Sherlock Holmes - The Last Vampyre is a UK VHS release by VCI and Granada Media on 5th August 2002.
Description[]
Another case for the Baker Street detective. At the end of the 18th century, Lamberley aristocrat Lord St Clair was burned alive in his mansion by locals who blamed him for the bloody murder of local girl Janet Burrows. One hundred years later, St Clair's descendant John Stockton (Roy Marsden) dines with new village resident Bob Ferguson (Keith Barron), and when Ferguson's baby son dies suddenly afterwards, the old rumours begin to circulate again. Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Watson (Edward Hardwicke) become involved when they hear the story from Lamberley's parish vicar (Maurice Denham), who neglects to inform them that the St Clairs are believed to be vampires!
This two-hour, overblown adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" was perhaps the most ill-advised of Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes series. Entirely contrary to the tone and spirit of Doyle's tale--which finds Holmes victoriously pitting his well-grounded deductive powers against irrational fears of a rise in bloodsucking--The Last Vampyre is something of an embarrassment to the largely wonderful legacy of Granada's earlier efforts. (For the record, most of the creative executives who, along with star Jeremy Brett, had made the beloved series what it was in the 1980s were replaced by 1992, the year of this film.) In this version, Holmes does battle with a Dracula-like fellow who may or may not be the real McCoy. There is a great deal of padding to fill out the story to feature length, and it is mostly silly. So, you ask, is there anything to recommend this? Well, there is the ailing Brett's ever-fascinating performance, which deviates from Doyle's vision of the detective hero toward something darker and more personal. Edward Hardwicke does his usual warm and capable work as Dr Watson.
Episode Info[]
- THE LAST VAMPYRE
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