It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Congratulations, @ggl007! =D>
I have not counted the veils in the stories; I just might try to do that sometime. :-B
I think you are right - after all it was Victorian England.
I am really looking forward to delving into this one. Holmes ...
Off to feed my Hound (actually, we have 4, but one is mine) soon.
Tally ho, everyone!
The funny thing is that I read CHAS... last week! :-O :))
It was fate. Something Holmes may, or may not, believe in.
But I do. :)>-
Not much time here (or not much good-English :-?? :-)) ), anyway just a few words:
It's not my favourite story, but it has very interesting points. Some of them have been mentioned:
- Holmes breaking the law and his funny final dialogue with Lestrade;
- Holmes and his only "real" girlfriend and how he treats her;
- and, of course, Holmes DID NOT kill anybody, like someone we all know [-X :D
As for your comments
I always found the girlfriend/fiancée story interesting, since he takes it so naturally fooling a woman to gain access to information and to a house.
True, Holmes did not kill anybody (in this story). Still it has been a running joke for many years that Holmes or Watson did kill him and then Watson hid the fact with the story about the veiled woman. I think the writers of Sherlock took advantage of that joke just like they've done with other ideas and surely they will use them again in the future.
I so agree with your main points. I also think
This is a meaty little story and we shall dive in shortly with our detailed reviews. I appreciate your quick synopsis and thoughts on it, ggl007. Would anyone else out there, who enjoys their Holmes stories by Doyle, like to give us a few words as to their feelings about this fine short story?
I am going to give a few descriptive words of my own, but a full review will come in a few days. I found The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton to be:
* intriguing - Holmes is in a different kind of situation and brings Watson with him; uncharted territory for them, as it were
* amusing in unusual ways
* morally interesting
* has a great villain!
If you have read the story, would you like to post a few descriptive words? Quicker than a review, and we welcome your thoughts and comments (your lengthier reviews are indeed welcome, too).
Thanks, Holmesian comrades!
4EverBakerStreet
http://www.dfnfoundation.org/education.html
Indeed not just a regular school either, it is one for kids with medical conditions. Being a doctor, I think that is especially fitting that Doyle's former home be used to help those children.
Here are two quotes from the website about Stepping Stones school (the underline is mine, though):
The school, having first established itself as a first class provider of care and education for young people with hemiplegia, now makes provision for children on the autistic spectrum, for those with acute or chronic medical conditions, with a range of physical disabilities and those youngsters whose mental and/or emotional health is at risk.
Doyle specifically commissioned the construction of the property to cater to the medical needs of his wife. The house was built to fully benefit from the south-facing aspect of the site, and, once restored, this will provide a spacious, bright and cheerful environment for the children to continue onto the next stages of their education and development.
The brief videoclip on the website is nice to see.
Plus I'll have to take a Sherlock Holmes tour of London again. I visited ages ago, 1996, and had a wonderfully entertaining tour with a great guide. There is so much history in England and the UK that really interests me.
Dear Sherlockian comrades ~
Ahhh, I know that fans of the BBC series Sherlock will be right in the mood for this story ... it is timely, isn't it? I read the Doyle story originally decades ago, I have often seen and enjoyed the traditional telling of the story with Jeremy Brett and Robert Hardy, and now I truly love this story as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Lars Mikkelsen. It is of course The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.
What is so sublime about this particular story? It is different. No blustering adventure, no boat race on the Thames, spectral hounds, or blow darts here. The evil lurks underneath the facade of the whole city. And as @ggl007 pointed out earlier, the mystery is not who the villain is. We know. We go along on this adventure knowing who it is. But how to trap him?! There is the rub. It is not a typical murderer, not a typical criminal of the kind that Holmes usually deals with. I think this Holmes adventure positively reeks with the following: deception, deceit, cunning, evil, mental torture, callousness, the unbending rigidity of society's culture during Victorian times ~ along with surprises and some unusually amusing moments, and yet it is haunting as it builds ...
