The Sign of Four (1987 TV Film)

 "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains- however improbable- must be the truth."

This is the first feature length episode of the variously titled '80s ITV Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett, and the first of Conan Doyle's novels to be adapted. It certainly feels like a big event: with a strong cast- John Thaw is superb as Jonathan Small despite his accent being all over the place- and some truly luscious location filming for the scenes in India told in flashback at the end.

It is, as usual, a rather faithful adaptation- and, of course, an adaptation of only the second Sherlock Holmes story, before Conan Doyle had quite found his style. Hence, while there are momens of decuction, the whole thing feels more of an adventure story, with more weight on Smalls story than the usual format would prescribe- echoing A Study in Scarlet, with its lengthy postscript in Utah which I skipped, any you probably did too.

There's a little vague racism in the original, inevitably for a novel published in 1890. At least this adaptation discreetly corrects the name "Mahomet Singh", although the use of a rubber mask for Kiran Shah playing Smalls diminuitive Andaman Islander friend, despite the lack of screen tim, is excruciating, and could not be shown today. Then there's Emrys Jones and his comedy Welshman...

It's amusing to see such early Holmes tropes as the Baker Street Irregulars, and that Watson's marriage to Mary Morstan is downplayed. Yet the whole thing is sumptuously shot and made, the cast is superb and, as ever, Brett is superlative.