Customer Reviews
One more reason to buy this DVD - By: Ian Jones, 15 Aug 2008 
If you're only familiar with these episodes from catching repeats on ITV3 or (a few years back) Granada Plus, you'rein for a treat. It turns out the versionsin syndication have several cutsin them, whereas the ones on these DVDs are complete & unexpurgated. I didn't realise episodes like The Resident Patient & The Red-Headed League have entire scenes missing when you watch them on TV; it's been wonderful to discover the full-length versions here.
you couldn't live off the difference - By: Gary, 10 Jul 2008 
The series is brilliant - everyone has already said that.
The other reviews are misleading, though, when they announce, here, at last, is an improved dvd transfer to do justice to the series.
The transfer is only slightly improved over the previous dvd issue of this series. It still falls a long, long way short of a good transfer.
You need to know that if you already own the previously issued boxed set of these adventures. I just comnpared both releases of 'A Scandalin Bohemia,' & the transfer improvement is minor. Granada & its offshoots continue to cut corners on their dvd releases disreputably.
If you don't yet own this series, then this transfer is the better one. If you already own the previous release, the grudging improvement is hardly worth the outlay to duplicate your collection & be short-changed for a second time.
It's a scandal, a scandal, I tell you,in Granadaland.
A review for the ladies out there... - By: Love the British, 06 Nov 2007 Ladies, buy this set for your husbands, boyfriends, etc. And if not for the manin your life, then buy it for YOU. Then sit back & marvel at the handsome & magnetic Jeremy Brett (as Sherlock Holmes). I have read much of the Doyle canon, & don't think I would have imaged that Sherlock Holmes could be such a sexy man. But Jeremy Brett turns his amazing acting talent on full force for these episodes, & what we get are funny, riveting, tremendously entertaining films. You will watch these again & again, & find something new to marvel at every time. And I cannot leave out the stellar performance of Watson by David Burkein Return. Brett & Burke act so well together -- it makes for such a delicious treat.
Faithful Adaptations To Stand The Test Of Time - By: Mr. I. Clarke, 29 Nov 2006 The problem with Holmes on screen has always been two fold. Firstly that most productions have always been based on pastiches, or like, many of the Bond films bore similarity to the stories they were 'based on' virtuallyin title only. The second has been the portrayal of Doctor Watson. The middle aged bumbling idiot of Nigel Bruce's portrayal has always detracted from Basil Rathbone's performances, & is completely at oddsin Doyle.
When Granada set out to do itin 1984, they did it the right way, &in these two seriesin particular, working heavily from the original texts & illustrations to guide them, & through the guidance of John Hawkesworth, who brought the nineteenth century to lightin Duchess of Duke Street, they managed to work magic.
While the dramatisations are %90 faithful to the text, the characterisations are %100 solid. Brett doesn't just hold a candle to Rathbone, he burns him up, looking deeply into the soul of the sleuth & biting into the role, creating a self disciplined reasoner, whose only weaknesses surface when the work is not there. Filled with charm, yet steel, humour, & yet deep seriousness, & capturing all the Bohemian eccentricity of the character. Burke as the first Watson is enthusiastic, passionate, loyal, intelligent (though not as much as our hero) & steadfast. Hardwicke is a nice contrast, older, wiser, nd yet still capturing Burke's qualities.
Highly reccommeded.
a worthy attempt on granada's part. - By: Mr. A. E. Ward Davies, 19 Aug 2006 
this is one of the better productions that i have seen based on sherlock holmes. the attention to period detail is exceptional & the dialogue resembles that of arthur conan doyle very accurately.
jeremy brett is a very good choice for the part of holmes; david burke is quite good as watson but i do prefer edward hardwicke who was burke's replacement for the following season. an interesting comparison though.
despite perfect production values, i'm afraid there is no way that brett could hold a candle to basil rathbone's effort, as he is truly sherlock holmes personified.
but this is a worthy effort.
