Holmes Sweet Holmes A Cinematic Quiz About the World’s Most Famous Detective

Holmes Sweet Holmes
A Cinematic Quiz About the World’s Most Famous Detective

Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary fictional detective, is hitting the big screen once again in a terrific reimagining from director Guy Ritchie and writers Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg from a screen story by Lionel Wigram and Johnson. And trust me, this is not your father’s Sherlock Holmes. In this extreme Holmes makeover, Robert Downey Jr. plays the sly sleuth. As analytical and calculating as ever, this Sherlock is also a man of action. He is just as apt to step into the ring for a bare-knuckled bout or take on an adversary twice his size as he is to puff on his pipe and deduce the next piece of the puzzle.

Holmes is ably abetted by his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson. As embodied by Jude Law, this Watson is just as kick-ass as his colleague Holmes. Think of them as the dynamic duo -- circa the late 1800s.

Downey Jr.’s Sherlock is also full of quirks and flaws. Rebellious, antiestablishment and prone to imbibing a variety of narcotic substances, he gets very moody and introverted when not on the case. With little concern about others, he also seems to have a penchant for rubbing people the wrong way -- especially his good friend Watson. The doctor usually bears the brunt of Holmes’ unorthodox escapades and, as a result, often refuses to go along with him. But ultimately, Watson ends up joining Holmes because he relishes the adventures.

Full of rousing set pieces, stunning visuals and spirited performances, especially by Downey Jr. and Law, it is obvious that the intention is to bring this sequel-ready Sherlock back as many times as the box office will allow.

Since its inception, Sherlock Holmes has been one of film’s most popular adaptations. So, in tribute to his return to the movies, it seems only fitting to come up with a brain teaser around some of the other actors who have brought the character to life throughout the years.

The game is afoot... given the clues below, see if you can match the actor to his screen version of the immortal sleuth.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

1. According to the Internet Movie Database, he’s the first actor to ever play Sherlock Holmes -- way back in 1905 in Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

2. This classic comedy producer also portrayed Holmes. He starred in four shorts from 1911 to 1913.

3. This actor arguably holds the record for playing the character the most times. IMDB lists 47 films in which he appeared as Sherlock Holmes during the 1920s.

4. Considered film’s quintessential Holmes, he portrayed the detective in 14 different features throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

5. He is best known for playing Bruce Wayne’s butler in the Batman TV series, but this actor appeared as Holmes in the 1949 feature The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

6. Before he gained fame in Hammer Horror films, this distinguished actor took a turn as the sleuth in a 1959 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

7. Gene Wilder played the title character in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother. But this actor played Sherlock in this 1975 spoof.

8. In the 1976 film The Seven Percent Solution, his Holmes attempted to cure his predilection to cocaine by seeking treatment from Sigmund Freud.

9. With his longtime partner Dudley Moore playing Dr. Watson, this comedian played Holmes for laughs in this 1978 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

10. This legendary British actor never appeared as Sherlock Holmes on the big screen, but he did voice the character in four 1983 animated films -- Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear, Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four, and Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse.

11. He portrayed a younger version of the detective in the 1985 adventure Young Sherlock Holmes.

12. In Without a Clue, a 1988 humorous twist on the Holmes’ legend, his Sherlock was an inept drunk, relying on the sleuthing skills of Dr. Watson (played by Ben Kingsley) to save the day.