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Feb. 24th, 2010 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nessanielWatched the second episode of Russia's Sherlock Holmes and it nearly killed me by its SQUEE-factor. Listening to a fanmade video that of all things does have TETRIS-music to go with the pictures makes me quite giggly and bouncy. xDD Für die Interessierten... xD (please try to imagine my face during the scene in the cab XD). Well... we just decided to go out so that I have to get ready (read: make-up, clothes, money, keys...) and should probably leave my throne of eternal bliss...
Oh, the children at school today were pretty nice and intelligent, I managed to get on with the simple past/present perfect/past progressive and I think they might have even understood what I was talking about. XD
Oh, the children at school today were pretty nice and intelligent, I managed to get on with the simple past/present perfect/past progressive and I think they might have even understood what I was talking about. XD
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Date: 2010-03-06 03:26 pm (UTC)That’s sad, I have a weak hope to visit Berlin soon and want to pay a visit to Kulturkaufhaus. Would love to buy this series with German dubbing.
Perhaps the original story holds some indication to homo-relationship (for those who are the experts in Victorian era, I’m not one of them), the soviet version certainly doesn’t. Yet, the body language, natural to a Russian, might signify a different meaning to a foreigner. I see only friendship between SH and DW, maybe because it were Livanov and Solomin who introduced the London duo to me. Russian and slash do not mix; so any mention of “slashy Russian series” makes me laugh. Though I’m a slasher myself.
By the way, you’ve made a very interesting and justifying point about Lestrade, that he’s just a man struggling to confirm his right to be an Inspector of Scotland Yard. I might now look at him from another side; he’d been a kind of clown to me. And yes, his sympathy to Watson speaks a volume of Watson’ personality; though it was Watson who started to make sarcastic remarks at their first meeting, showing his disrespect, no matter how well-mannered he sounded.
The thing I disagree with you about, is that Watson is stupid (even a little bit). I think he’s none of that; of course, in comparison with Holmes, he doesn’t appear sharp-minded but who would? In the “Acquaintance”, when Watson becomes sad at the thought, that people would care for their business only, Holmes says: “Maybe, I’m the only one of this kind”. Watson is a medic and a writer, he sees the world with the different eyes and this can be that bond that keeps them together. Have to admit, I’ve not seen many foreign versions of SH; after Vitaly Solomin the other Watsons seem a bit wooden to me, especially in the Rathbone version (Nigel Bruce’s too old as well).
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Date: 2010-03-07 02:03 am (UTC)I just searched the online shop and came up with nothing, but I found the entire series on DVD on amazon.de – with English subtitles of course. ;-) Concerning the German dubbing I am quite skeptical. On the one hand it would come in pretty handy for me at last as I could fully concentrate on the acting without having to read the subtitles but on the other hand I fear that I would miss the voices too much: Especially Livanov’s laughter cannot be transported into any other language, I fear. Looking at the beginning of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” for example I find his happiness is very authentic and amazingly well enacted! I am not sure any kind of dubbing could pay enough tribute to this sort of acting. =)
The thing I disagree with you about, is that Watson is stupid (even a little bit).
Touché. I admit that “stupid” is too harsh a word, especially since the Russian TV-version is fairly old (as Brett/Hardwicke first started in 1983) and tries to pay respect to the only earlier versions being I think the ones with Rathbone/Bruce and Cushing/Stock (from the 1940ties and 1970ties or somewhat around that time). In these versions Watson was indeed more “stupid” than the audience I think – wooden being the right word. So, Solomin sadly had to act foolishly sometimes: the disguise in “Hunt for the Tiger” was just really silly because it was left totally unexplained and the failed attempt at burglary in “The King of Blackmail” was only less embarrassing because Holmes admitted that he himself was no good at criminal activities. I can understand that they might have attempted to make Watson even more human than Solomin already portrayed him by having him fail at some tasks appointed to him but it came across foolish and awkward sometimes, at least to my eyes.
