Day Nine + Sherlock Holmes Review
Day 01: Your favorite song
Day 02 : Your favorite movie
Day 03: Your favorite television program
Day 04: Your favorite book
Day 05: Your favorite quote
Day 06: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07: A photo that makes you happy
Day 08: A photo that makes you sad/angry
Day 09 : A photo you took
This is a tree on the campus at my high school. Memories. ♥
Today, my brother and Liam and I went and saw Sherlock Holmes. Overall: Terribly entertaining, delightfully gay, and not nearly as un-Holmesian as everyone seemed to fear.
There were several things I was afraid of when I first saw the trailers, the first being the fact that they seemed to portray Holmes as some sort of seducer, womanizer, charmer. Now, I do not ascribe to the theory that Holmes was asexual (he did show interest in Irene Adler in the books, not to mention all the subtext with Watson), but in no way is he a playboy.
Thankfully, the movie itself had about as much charming and womanizing as the trailer did, which, spread out across two and a half hours, meant that it had very little indeed (especially when we compare it to the amount of flirting that Holmes did with Watson). Irene Adler is very much not the Irene Adler of the books, but it is clear that she and Holmes have a history, and that he does indeed care for her - but almost in a condescending, brotherly way, as shown by the kiss on the forehead when he leaves her at the construction site. Of course, brotherly affection + obsession due to the fact that she has beaten him twice = something very close to romantic interest, but it was played out very little in the film so I barely object at all.
The second concern that I gathered from the trailers was that there might very well be real magic in the movie. Now, I think a movie about Sherlock Holmes fighting vampires (the Sussex Vampire, anyone?) would be ridiculously entertaining, but it would also not be in line with the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, and I'm ultimately relieved that they did not go that route. I suspected that it was all trickery when the man died in his bathtub; I was certain by the time the other burst into flames. The technology used for Blackwood's machine was not even all that far-fetched, and boy did it look lovely. I may slightly be in love with this movie's aesthetic.
Now, on to the real topic at hand: The subtext.
I don't know what it is about the current generations that makes that kind of flirting suddenly alright, but I am so, so happy that it is. The amount of subtext in this movie quite literally moved it into the realm of text, in my opinion. We have Watson openly stating that he objects to Holmes sabotaging his relationship with Mary, and Holmes not denying it. We have Holmes insisting that they are their rooms, that it is their dog. We have this exchange:
Watson: I will vacation with the woman who is to be my wife -
Holmes: Well, if we must -
Watson: Not you.
There is also the fact that Holmes hired a woman to dress up as a gypsy and foretell how ugly and horrid Mary will become if they get married. That in itself is enough, but the fact that the prophecy begins with "Two brothers, not in blood, but in bond," (which must be something Holmes told her to say)? And Watson immediately flicks his eyes to Holmes?
...Wow.
We have Holmes stealing Watson's watch from his pants pocket and remarking off-handedly "Don't get excited". They share clothing. They call one another "old cock" and "mother hen". Again and again someone will ask for Holmes and Holmes will look to Watson (something utterly true to the books). The lines come to mind, "Well, come on, Watson, 'me' means 'us'." and Watson's sad, firm, "No, Holmes, you means you." And later, Holmes waves off his "we have a case" as "Simply an expression, old bean," with a face slapped on over something darker.
And, perhaps most telling of all, is Mary's "I know you care for him as much as I do," when Watson is lying injured at the hospital.
Now, let's look at that. She has previously stated that Watson has spoken to her at great length about Holmes (no surprises there). But she meets Holmes for the first time only a few days before, she can't have had enough time to study his relationship with her future husband. So it must be through Watson's stories of Holmes that she knows how Holmes feels about Watson. Does Watson, then, know? Does he reciprocate? Judging from the eyesex and the obvious reluctance to leave the rooms at Baker Street, I would say yes. But what, then, is driving him away? One can only speculate (and write fic).
Not only that, but this is a woman who is about to marry Watson. A woman who is in love with him, plans to spend the rest of her life with him. For her to freely admit that anyone loves Watson as much as she does...no "I know he means a lot to you, but I'm engaged to him," no "please, he must mean a lot to you..." She chooses to say that she knows Holmes' love ("care", yes, but the meaning is the same) is equal to hers. And that's kind of a huge deal.
In conclusion, kind of beautifully gay (as well as beautiful in general), and I recommend it to all.
