Soviet Sherlock Holmes TV series anyone?

Been rewatching the legendary soviet series for the last few days and dare I say Vasily Livanov (awarded an MBE by the Queen for his iconic portrayal) is still THE ultimate Holmes to me. The coolness, the irony, the humor (which gave birth to hundreds if not thousands of Sherlock Holmes/Doctor Watson jokes), the Monthy Pythonesque grotesque portrayal of "old England", the timeless soundtrack - I don't think it can be topped. There is a reason why several generations across the former USSR who grew with this cult series will never accept any other Sherlock. Any fans here?

 

"In Russia, the foot is a game..."

 

I’m going to look for this. I hope amazon prime carries it.

 

Last time I checked amazon carried plenty of DVDs including the entire 11 episodes set. If you watch it please make sure to watch in russian with english subtitles. Livanov's raspy voice is as essential to Sherlock Holmes magic as say Al Pacino's voice to Scent of a Woman or Clint's voice to Dirty Harry.

Amazon.com: sherlock holmes livanov

 

Blu-Ray media available for this series?

 

Never heard of this, but must say that Vasily Livanov certainly looks the part.

 

Well, I certainly saw one for the Hound of Baskervilles, arguably the most popular episode. Not sure about the rest. 11 episodes were shot between 1979 and 1986. I'm also not sure if it has english subtitles unlike the DVD sets which sure have them and are sold internationally.

 

Never heard of this. Looks fascinating.

Has it ever released on DVD with English subtitles?

 

Yes. Sold on amazon in many different editions. Here's the link.

Amazon.com: sherlock holmes livanov

 

That's fab.

Many thanks!

Edit: Just ordered!

 

Cool! Hope you enjoy it!

 

Plus he's a great actor with incredible charisma and an instantly recognizable voice. Queen Elisabeth is known to be a big fan. I'm sure an MBE award for Livanov was her idea.

 

Nyet.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! The covers look familiar but I don't know if I have seen an episode yet (maybe it was on television in the past) or if it's because of Nikita Mikhalkov, who I know from lots of other movies.

 

I would watch this in a heartbeat if it were on a streaming service but am not buying any DVDs.

So far, my favorite Holmes has been Jeremy Brett and this seems more in the Brett/Rathbone mold than some of other representations I've enjoyed less.

 

Nikita Mikhalkov gives great (if a bit over the top) comic performance of Henry Baskerville. Another soviet cinema giant here is Oleg Yankovsky (whom you probably know from his leading role in Tarkosvky's Nostalgy) playing Stapleton.

 

I have only seen a few films by Tarkovsky (high up on my list of movies to see) but I know him from "The Shooting Party" (Мой ласковый и нежный зверь) which I have on DVD (the main theme from Eugen Doga's music is very nice as well).

 

OMG, the russian title is My Affectionate and Tender Beast though the original play is indeed called The Hunting Accident. And yes, the waltz is incredible.

 

Anyway, here's a monument to Livanov's Holmes and Solomin's Watson across the street from the British Embassy in Moscow.

 

He resembles Peter Sellers!

 

Have had this on my Amazon wishlist for quite some time.

 

Watched the entire boxed set now. Excellent. Much preferred it to the - in my opinion - under powered 1980s UK series starring Jeremy Brett.

Many thanks for the heads-up, Antonkk!

 

Glad you liked it!