Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) – Director: Barry Levinson

By Movie Goods, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1304790

Rating: PG

Running Length: 109 mins

Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward

Genres: Period, Thriller

REVIEW: ‘YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES’

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s super sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, is a character that continues to intrigue and excite audiences over a century after his first appearance; inevitably there will be different iterations as time goes on. Looking at Holmes’ youth is a good way to speculate on how he became the almost superhuman detective we know as an adult.

In ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’, Nicholas Rowe plays the titular hero. As one of the older boys at a boarding school he deals with typical school boy issues such as first loves and bullies, but thankfully these don’t overtake the overall plot of the murder mystery. Instead this fresh approach enriches the world in which Holmes lives in.

Sadly  the decision was made to make Watson (Alan Cox) the comedy foil with regular jokes at the expense of his weight sprinkled among the dialogue. Cox is hardly overweight (he is, however, always in frumpy clothes) and, anyone standing next to the tall and elegant Rowe is bound to look larger in comparison! Elizabeth (Sophie Ward) is the usual female support but keeps up with the men well.

The plot itself is excellent. ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ is in classic Holmes territory by involving a cult and particularly unpleasant deaths of human sacrifices (accompanied by a beautifully dramatic score that evokes the music of Carl Orff). Such threat is spiced up with several scenes of hallucinations that stand up to scrutiny almost 40 years later which is no surprise when you realise that Pixar were behind at least one key sequence; ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ was the first feature film to include an entirely CGI character!

If you’re at all a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this movie has so much to enjoy, so give it a go. The game is unlikely to be so afoot anytime soon.

CONTENT: IS ‘YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There are numerous references to suicide throughout the movie. A character flippantly says ‘It took four policemen to stop me hanging myself!’

A man walks down a street at night and is unknowingly followed by a hooded figure. They blow a dart into his neck which makes him hallucinate. The man sits down to eat his meal but, when he cuts into the bird, it bleeds and then attacks, clawing and pecking aggressively at his face and hands (some blood is seen). A short while later, the man believes he is in a burning room which makes him throw himself out of a window to his death.

Watson is portrayed as being overweight (although the actor playing him is only a little larger than average). Therefore there are several jokes throughout the film at his expense. For example, when Holmes first meets Watson he says ‘Your shape convinced me you’ve eaten many (custard tarts) before’ and another character calls him ‘(Holmes’) podgy friend’. Watson also experiences a hallucination revolving around food. Although no different to the usual attitudes of movies at the time (i.e. a slightly larger character is made fair game for mockery for that reason alone) it is a real shame that the filmmakers decided that they needed to put Watson down in this way, He is brave and intelligent throughout and you may wish to have a conversation with your child about the negative effects of mocking someone’s appearance.

A vicar in a church is hit with a dart and sees the knight in the stained glass window jump out at him. It slowly approaches with it’s bloody sword drawn. The vicar is so terrified that he runs out and is run over and killed by a carriage.

Holmes and Watson visit a tavern, there is a close-up of a belly dancer’s stomach and the barman asks ‘What can I get for you boys? Drink, food, women?’ The patrons are stereotypes of Middle Eastern or Egyptian people although this is mostly in background.

There is a brief close-up of some rats.

Holmes, Watson and Elizabeth come across a ritual involving a human sacrifice. The victim has been hypnotised and doesn’t resist but she can be heard screaming when boiling hot wax is poured onto her. This isn’t visually graphic, however it has been made clear what is happening so could be distressing for some children.

In a cemetery, skeletal hands suddenly lunge out of a grave and grab the legs of a character, she falls into a freshly dug grave where numerous hands grab and claw at her. She sees a cackling skeleton carving her name on a tombstone.

In a burning room, a character’s clothing catches on fire, they flail around screaming then run away, disappearing into the flames.

An established character dies in the arms of a loved one.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?