Sherlock Holmes (1981) (TV)

Director:

Peter H. Hunt

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
William Gillette (play)

Release Date:

15 November 1981 (USA)

Plot:

Prof. Moriarity returns to kill Sherlock Holmes, and unleashes a complex and clever plan to lure the great detective to his death. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play | Character Name In Title

Cast

Frank Langella	...	Sherlock Holmes
Susan Clark	...	Madge Larrabee
Stephen Collins	...	Larrabee
Richard Woods	...	Dr. John H. Watson
George Morfogen	...	Prof. Moriarty
Laurie Kennedy	...	Alice Faulkner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Atkins	...	Craigin
Louis Beachner	...	Sidney Prince
Robert Brolli	...	Forton
Yusef Bulos	...	Count von Stalburg
William Duell	...	Parsons
Hugo N. Furst	...	Cab man
Jennifer Harmon	...	Mrs. Smeedley
Frank Maraden	...	Leary
Sebastian Moran	...	Old gentleman
Michael Quill	...	John
Dwight Schultz	...	Bassick
Christian Slater	...	Billy
Ralph Strait	...	McTeague
John Tillinger	...	Sir Edward Leighton
Barbette Tweed	...	Terese

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes: The Strange Case of Alice Faulkner (USA)
A Outra Face de Sherlock Holmes (Brazil) (cable TV title) [pt]

Runtime:

USA:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Williamstown Theatre Festival

Trivia:

This production was produced by the Williamstown Theatre Festival as a stage play. It was filmed for TV by HBO as part of their early attempts to support arts and cultural performances. Unfortunately, the melodramatic acting style that works in a 600-seat theater didn't translate well to the media of TV, particularly in close-ups.

Movie Connections:

Version of Sherlock Holmes (1932)

Quick, witty and live! Langella's great Sherlock filmed closely on stage

FRANK LANGELLA beats the majority of Sherlocks by kilometers in this live onstage five-act production that even features 12-year-old Christian SLATER's debut. I have the archive and watch it repeatedly just to take further note of how assuredly it demonstrates that an excellent cast with theatrical experience can nearly always show most film actors where to get off when it comes to long line memorization and beautifully controlled delivery. Plus, it's a fine script and what breathtaking set-changes on a single stage! Also known as "The Strange Case of Alice Faulkner, this is even more unusual in that it is a stage play, yet filmed so well. Deerstalkers off to the whole crew! [e-mail]