Granada Discussion Post: Thor Bridge

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Let's talk telly in the discussion post for Granada's TV adaptation of Thor Bridge. If you haven't seen this episode yet, you can find it at YouTube and on DVD. Follow me behind the jump for my random thoughts and impressions. Please add your own in the comments!

Canon discussion for Thor Bridge is available in this week's canon discussion post.


- It's great to see Watson so involved in these cases. It's one thing Granada is particularly good about doing. It's Watson's plan they use to go see Miss Dunbar, and he is the one who finds a way in when that first plan fails. He crafts and explains (and we see!) an entire theory about the murder which is correct in every detail except the culprit. Quality work, if imperfect.

- There's a lot of physical activity in this episode. Everyone rides bicycles back and forth. Holmes climbs up the stone bridge balustrade, walking a precarious balance on the narrow edge. And then for no real reason, there's a spontaneous longbow archery contest in the garden with Holmes and Gibson. No surprise, Sherlock Holmes is awesome at shooting a bow. It's a bit of a silly scene, but I still love it.

- Granada's authenticity is invariably impressive. Much of the dialogue is preserved, and what is changed or added is usually right in line with the original. Sometimes plot points are changed, as here when Gibson doesn't come quickly crawling back to Holmes for help as in the canon text, and instead remains his enemy rather than his client until much later. But Granada's adaptations often have a very unfortunate tendency to remove the best moments of connection between Holmes and Watson from the stories. Here we lose the playful moment Holmes asks for Watson's revolver so he can throw it in the lake. It's a small moment of sweet friendship in the canon story and it is missed. I wonder why Granada tended to do that? There are a number of episodes where that happens. I suppose it is to focus on story and not so much character, but it seems like an unfortunate and unnecessary loss.

- It's ambiguous in the original story what happens at the end in the relationship between Miss Dunbar and Mr. Gibson. Holmes presumes they stay together and marry, despite Gibson's repulsive nature. Indeed, that is what happens in this version, as they ride off in a carriage together. It's hard to imagine that endeavor ending well. Even if Miss Dunbar really is able to tame Gibson's hideous avarice and misanthropy somewhat, will she be able to tame his libido? What happens when she starts getting older like Maria did? Seems like Gibson is going to remember he doesn't have anything in common with this woman either.

Comments

[tripleransom.livejournal.com]

There were a lot of things lo like in this episode, despite the somewhat weak plot. Committing suicide to get even with someone? Really? Doesn't seem like much of a win to me.
But I loved Jeremy Brett's little walk on the parapet of the bridge, even when he bobbled that little bit. However, it's sad in a way to note the difference between this episode and the one in 'The Norwood Builder' from several years earlier, where he was perfectly controlled and catlike. Here, you can see that it takes him a bit of effort to get up onto the parapet and then of course, he bobbles.
The archery scene is also really interesting. Jeremy Brett was a keen archer; I suppose that's the whole reason for including the scene. Note that he shoots left-handed, because JB was a leftie. (Normally, you use your dominant hand to pull back the bowstring. If you look, Neil Gibson (Daniel Massie) shoots right-handed.) My DVD case has the image flipped, so that Jeremy is shooting 'normally'.

BTW, did you know that Daniel Massie was Jeremy Brett's ex-brother-in-law? Small world!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

You know, I used to do some archery, and I always shot left-handed even though I'm right-handed naturally. My instructor at the time tested us for our dominant eye, not our dominant hand, and had us shoot with it for better aiming. I was delighted to see the longbows -- they're such beautiful objects, and enormously fun to shoot. You just look so cool doing it too, and Jeremy Brett looks cool doing almost anything.

Sunday, 4 August 2013

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

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