when Watson becomes sad at the thought, that people would care for their business only, Holmes says: “Maybe, I’m the only one of this kind”
One of the most beautiful quotations and I daresay that “Acquaintance” might be my favourite episode due to the scene in Watson’s room alone. Their dialogue is marked by curiosity as well as immediate mutual attraction and works perfectly as an introduction to both characters: It focuses on Holmes’ playfulness and serene but strictly logical way of thinking and on Watson being able to deeply care about human beings.
though it was Watson who started to make sarcastic remarks at their first meeting,
To Watson’s defense I would like to say that he makes up his mind quickly. So after having come to terms with Holmes only some time before, he simply cannot stand Lestrade’s treatment of his newly won friend and answers rudely in an attempt to defend Holmes. But later on he grows eventually nicer. I am of the opinion that this is due to the scene with Toby the dog, as Watson might acknowledge that a man touched by the death of an animal cannot be completely despicable. Yeah, that might be a bit far fetched but Watson is caring enough to think like this. Another scene would be in the third episode, where Watson comments on Lestrade's mercy: although the Inspector saw the shoe in the fire he doesn't pressure our heroes making him quite less of a fool in Watson's opinion.
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Date: 2010-03-07 04:49 am (UTC)Watson’s disguise serves for the comical part of the film, as the whole series is a comedy. And at the same time it’s sad because shows how desperate Watson feels. He tries to protect Adar by all means, but pretence is not his strongest side. Indeed, one must possess a talent to perform in disguise; Watson doesn’t possess it. He tries hard to fulfill his friend’s last will and these attempts to act like Holmes only put an emphasis on how lost he is; his final failure only saddens the situation. In my eyes.
part two!
Date: 2010-03-07 02:03 am (UTC)Now that is the most interesting point in your comment and I am totally curious as to be enlightened on this special subject.
At first however I would like to ask what kind of fandom you prefer, in terms of pairings in general and in terms of slash especially! =) Then I have to admit that my knowledge of Russian tvshows or even movies is practically non-existent – “Nochnoi Dozor” being the only one I can think off. That being said I will just blatantly ask Why? as a reaction to this statement of yours: Russian and slash do not mix. I am immensely thrilled to read your explanation on this particular matter. Is the body language really that different? My experience concerning slash or the depiction of romantic relationships comes from German, English, American and Japanese tv and I think that the level of touching and the occasions on which Watson and Holmes stand very close to each other would be considered as “slashy” in any of these countries, so I am inclined to know why you would think so differently? =)
Re: part two!
Date: 2010-03-07 06:28 am (UTC)Maybe, my soviet upbringing plays its part; two men standing close indicate that they are comfortable about each other – by means of friendship or kinship. I can see Watson and Holmes as brothers (and that’s my envision of them) and never – as lovers. When they walk or stand close to each other, I can imagine them fighting shoulder to shoulder on a battlefield. But imagine two of them in one bed – that’s a violation of the characters. I can easily accept that Holmes remained celibate through his life and never accept him lusting after Watson.
Also, here in Russia, to say to a straight man he looks or acts like a gay is a grave offence. Thinking such a thing of the actors who are straight and the characters depicted by them (who are straight too) is a mute offence. That’s how I feel. However, the slashy interpretations from the foreign fans make me grunt with laughter. It’s in the culture and doesn’t bear a negative meaning; as long as people understand that the slashy moments in the soviet series are just a side-effect of cultural difference, it’s fine by me. I bristled up only once, at the remark that Soviets packed so much gayness in the series. The Soviets packed friendship in. Alles.
Hope, my babbling makes some sense.
As for the fandoms, The Lord of The Rings was my most favourite one. Love every character, except elves perhaps. They are so perfect in the book, that they are boring. But speaking of slashy pairings, there was none. The only fic I admired and could even accept as a probable part of the original was «From the other river bank”. It’s Boromir/Faramir story. The innocent one, mind you.
This fandom gave me a great mental kick; me and my friend started to write slash stories but we borrowed only the world; the characters were original.
Another fandom, I repent, was rock music RPS stories. That was something raging, ahem.