Like a boa constrictor quietly sneaking up on someone and squeezing, just continually applying pressure to the point where it crushes and kills its victim. The snake does not roar and viciously tear apart its victims like a lion or tiger, it does not call attention to itself. As Holmes himself says to Watson, toward the beginning of this story: "Do you feel a creeping, sinking sensation, Watson, when you stand before the serpents in the Zoo, and see the slithery, gliding, venomous creatures with their deadly eyes and wicked flattened faces? Well, that's how Milverton impresses me. I've had to do with fifty murderers in my career, but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow."
So we have at the core of this story a blackmailer. And not just any petty, small time blackmailer. But one who has wielded and nurtured great power over the city, over all kinds of people. He ensnares anyone, even those held in great esteem, those who were considered the cream of society, or those who may seem untouchable by scandal. So calm on the outside, not looking aggressive or alarming in any way. Yet with the coldest heart, keenest mind, and not a shred of decency or empathy. A true slimy evil menace that has been growing and ensnaring people in London and its surroundings for years.
Holmes knows about him, oh yes, this Mr. Charles Augustus Milverton. But he has not been able to do anything yet. Milverton has been so careful, so that things could not be traced back to him. His hands look clean. But they are drenched in the blood and dirt of others' ruined lives. The only other creature that comes to mind that I could compare him to is a tick. A true silent bloodsucker. Or perhaps a leech.
So along this unusual path, goes Holmes - and he takes measures that are certainly a departure for him: becoming engaged to a female servant in Milverton's house, just to get the perfect lay of the entire place, and he also clearly performs a criminal act in this story. All to get at Milverton, to remove some damaging papers, to save his client, and to finally somehow stop Milverton in his tracks.
When reading this story, I was tantalized and interested and felt wrapped in the whole dark atmosphere. It was almost a smothering feeling, when reading about Milverton's exploits. And Holmes surprised me a bit, with the particular kind of role play that he undertook; it also amused me. He surprised me with his daring because it was clearly outside the law this time. I was thrilled, though! And I felt sure that Holmes, with trusty Watson at his side, would win the day as I was already clearly picturing it. But it did not happen like that ... not quite so obvious a finale to this story.
To be continued ...
(my fav "smoking Sherlock" is back ... its availability comes and goes, but I cannot resist putting it here again, I so enjoy it!)
We all know May the Fourth is SW Day, but don't forget this: http://www.oregonlive.com/events/index.ssf/2014/05/mourn_the_death_of_sherlock_holmes_this_weekend_on.html
Reichenbach Day! ;) :D
I do know that several societies (London being the one I read about most) do travel to Switzerland to engage in role play at the falls, including dressing in Victorian costume and sometimes people assigned to act out the fight (minus the actual fall, obviously) between Holmes and Moriarty. Sounds like fun to me. :) I'd love to go some day. I do not think many societies truly mourn Holmes as dead. The London society, on its trip, does not specify "mourning" garb. They do not go every year, either, but they have tons of great events.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have recently read this (Wikipedia) but have not yet found a source yet linking this truly to Doyle. It seems likely, though; but as yet I have to say not proven. When I have a bit more time, I will keep looking for a genuine source tying Doyle to basing his character on this actual person. If you have a source, do tell us.
The real blackmailer behind the character of Charles Augustus Milverton:
The character of Charles Augustus Milverton was based on a real blackmailer, Charles Augustus Howell. He was an art dealer who preyed upon an unknown number of people, including the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Doyle's literary inspiration often came from his natural interest in crime, and he had no tolerance for predators. Howell died in 1890 under circumstances as strange as any of Doyle's novels: His body was found near a Chelsea public house with his throat posthumously slit, with a ten-shilling coin in his mouth. The presence of the coin was known to be a criticism of those guilty of slander.
* * * * * * *
Is this well known? Does anyone have a good source? I think it is interesting.
(quoting from their events page ...)
