By the time the Jeremy Brett series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations reached THE MAZARIN STONE, Brett's health was declining very swiftly, and the writers attempted to shore up the series by expanding the role of Charles Gray, as Sherlock's older brother Mycroft. It was an interesting experiment, which the performances of Gray and Edward Hardwicke as Watson made bearable. The sets were all right to. Unfortunately, the script was not.
First of all it was not all THE MAZARIN STONE. Two of the final original series of Sherlock Holmes stories (known as "THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES) were dusted off and unified. If both had been first rate stories by Conan Doyle this would have been fine, but they weren't. THE ADVENTURE OF THE MAZARIN STONE and THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS both are below-par Doyle. They are repetitive of earlier stories (THE MAZARIN STONE uses a ploy from THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE, while the central element of the mystery of THE THREE GARRIDEBS resembles THE ADVENTURE OF THE RED HEADED LEAGUE).
THE MAZARIN STONE deals with the theft of a valuable Crown Jewel, probably stolen by one Count Negretto Sylvius. Holmes suspects that Sylvius has secreted the jewel on his person, but has to catch him at it. He lures Sylvius to his rooms at Baker Street and goes into a neighboring room apparently to listen to some music. Sylvius, earlier, had thought a wax statue of the Detective in another room behind a curtain was the genuine article. But Holmes stops him from damaging the statue. Now, alone, Sylvius confers with an underling regarding what to do with an offer from Holmes that if he return the jewel no questions will be asked. This is not the Count's intention. What will be done?
THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS deals with an American and an elderly pedant who both have the same last name. They are approached by an eccentric millionaire's will that will make them rich, but only if they find a third person with the same last name. It seems the eccentric millionaire was also a "Garrideb" but he had no family and wanted people with his name to benefit from his wealth. Holmes is brought into this odd puzzle by the two Garridebs, and after asking a routine question, confirms the "American" is not what he says he is (he recognizes the name of a fictional person as a former Mayor of his home town). But what is he after?
Neither story is really that good. By 1921 (when Conan Doyle wrote the original version of THE MAZARIN STONE) the novelist was tired of Holmes (whom he had to resurrect), and wanted more notice of his historical novels and his quest regarding psychic research and the afterlife*. So he would frequently write Holmes stories with discarded plots, or would repeat earlier, better stories. THE MAZARIN STONE was originally a one act play Doyle wrote called THE CROWN DIAMOND, in which he resurrected the villain of THE EMPTY HOUSE, Colonel Sebastian Moran, as the villain here. This popped up in THE MAZARIN STONE where Moran is mentioned in passing by Holmes.
(*Like many great writers, Sir Arthur failed to see that his best work was as mystery short story writer (actually as a short story writer - he was the best teller of short tales in late Victorian - early Edwardian England). Today the supernatural research is curious, and still debated, but he is recalled for the Holmes and Watson tales, as well as his science fiction tales regarding Professor George Challenger (THE LOST WORLD; THE POISON BELT); and his humorous stories of the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Etienne Gerald. Only THE WHITE COMPANY and SIR NIGEL of his historical words survive as novels. How many people read THE MARACOT DEEP or THE TRAGEDY OF "THE KOROSKO" today?)
The resulting teleplay was okay, taking the scheme of the conniver in THE THREE GARRIDEBS as a subplot used by Sylvius to confuse Mycroft. It is just as well. Unfortunately, because of this restructuring of the stories, one of the most moving moments in the "Canon" of Holmes stories is lost to the television viewer. You see, in the original - due to an act of violence - Holmes finally shows how deeply he feels about Watson. It happens to be the best reason for the remembering THE THREE GARRIDEBS.
Still the series ended on a good note, with Brett returning at the conclusion to show his approval of his brother's handling the case. It almost made up for the loss of the moving moment of the short story.
First of all it was not all THE MAZARIN STONE. Two of the final original series of Sherlock Holmes stories (known as "THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES) were dusted off and unified. If both had been first rate stories by Conan Doyle this would have been fine, but they weren't. THE ADVENTURE OF THE MAZARIN STONE and THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS both are below-par Doyle. They are repetitive of earlier stories (THE MAZARIN STONE uses a ploy from THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE, while the central element of the mystery of THE THREE GARRIDEBS resembles THE ADVENTURE OF THE RED HEADED LEAGUE).
THE MAZARIN STONE deals with the theft of a valuable Crown Jewel, probably stolen by one Count Negretto Sylvius. Holmes suspects that Sylvius has secreted the jewel on his person, but has to catch him at it. He lures Sylvius to his rooms at Baker Street and goes into a neighboring room apparently to listen to some music. Sylvius, earlier, had thought a wax statue of the Detective in another room behind a curtain was the genuine article. But Holmes stops him from damaging the statue. Now, alone, Sylvius confers with an underling regarding what to do with an offer from Holmes that if he return the jewel no questions will be asked. This is not the Count's intention. What will be done?
THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE GARRIDEBS deals with an American and an elderly pedant who both have the same last name. They are approached by an eccentric millionaire's will that will make them rich, but only if they find a third person with the same last name. It seems the eccentric millionaire was also a "Garrideb" but he had no family and wanted people with his name to benefit from his wealth. Holmes is brought into this odd puzzle by the two Garridebs, and after asking a routine question, confirms the "American" is not what he says he is (he recognizes the name of a fictional person as a former Mayor of his home town). But what is he after?
Neither story is really that good. By 1921 (when Conan Doyle wrote the original version of THE MAZARIN STONE) the novelist was tired of Holmes (whom he had to resurrect), and wanted more notice of his historical novels and his quest regarding psychic research and the afterlife*. So he would frequently write Holmes stories with discarded plots, or would repeat earlier, better stories. THE MAZARIN STONE was originally a one act play Doyle wrote called THE CROWN DIAMOND, in which he resurrected the villain of THE EMPTY HOUSE, Colonel Sebastian Moran, as the villain here. This popped up in THE MAZARIN STONE where Moran is mentioned in passing by Holmes.
(*Like many great writers, Sir Arthur failed to see that his best work was as mystery short story writer (actually as a short story writer - he was the best teller of short tales in late Victorian - early Edwardian England). Today the supernatural research is curious, and still debated, but he is recalled for the Holmes and Watson tales, as well as his science fiction tales regarding Professor George Challenger (THE LOST WORLD; THE POISON BELT); and his humorous stories of the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Etienne Gerald. Only THE WHITE COMPANY and SIR NIGEL of his historical words survive as novels. How many people read THE MARACOT DEEP or THE TRAGEDY OF "THE KOROSKO" today?)
The resulting teleplay was okay, taking the scheme of the conniver in THE THREE GARRIDEBS as a subplot used by Sylvius to confuse Mycroft. It is just as well. Unfortunately, because of this restructuring of the stories, one of the most moving moments in the "Canon" of Holmes stories is lost to the television viewer. You see, in the original - due to an act of violence - Holmes finally shows how deeply he feels about Watson. It happens to be the best reason for the remembering THE THREE GARRIDEBS.
Still the series ended on a good note, with Brett returning at the conclusion to show his approval of his brother's handling the case. It almost made up for the loss of the moving moment of the short story.