Detective. A screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by the world famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle about the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his unforgettable assistant and friend Dr. Watson. Once again, I want to state that I adore this series of adaptations, as well as the original source, which I read several years ago. And here's my brief opinion - do not go children to walk in the swamps. There is not a single minus in the picture, even if you are too nitpicky, so your humble servant will focus your attention on the expressive advantages of this masterpiece.
So, here they are:
1. Atmosphere - this part did not drop the quality bar, again from the first frames capturing the viewer of Victorian England, although here all the action takes place in the countryside, but even there you can feel the English spirit. All signs, all inscriptions, all letters - everything is written in English. This adds authenticity to what is happening. My compliments to the creators.
2. Detective story - the head of the old noble family of the Baskervilles mysteriously dies, an ancient legend about a monstrous dog chasing this family is involved in this. Sherlock Holmes enters the case, which means that the criminal will definitely be found and he will be punished. Of course, I, who have seen the picture more than once, know the ending, and there are no contradictions even with the original source. There is a gag, and it concerns the key characters, mainly the appearance, but you don't even pay attention to it. The story told turned out to be exciting, dynamic, a little ironic, and truly English.
3. Humor - there are very few frankly funny moments here, I counted only two of them, in addition to the famous "Oatmeal sir!", But they work. There is more irony here, in the English spirit. Although this is a trifle, but nice!
4. Magnificent cast - Igor Maslennikov again brought together a whole galaxy of celebrities, so that the viewer once again appreciated the magnificent acting. Indeed, in addition to the heroes of the first plan, they play here: Irina Kupchenko, Borislav Brundukov, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Alexander Adabashyan.
5. Music - the composer Vladimir Dashkevich again experimented a little, and this time he used one melody, which became the leitmotif of this part, along with the title melody of the entire series. Bravo!
A little about the main characters:
1. Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson - our beloved inhabitants of apartment 221 B on Baker Street again take up the investigation of a dangerous case, and again Vasily Livanov, Vitaly Solomin and Rina Zelenaya returned to their usual roles, to the delight of fans, and performed them just as magnificently ... Bravo!
2. Sir Henry Baskerville performed by Nikita Mikhalkov is the last of the ancient family to arrive at the estate. Balagur, somewhat eccentric, who has lived all his life overseas, but honest and noble, although he hides it. I understand today's attitude towards Nikita Mikhalkov, but it would be a real injustice not to recognize his charming Sir Henry. In this picture, he slightly changed the book image, but changed it so well that I will not even find fault with it. Bravo!
3. Jack Stapleton performed by Oleg Yankovsky is a neighbor and good friend of the late Lord Baskerville. Behaves very kindly, but still pulls from him cold. Oleg Ivanovich is back in character, this time, you know the outcome, so no options. The face is one, but the masks are different. My respect, Oleg Ivanovich!
Well, in the next part, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson will search for damned treasures and face the most emotional feeling in the world. But I will talk about this another time.
As a result, we have an excellent detective story about the next adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with an interesting story, great music, good scenery and wonderful acting.