Compare and Constrast Between Warner Bros’ [WB] Sherlock Holmes and BBC’s Sherlock

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Sherlock Holmes earned the title in Guinness World Record as the “Most Portrayed Literary Human Character in Film & TV”, the world’s favorite “consulting detective” has been adapted by over 75 actors on screen over 250 times. Originally from a famous detective story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887 , Sherlock Holmes is well known for his exceptional intellect. Ever since Doyle published his first novel, ‘Sherlockians’ demanded more; and this is happening once again in the 21st century. Recent adaptations with the highest viewer ratings are Warner Bros’ [WB] Sherlock Holmes and BBC’s Sherlock. Warner Bros’ film adaptation Sherlock Holmes and BBC’s TV series Sherlock both originate from the novels by Doyle with similar yet contrasting traditional elements, reoccurring characters and plot lines.
Traditional elements are what define literary works. The film and TV adaptations of Sherlock Holmes are effective in modifying these elements through screen. Elements that were kept the same in both adaptations are: Holmes’ ability to disguise and his intellectual ability to deduce. First, Holmes’ ability to disguise is adopted in several scenes and episodes as it is crucial in plots. The visual on the left is WB’s Sherlock Holmes’s opening scene, disguising as a beggar to secretly meet a client. On the right is series one of BBC Sherlock’s last episode “The Great Game” where Holmes is disguised as a security guard to solve a case. Secondly, Holmes’ intellectual ability to deduce is a necessity in any adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. This ability is the biggest element, mentioned in every single episode of BBC’s Sherlock and multiple scenes in WB’s Sherlock Holmes. “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbabl...

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...cide as shown in the left of the visual. Second, WB’s version is set in Victorian England, which contribute to the similarity of the original novels. BBC’s Sherlock is set in the 21st century therefore undergoes large of modification in how scenes are executed.

Differences within adaptations of one work are what make Sherlock Holmes so famous in the 21st century, while the similarities that are portrayed in all adaptations are what make it last for over 100 years. In conclusion, both adaptations are successful in portraying Doyle’s original character and has different unique aspects that causes debates such as ‘Which Sherlock Holmes is better?’ to emerge. While both achieve its purpose of appealing to mass audiences in the 21st century, BBC’s Sherlock is palatable to more as it deviates from the familiar Victorian era to a fresh, new setting in the 21st century.

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