I think Cumberbatch is better then Jeremy Brett.
Reading and understanding things is difficult for some people.
Seconded.
Another vote for Jeremy Brett. He really was the definitive Holmes, for my money.
“Who is the definitive Sherlock Holmes?” Is not at all the question, though.
Fair enough, but I like Jeremy Brett best because he is the definitive Sherlock Holmes to me. I know, I know… I didn’t follow the instructions. 
To be. Or not to be.
THAT is the question.
Is best in its original Klingon
Uh-huh, uh-huh. No, no - not seein’ it. In fact, I’d be willing to bet this part :
is not able to be expressed in Klingon at all.
Okay, I went too far insisting he has to be neurodiverse, but could be argued Medical Doctor Arthur Conan Doyle gave himlots of non-Neurotypical characteristics.
True. I read all the stories long before I saw any filmed adaptation, and Holmes, to me, always came across as rather charming and debonair. He’s the quintessential eccentric English gentleman.
JLM manages to make Sherlock Holmes as Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD PhD somewhat human, so of the choices we are given, JLM. Enjoyable to watch.
Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes. You get the point of what ACD was trying to do and entertained at the same time. JB is not a likeable Holmes, but Holmes is not likeable.
Cumberbatch is the best all around actor of the bunch and pulls it off quite well, while being utterly upstaged by Martin Freeman, who is just short of being as good an actor as Cumberbatch, but his Watson is far more human than BC’s Holmes.
Well, as I tried to convey in post #29 (although I was being rather tongue-in-cheek), what is or is not “recent” is largely a matter of perception. Having been an adult–well, a high-school senior–when Brett’s series debuted, it still feels like something “new” to me.
This is especially true because, at the time, Brett’s series was pitched as something brand-new, for a new age. It was faithful to the original stories! It had a Watson who wasn’t a buffoon! It had the best period atmosphere that the resources of a modern, up-to-date studio could give it! Finally, a new actor who can challenge the decades-old dominance of Basil Rathbone! Everything about the publicity was geared to distance it from interpretations that had come before. Ironically enough, not unlike some of the publicity for Sherlock.
Of course, I did not abstain from the poll. But it does give me a slight mental jar whenever I hear Brett’s series lumped in with the Rathbone films as “those old Sherlock Holmeses.” Like I said, threads like these remind me how old I am.
Your post was not one I objected to. And, to clarify, I have no problem with people bringing Brett up; heck, I’d never heard of Jeremy Brett, and I may check him out as a result of this thread.
But it seems to me that, when a poll is included, what sets the parameters for “recent” are the poll options. They include two people who are currently playing Sherlock and one who most recently played him a little over three years ago. Dipping into the mid nineties bends the parameters beyond their breaking point. Also, even without the “recent” qualifier, the question is basically “choose between these three people”. If you don’t want to, don’t.
Basically, the OP said “here’s a question!” And people said " I don’t like your question! I refuse to answer!" It’s basically threadshitting.
I would encourage you to do so. He really was excellent, and his series was exceptionally well-made, particularly the earliest seasons. Toward the end, unfortunately, Brett was sick, and it showed in his performances. Some of the later episodes can be pretty painful to watch. Not painful in the sense of “My God, that’s bad,” but in the sense of “That poor man. He must be in so much pain right now.” His goal was to appear in an adaptation of every single Doyle story and novel. Sadly, he died before that could happen.
And for the record, I rather agree with you about all the folks who are “boycotting” the poll for not including Jeremy Brett, and yet dropping in to say so. The premise of the poll was perfectly clear to me. I was just expounding a little on my own personal reaction to the fact that Brett has become “old.”
Miller is the Holmes that we watch dedicatedly here. The only reason we do that is because the daughter is a Sherlock Holmes fan (she’s read all, or almost all, the stories) and wanted to see what the show would do with Holmes. We’ve stayed with it because we like Miller’s work and we love Liu’s Watson - a strong female interpretation.
I’ve not seen Downey because the previews were not appealing, and I was told by a trusted friend that my daughter should not see the movies yet. Cumberbatch doesn’t appeal to me at all for no logical reason.
I loved House, though.
I understood that this was a poll involving The New Guys. Of whom Cumberbatch’s Holmes & Freeman’s Watson I find quite wonderful. Downey’s not really Holmes but the movies are OK if I’m in the mood for Tony Stark’s Steampunk Advenures. Haven’t seen Elementary.
Jeremy Brett’s is my “classic” Holmes. But it’s been around forever.
I choose Cumberbatch though I like all three. They all interpret Holmes in different ways with the focus being on different aspects of the character - RDJ is much more into the physical, druggie Holmes who boxed with commoners and ran around the streets on foot at a time when that would have been unusual for a posh bloke, BC focuses on the cerebral Holmes, and JLM is all about the Holmes who perhaps once wanted to be a normal bloke but found he quite enjoyed not being one. They all work. It helps that the settings are so different.
I don’t think not including Brett’s Holmes means his series is old, if that helps. It’s just not recent.
To my parents’ generation, Basil Rathbone was Holmes. To my generation, it was Brett. To my daughter’s generation, it’s Cucumberpatch without a hesitation. He is HUGE.
This only applies to people whose first experience of Holmes was first-run, though. I’ve never actually seen Jeremy Brett’s Holmes despite being a kid when it debuted, so Cummerbund is mine too.
Why don’t all of you people that adore Brett or whatever step out the door and make your own poll? Honestly, it’s this sort of stuff that makes me never, ever want to watch Brett. I avoided Firefly for years because the fans are so over the top about it! (And the show wasn’t that great after all.)
Things move on. Just because someone was the “greatest ever” in your personal opinion does not mean
a) he was
b) everyone agrees
c) no one else can come along and improve on it or make a different take.
Oh, and 1994 is not recent. It’s 2015, folks.
Once again, I vote for Cumberbatch. Like I said, Downey’s movies are great adventure movies but not really mystery. That doesn’t mean they are not enjoyable - they are exceptionally so, a very fun ride.
(from outside the door) BRETT!!
In all seriousness though, here is my ranking of the modern Holmes adaptations:
[ol]
[li]Last place - Downeys Holmes. Entertaining, as many have said, but more an action adventure style version, just set in Victorian London. I love the description someone used of it being a Steampunk Holmes.[/li][li]Second place - Elementary. - I like the way they bring the stories to modern times, but I don’t find Holmes himself true enough to the ACD vision. Not sure why, it’s just not there for me.[/li][li]First Place - Cumberbatch’s Holmes - Mainly because I think he just plain old pulls off the disdainful, cynical Holmes better than the other two.[/li][/ol]
I DO think bring up Brett is acceptable though, for no other reason than some people, as evidenced in this thread, may not be aware of the outstanding performance he gave in the role. Isn’t the Dope all about expanding knowledge and awareness?
I’m kind of with you on the Firefly thing. When I did Netflix binge watch it, I enjoyed it, but not as much as I felt like I was supposed to, based on the fan wankery. Nonetheless, I’m glad someone exposed me to it, and I gave it a chance. It was worth the time invested.
As one of those who chose not to vote but did choose to say why, I would like to point out that my lack of a vote probably had little effect on the outcome of the voting:
I don’t regret not voting and I don’t regret saying that Brett would have been my choice. Some of you protesters who object to my having posted that I didn’t like not being able to vote for Brett (by being lumped in with the others who expressed their opinions on this side issue) are being childish.
As long as the poll feature doesn’t preclude posters from expressing opinions not directly addressed in the poll options, such behavior will probably continue.