Day 02 : Your favorite movie
Day 03: Your favorite television program
Day 04: Your favorite book
Day 05: Your favorite quote
Day 06: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07: A photo that makes you happy
Day 08: A photo that makes you sad/angry
Day 09 : A photo you took
This is a tree on the campus at my high school. Memories. ♥
Today, my brother and Liam and I went and saw Sherlock Holmes. Overall: Terribly entertaining, delightfully gay, and not nearly as un-Holmesian as everyone seemed to fear.
There were several things I was afraid of when I first saw the trailers, the first being the fact that they seemed to portray Holmes as some sort of seducer, womanizer, charmer. Now, I do not ascribe to the theory that Holmes was asexual (he did show interest in Irene Adler in the books, not to mention all the subtext with Watson), but in no way is he a playboy.
Thankfully, the movie itself had about as much charming and womanizing as the trailer did, which, spread out across two and a half hours, meant that it had very little indeed (especially when we compare it to the amount of flirting that Holmes did with Watson). Irene Adler is very much not the Irene Adler of the books, but it is clear that she and Holmes have a history, and that he does indeed care for her - but almost in a condescending, brotherly way, as shown by the kiss on the forehead when he leaves her at the construction site. Of course, brotherly affection + obsession due to the fact that she has beaten him twice = something very close to romantic interest, but it was played out very little in the film so I barely object at all.
The second concern that I gathered from the trailers was that there might very well be real magic in the movie. Now, I think a movie about Sherlock Holmes fighting vampires (the Sussex Vampire, anyone?) would be ridiculously entertaining, but it would also not be in line with the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, and I'm ultimately relieved that they did not go that route. I suspected that it was all trickery when the man died in his bathtub; I was certain by the time the other burst into flames. The technology used for Blackwood's machine was not even all that far-fetched, and boy did it look lovely. I may slightly be in love with this movie's aesthetic.
Now, on to the real topic at hand: The subtext.
I don't know what it is about the current generations that makes that kind of flirting suddenly alright, but I am so, so happy that it is. The amount of subtext in this movie quite literally moved it into the realm of text, in my opinion. We have Watson openly stating that he objects to Holmes sabotaging his relationship with Mary, and Holmes not denying it. We have Holmes insisting that they are their rooms, that it is their dog. We have this exchange:
Watson: I will vacation with the woman who is to be my wife -
Holmes: Well, if we must -
Watson: Not you.
There is also the fact that Holmes hired a woman to dress up as a gypsy and foretell how ugly and horrid Mary will become if they get married. That in itself is enough, but the fact that the prophecy begins with "Two brothers, not in blood, but in bond," (which must be something Holmes told her to say)? And Watson immediately flicks his eyes to Holmes?
...Wow.
We have Holmes stealing Watson's watch from his pants pocket and remarking off-handedly "Don't get excited". They share clothing. They call one another "old cock" and "mother hen". Again and again someone will ask for Holmes and Holmes will look to Watson (something utterly true to the books). The lines come to mind, "Well, come on, Watson, 'me' means 'us'." and Watson's sad, firm, "No, Holmes, you means you." And later, Holmes waves off his "we have a case" as "Simply an expression, old bean," with a face slapped on over something darker.
And, perhaps most telling of all, is Mary's "I know you care for him as much as I do," when Watson is lying injured at the hospital.
Now, let's look at that. She has previously stated that Watson has spoken to her at great length about Holmes (no surprises there). But she meets Holmes for the first time only a few days before, she can't have had enough time to study his relationship with her future husband. So it must be through Watson's stories of Holmes that she knows how Holmes feels about Watson. Does Watson, then, know? Does he reciprocate? Judging from the eyesex and the obvious reluctance to leave the rooms at Baker Street, I would say yes. But what, then, is driving him away? One can only speculate (and write fic).
Not only that, but this is a woman who is about to marry Watson. A woman who is in love with him, plans to spend the rest of her life with him. For her to freely admit that anyone loves Watson as much as she does...no "I know he means a lot to you, but I'm engaged to him," no "please, he must mean a lot to you..." She chooses to say that she knows Holmes' love ("care", yes, but the meaning is the same) is equal to hers. And that's kind of a huge deal.
In conclusion, kind of beautifully gay (as well as beautiful in general), and I recommend it to all.