1 From stage to screen
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James Chapman
Abstract
Chapter 1 is focused on the first major feature-length Sherlock Holmes film: the Essanay Manufacturing Company’s Sherlock Holmes (1916). It argues that the theatrical and visual qualities of Doyle’s stories made them ideal material for adaptation for stage and screen. The chapter analyses Gillette’s play of 1899, considering its contemporary reception in the United States and Britain. It argues that the film version of 1916 exemplifies a transitional mode of film-making between the theatrical and the cinematic: it stands on the cusp of the emergence of classical Hollywood cinema. The chapter also considers Samuel Goldwyn’s film of the same play, also entitled Sherlock Holmes (1922), starring John Barrymore as a younger and more romantic lead than Gillette.
Abstract
Chapter 1 is focused on the first major feature-length Sherlock Holmes film: the Essanay Manufacturing Company’s Sherlock Holmes (1916). It argues that the theatrical and visual qualities of Doyle’s stories made them ideal material for adaptation for stage and screen. The chapter analyses Gillette’s play of 1899, considering its contemporary reception in the United States and Britain. It argues that the film version of 1916 exemplifies a transitional mode of film-making between the theatrical and the cinematic: it stands on the cusp of the emergence of classical Hollywood cinema. The chapter also considers Samuel Goldwyn’s film of the same play, also entitled Sherlock Holmes (1922), starring John Barrymore as a younger and more romantic lead than Gillette.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
