three Students, The Golden Pince-Nez, The Missing Three-Quarter, The
Abbey Grange, The Second Stain
His Last Bow (1917)
Wisteria Lodge, The Cardboard Box, The Red Circle, The Bruce-Partington Plans,
The Dying Detective, Lady Frances Carfax, The Devil’s Foot, His Last Bow
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)
The Illustrious Client, The Blanched Soldier, The Mazarin Stone, The Three
Gables, The Sussex Vampire, The Three Garridebs, Thor Bridge, The Creeping
Man, The Lion’s Mane, The Veiled Lodger, Shoscombe Old Place, The Retired
Colourman
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book & film club: Sherlock
Selected Bibliography: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes
Carr, John Dickson. The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. New York: Carroll &
Graf, 2003.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novels. Edited by
Leslie S. Klinger. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006.
Lellenberg, Jon, Daniel Stashower, and Charles Foley. Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in
Letters. New York: Penguin Press, 2007.
Lycett, Andrew. The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: The Life and Times of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. New York: Free Press, 2008.
Miller, Russell. The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle: A Biography. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2008.
Riggs, Ransom. The Sherlock Holmes Handbook: The Methods and Mysteries of the
World’s Greatest Detective. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2009.
Riley, Dick, and Pam McAllister. The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to
Sherlock Holmes. New York: Continuum, 1998.
Sinclair, David. Sherlock Holmes’s London. London: Robert Hale Ltd, 2009.
Wagner, E.J. The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear,
the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective’s Greatest Cases. Hoboken, New Jersey:
John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
titan books is the publisher of the further
adventures of sherlock holmes series.
For more information, go to http://titanbooks.com/brands/sherlock-holmes/.
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book & film club: Sherlock
Credits
The Book & Film Club: Sherlock guide was produced by the Educational Outreach
Department of WGBH.
Director, Educational Outreach
Julie Benyo
Manager, Editorial Content
Sonja Latimore
Editorial Project Director
Cyrisse Jaffee
Designer
Danielle Pierce
Writers
Katherine Schulten
Georgia Scurletis
Source Notes
Page 1. Quote from Steven Moffat, Sherlock BBC Web site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t4pgh
Page 1. Quote from the BBC, BBC Press Release:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk30/unplaced.shtml#unplaced_sherlock
Page 2. Question #2: “Hidden Clues” by Lisa Sanders, The New York Times Magazine, December 4, 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06diagnosis-t.html
Page 2. Question #3, quote by Martin Freeman: “Sherlock’s Got Sexy!” by Tim Ogelthorpe, The Daily Mail, July 23, 2010.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1297023/Sherlocks-got-sexy-With-nicotine-papers-instead-pipe-taxisreplacing-hansom-cabs-new-TV-Holmes-21st-century-hero.html
Page 2. Question #4, quote from Steven Moffat, “Elementary,” The Northern Echo, July 24, 2010.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/8291270.Elementary/
Page 4: Question #10, quote from “The Case of Sherlock Holmes” by Mark Feeney, The Boston Globe, July 19, 2009.
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/07/19/sherlock_holmess_staying_power/
sherlock is a hartswood films production for bbc wales, co-produced with masterpiece.
masterpiece is presented on pbs by wgbh boston. rebecca eaton is executive producer. funding for the series is provided by public television
viewers. masterpiece, masterpiece theatre, and mystery! are trademarks or registered trademarks of the wgbh educational foundation.
©2010 wgbh educational foundation. all rights reserved.
closed captioned for viewers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
p b s . o rg/ma s t e r p i e c e
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