Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous detectives in the world and continues to be to this day. However less well known is the fact that author Arthur Conan Doyle implemented the tools of Holmes himself. This documentary looks at Doyle's own case when he took on the case of someone violently attacking horses and cattle at night in a quiet Staffordshire village. The police get their man but on appeal, Doyle got involved, believing the accused was innocence. Successful from that case, Doyle took on an even more infamous case of the brutal murder of a spinster where a man voluntarily returned from America to stand trial, only to be convicted incorrectly in Doyle's opinion.
Using the popular name in the title to draw me in, this documentary then engaged me in the way that a detailed look at unknown history often can do. The film quickly gets past the links to Holmes and discussions of such to focus on the two cases themselves. Instead of merely focusing on Doyle's involvement, the film takes its time to relate the crime, the police investigation and then Doyle's decision (in both cases) to investigate what he viewed as miscarriages of justice. In taking this approach the film is as much about the cases and how they were solved as it is about the man himself with this being another layer of interest in the material. The first case is engaging but the second case is utterly fascinating as it gets into a wider conspiracy of sorts behind the original conviction that only came out a few decades ago many, many decades after the actual event.
The use of knowledgeable local historians is a real bonus as they talk matter-of-factly and seem to have a great awareness of how to tell things to make them engaging and accessible without ever being trivialised. The director follows this well and makes good use of old footage of Doyle, newspaper cuttings and old photographs it works well in support of the two main stories. Overall then, a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes and his creator but also strong enough to engage the casual viewer.
Using the popular name in the title to draw me in, this documentary then engaged me in the way that a detailed look at unknown history often can do. The film quickly gets past the links to Holmes and discussions of such to focus on the two cases themselves. Instead of merely focusing on Doyle's involvement, the film takes its time to relate the crime, the police investigation and then Doyle's decision (in both cases) to investigate what he viewed as miscarriages of justice. In taking this approach the film is as much about the cases and how they were solved as it is about the man himself with this being another layer of interest in the material. The first case is engaging but the second case is utterly fascinating as it gets into a wider conspiracy of sorts behind the original conviction that only came out a few decades ago many, many decades after the actual event.
The use of knowledgeable local historians is a real bonus as they talk matter-of-factly and seem to have a great awareness of how to tell things to make them engaging and accessible without ever being trivialised. The director follows this well and makes good use of old footage of Doyle, newspaper cuttings and old photographs it works well in support of the two main stories. Overall then, a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes and his creator but also strong enough to engage the casual viewer.
