REICHENBACH FALLS

 The story of Sherlock Holmes and Reichenbach Falls is known the world over, even by people who never read the books. Here's (above) the Swiss hotel, The Englischer Hof, where Sherlock and Watson were summoned for a meeting at the Falls by Moriarty.

"Surely you're not going to do it," said Watson, "It's a trap!" But Sherlock did indeed intend to do it. It was the only way to confront Moriarty face to face.

 Early the next day: was this train operational in Sherlock's time? If so he and Watson surely would have taken it to the top.

It was early in the morning and only one tourist boarded the trolley with them.

Up and up and up.

After reaching the station near the top a hike was still required to get to the falls. Mist filled the air and sunlight was only beginning to penetrate the dark forest.

 A lady cycled past them and disappeared around the bend. 

After a bit a messenger boy from the hotel caught up with them. The note was for Watson. It seems that a woman collapsed at the hotel and was near death. Watson was the nearest doctor. Would he kindly return to the hotel and see what he could do for her?

"But the note is a pretext," said Watson. "I won't leave you Holmes, to plunge to your death!"

"A laudible sentiment, Watson, but you will assist me best if you do exactly as I say.  Simply head back to the point where we passed the woman on a bicycle, wait an additional quarter of an hour, and return back to here. Please, do as I ask." Watson reluctantly did.

 After the time elapsed Watson ran to the falls...only there was no one there; not Holmes, not Moriarty, not even the woman they'd seen earlier.

The ledge was the only way in or out, and it was empty. 

Watson looked up. The icy green water, fed by melting snow, flowed with murderous rapidity...

...and plunged into a great, bottomless chasm of black rock. Spray shot up and the shriek made by the plunging water was like a human cry. No one could survive a fall into that.

A letter wedged conspicuously between two rocks told the story: Moriarty had indeed been waiting for Sherlock with the intention of killing him. Both put aside their pistols for fear of alerting hikers and Moriarty allowed Sherlock to write a quick farewell to Watson before the two squared off for final combat. Both men believed they could overwhelm the other.

Sherlock's final sentense said it all: "Watson, putting an end to the very Napoleon of crime would easily be worth the price of my own life."

And so it happened.

That is, until three years later when...But I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the story.

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND MORIARTY

I'm reading a couple of books now. One is an anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories which includes this little gem by Nick Pollatta, called "The Really Final Solution." It only takes a couple of minutes to read. See what you think. 

THE BEST SHERLOCK HOLMES YET?

I found an Amazon review of this wonderful DVD set that so accurately reflects my own thoughts that I think I'll open with an abridged version of it. The reviewer wrote: 

"I needed another adaptation featuring Sherlock Holmes about as much as I needed a full frontal lobotomy. I patently refused to accept this new BBC adaptation and refused to watch it--but I relented (I'm so weak willed) and now, hat in hand, I repent. This glorious updating is fast, smart, and riveting entertainment. What an idiot I would have been to miss it!"

"Set in contemporary London, "Sherlock" modernizes three classic mysteries. Episode One is "A Study In Pink" and, by itself, it is an absolutely perfect film. The way the murder is introduced, the stellar screenplay, the ingenious play on familiar characters, the droll humor, the emotional resonance, and the technological innovation to update this tale all work in perfect harmony to create an unforgettable re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes." 

"Benedict Cumberbatch turns in a star making portrayal as Holmes. Cumberbatch, with his unorthodox appearance, has always stood out for me--but this is easily his most memorable performance.' 

"But surprisingly, it is Watson who is the real revelation here. Martin Freeman brings incredible depth as a war veteran who is alternately awed and frustrated by Holmes. While the banter is devised for maximum cleverness, there are real characters in "Sherlock." While Richie's cleverness led to a "too cool for school" vibe, the BBC version has actual emotional consequence by fully fleshing out the lead characters....[This] ranks with the best. KGHarris, 11/10."

Well said, K. G. Harris! I'll simply add that this BBC treatment also gives full vent to the philosophical side of Conan Doyle's creation. Sherlock can do what he does, not only because he has brains, but because he's able to screen out distractions and focus entirely on the problem at hand.

Can he do that because he has Aspergers? The screenwriters might have thought so, but I'm not so sure. My impression of Aspergers is that it gives focus but denies perspective. It wastes focus by attaching it to what are trivial ends. That doesn't gel with what we know about Holmes. One of his greatest strengths is exactly that he does know what's important. The screenwriter also has Holmes say that he's a high functioning sociopath, but I don't buy that either.

How much focus any of us ordinary people can give to an intellectual task isn't really known. If we were disciplined to do that from an early age, that would no doubt help, but we all have the suspicion that too much prodding would be harmful. It's hard to know how much is too much. Besides, even if we wanted to do that for our kids, how would we go about it? No institution is geared for that.

One more observation: I like the music in this series. I'm always interested to know what I believe to be the hidden emotional messages in music (sans lyrics), so I ask myself what the Sherlock music is saying. Unexpectedly, it seems sad. What I'm hearing is "You wanted this, and now you've got it. Feel the exhilaration of being truly human and accept the tragic outcome."

The title graphics that overlay the opening music carry a message of their own. First we see (above) the modern London skyline, replete with Ferris wheel. It's very tranquil, though the monochrome adds a dissonant note.

After that we see Piccadilly Square and Soho, and the traffic races ahead in fast motion. That and the montage of scientific close-ups that follow make us feel that we're seeing London as the dangerous place it really is, through the eyes of some extraordinarily perceptive person. Later in one of the stories somebody says something like, "The rest of us shuffle around the city and see only shops and cars. He looks around and sees a battleground." Yikes!

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BTW, a friend asked if he should get this collection for his 12 year old niece since one of the episodes involves a dominatrix. My answer was a loud "yes!" The positive messages in this series easily outweigh the negative. Also, twelve is the last age where kids would consider watching or reading something recommended by their uncle. After that they care only about what their peers think. 

SHERLOCK HOLMES' CLUTTERED APARTMENT

I hate to admit this, but the last time I was in London, I went way out of my way to visit Baker Street in the hope of seeing 221B, the home of Sherlock Holmes. Of course I knew that Holmes was a fictional character. I mean, I'm not stupid... I didn't really expect to see him... no, I just thought I'd hang out around there just in case I might get a chance to see him. Please don't try to reason that out. I feel bad enough.

I met a lot of other like-minded people and we all ended up in the Sherlock Holmes Museum, which had a facsimile living room, reconstructed from the information in the books.

I expected to see clutter (that's an average living room of the period above) because that was the fashion in Edwardian England. Someone said that the interior design of that time was meant to trap any dust particle that found its way inside, and prevent it from ever finding it's way outside.

What I didn't expect was the extreme clutter that poor Sherlock had to put up with. No wonder he looks so waxy. You'd look that way too if you had to sit in near darkness all day long, unable to take more than two steps in a straight line. Even with a full time cleaning lady, this was apparently the best he could do.

Here's (above) Sherlock's chemistry corner. The poor guy had to sit on his violin in order to use it.

The chair is ripped. Is that significant? Did one of the stories mention a ripped chair? Geez, poor, poor Sherlock! I feel like passing around a collection plate for him.

Lot's of people leave the museum with the resolve to make their own home as cluttered and interesting as Holmes'. Here's (above) one effort in that direction. I kinda like it. Note the

Buster Keaton death mask on the wall.