Sherlock Holmes Influence On American Films

Any elementary deduction would conclude that Sherlock Holmes has stood the test of time. For over a century Sherlock Holmes has been adapted for the stage, the big screen, and the television, each with a different twist that has allowed the character to withstand the changing morals and values of society. The short stories reflect the Victorians’ acceptance of drugs and the values of propriety and prudery, while the film exemplifies the current infatuation with violence, alcohol, and romance. American media is no stranger to violence, and Sherlock Holmes is no exception. The movie opens with the title character deducing the perfect way to subdue a henchman (Ritchie 00:01:40-00:02:14). Less than fifteen minutes later, Holmes engages in a bare-knuckle brawl (00:15:41-00:19:00). In addition to his fists, he wields a primitive taser to fight a physically-superior opponent (00:49:44-00:50:34). The violence in the movie is so intense that it overshadows the plot which is a

In the short stories Holmes avidly uses cocaine, alternating between the drug and his cases (Doyle 1), and he smokes “shag tobacco” from a pipe (107). Research during the Victorian era had not revealed the extent of the dangers of drug use, so the regulation of cocaine was not as strict as in the twenty-first century. Holmes in the movie incarnation also smokes a pipe, but the movie omits his cocaine addiction (Ritchie 00:26:35-00:26:46). Instead, Holmes drinks stuff that is “meant for eye surgeries” (00:20:36-00:20:38). The switch from drugs to alcohol reflects a change in current society. Drugs are a taboo subject and giving the protagonist of the story a trait that is seen as unfavorable in the audience’s eyes would make him a bad role model for the younger members of the audience. Alcohol, on the other hand, is more socially acceptable to the audience in modern