| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Igor Maslennikov | ||||||
| Composer: | Vladimir Dashkevich | ||||||
| Language: | Russian | ||||||
| Country: | Soviet Union | ||||||
| Num Episodes: | 11 episodes (5 films) | ||||||
| Producer: | Lenfilm | ||||||
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (Russian: link=no|italics=yes|Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона) is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional English detective, starting in 1979. They were directed by Igor Maslennikov.
Between 1979 and 1986, Soviet television produced a series of five films at the Lenfilm movie studio, split into eleven episodes, starring Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson. Later, a cinematic adaptation was made based on the 1986 episodes. This film was called The Twentieth Century Approaches.
The series ran as follows:
The script was written by Julius Dunsky and Valery Frid on their own initiative.[1] Igor Maslennikov was not a big fan of Conan Doyle's work, but he liked the idea of a future TV movie. In addition, there was an interesting juxtaposition of characters in the script Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, which was supposed to attract the viewer and what, according to the director, previous film adaptations lacked.[2]
Unlike some of their Western counterparts, the films are very close to the literary source. Some of the departures include Holmes' easy-going and humorous demeanor, as well as comic relief provided by some of the characters (most notably that of Sir Henry Baskerville and his butler Barrymore in The Hound of the Baskervilles episode).
Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin met at the auditions, and they immediately formed friendly relations:
A street in old Riga doubles as Baker Street (the same street was used for exterior locations of Tsvetochnaya street in "Seventeen Moments of Spring").[3] [4] Many scenes were filmed in Saint Petersburg and Tallinn. "The role" of the Reichenbach Waterfall was "performed" by Circassian waterfall in Abkhazia.[5]
The series' soundtrack was composed by Vladimir Dashkevich; the introductory piece has become one of the most recognizable pieces of cinematic music in the former Soviet Union.[6] The tune intentionally resembles an hourly musical logo played on the shortwave BBC Russian Service (the Prince of Denmark's March), and Maslennikov later confirmed that he wanted a similar tune which could be identified with the spirit of the British Empire.[7]
Official soundtrack was released in 1997 (CD) and in 2023 (LP).
The films were positively received by the Soviet audience,[8] noting the actors' masterful portrayal of the main characters and the production's attention to detail. The series became a cultural phenomenon and to this day remain a legendary masterpiece of Soviet television.[8] [9] Holmes and Watson, performed by Livanov and Solomin, became the heroes of jokes and the people's favorites,[10] [11] their sayings have become catch phrases. In 1982, for the Novy God's episode of "Little Blue Light" the interlude "Sherlock Holmes", written by Livanov, was played by Livanov and Solomin in modern costumes.
In the West, the reception of the series was warm, especially in the United Kingdom. British critics have pointed out that the creators of the series have treated the original source with due care and respect, and have successfully transferred the atmosphere of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works.[12] [13] [14] [15] In 2006, Vasily Livanov became an Honorary MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — "For service to the theatre and performing arts".[16] The British ambassador called Livanov one of the best actors who played Sherlock Holmes.[17] Livanov's wax statue is displayed in the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. In 2007, a statue to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, as played by Livanov and Solomin, was erected in Moscow near the British embassy.[18] [19]