Click here!

Arts:Blog

Cinema Review: Mr Holmes ****

Lorna Irvine reviews a 'charming, verdant yet melancholic film'.

Bill Condon's glorious adaptation of Mitch Cullen's A Slight Trick of the Mind, the novel from 1995, sees him yet again working with leading man Ian McKellan as he did so successfully in 1998 on Gods and Monsters--and this one's a profound meditation on loss, the ageing process and friendship.

It is 1947 and the ageing Sherlock Holmes (McKellan, outstanding as ever) is drawn into one last case but cannot resist railing against, in the words of Dylan Thomas, 'the dying of the light'. Now 93, he's an irascible old so-and-so, pedantic and grouchy, yet kind to those who care for him--not least unlikely new friend, little child prodigy, cheeky Roger (an adorable portrayal by Milo Parker) with whom he bonds through a shared love of bee-keeping and the power of language.

Returning to his farmhouse from Japan, he becomes trapped in a war of words between brittle housekeeper Mrs Munro (a lovely, restrained performance by Laura Linney) and her too-clever son Roger, and the trio become a little dysfunctional family unit. Bees become a metaphor as something that survives against the odds, despite the human perception of being little more than pests.

An apiary is not the only quirk in this charming, verdant yet melancholic film. Condon's richly detailed autumnal set pieces are laden with ominous imagery: a woman's left glove becomes a signifier of isolation, the glass harmonica is ethereally rendered, a pause outside a taxidermist becomes an odd memento mori.

And Holmes' trip to Japan to find the prickly ash plant is an attempt to prolong his life, given the alleged health-giving properties. It's here that colleague Mr Umezaki (Hiroyuki Sanada) discovers that the deerstalker hat and pipe were merely symbols of mythmaking ('I prefer a cigar', he grins mischievously).

There are idiosyncratic twists to Holmes' personality, undimmed by advancing years as he tracks an errant wife, Ann Kelmont (Hattie Morahan) whose depressive tendencies are causing grave concern to her husband, and in whom Holmes finds another kindred spirit.

McKellan's portrait is what makes the film though, in spite of excellent support and lush cinematography: from start to finish deeply felt, of an intelligent, fragile individual who still has a sting in his tail.

Dir: Bill Condon, 2015. Cast: Ian McKellan, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Frances De La Tour, Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada.

Mr. Holmes Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2015): http://youtu.be/FJwgItmobFE

Tags: cinema

Comments: 0 (Add)

To post a comment, you need to sign in or register. Forgotten password? Click here.

Find a show


Search the site


Find us on …

Find us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterFind us on YouTube