Our friends, the Baker Street Babes - whose wonderful podcast you should all be familiar with, but in case not then please visit http://bakerstreetbabes.com - will be providing the entertainment this evening with a radio-play performance of Charles Augustus Milverton, adapted from a script by Michael and Mollie Hardwick. Come along and revisit the story of the worst man in London, whose lair will play a significant role in Saturday's planned activities.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yes, lots of Holmes activities, events in May. I have read some of the BakerstreetBabes, but not listened to a podcast yet. I need to. This particular event sure sounds like fun.
Holmes fans in London, you may want to check out this and the other enjoyable events at this Society. So wish I could be there!
If any serious Holmes collectors are on our forum, you may want to check this out:
Our member Guy Marshall is in the unenviable position of having to sell
his Sherlock Holmes collection, which includes at least 500 books, plus
booklets and pamphlets, lots of cassettes, CD and videos, and various
other memorabilia (he’s in the process of drawing up a catalogue).
Prospective purchasers can contact Guy at 7 College Street, St Albans
AL3 4PW (phone 01727 865039 or e-mail [email protected]).
I'll post on the Sherlock BBC thread, too.
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/05/07/laura-linney-a-slight-trick-of-the-mind/
http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/barrie.html
Thanks, Sandy. I´d got no idea!
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/150/e/f/a_straight_left_against_a_slogging_ruffian_by_bradymajor-d7kez7w.jpg
This drawing captures an unforgettable moment in "The Solitary Cyclist" where Holmes comes to blows with a Mr. Woodley, and comes out the victor. It's one of my favorite moments by the sheer fact that we finally get to see Holmes get his fists dirty and showcase those boxing skills we always hear so much about. I really love drawing Basil and this time I even got to create two original mice to represent Woodley and the barman, which was fun. I'm not sure which Paget drawing I will adapt next, but I am quite excited to get started on the project.
Here is the original Paget drawing this piece is based on:
holmespunch.jpg
Where BBC Sherlock is concerned I have done a few drawings in a different style that favors minimalism and makes the characters more diminutive and cartoony:
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/086/c/e/the_game_is_a_foot_by_bradymajor-d7bwzwe.jpg
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/090/1/9/it_s_christmas_by_bradymajor-d7cfkad.jpg
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/140/7/6/i_owe_you_a_fall__sherlock_by_bradymajor-d7j22gc.png
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/144/2/4/mind_palace_by_bradymajor-d7jn15f.png
Any and all feedback or suggestions would be more than appreciated.
For these, let me first say I love the ongoing drawings you do using the Great Mouse Detective. You picked a great scene there. I relish how Holmes describes that fight and you certainly captured that scene.
Secondly, I want to say that I think your decision to make the Sherlock (BBC) characters in the other drawings more "diminutive and cartoony" was a brilliant idea. These look fantastic! They are fun, have style, and I enjoy these a whole lot. I'm going to see if I can enlarge the Mind Palace shot - it's amazingly good.
My only advice is: keep on keepin' on with what you are doing. You will continue to grow and develop as an artist, sure; but you are definitely in the right field and doing excellent work on these. I hope this stays fresh and fun for you. Thanks very much for sharing.
The video is really funny but I found Holmes' hair highly disturbing.
As for Sherlock's hair in that game, I agree; it's weird looking. I envision Holmes with a slightly thinner head of hair that is very slicked back and out of his eyes. The developers of the game seem to be going for a mash up of Basil and Brett's Holmes as far as his looks and mannerisms go; I haven't ever played any of them, though. I want to, if I could find a copy; I'll likely end up having to order it.
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/163/6/5/a_story_of_friendship_by_bradymajor-d7m1yfz.png
I knew I wanted to show their deep and complex dynamic using all my favorite adaptions of Holmes and Watson, but it was only until after I had most of the drawing and inking done that I decided to add an original poem to the piece to help link the images to the lines of text. The poem's lines speak for themselves and underline what makes not only Holmes and Watson's friendship so great, but also every great bond between two people. The adaptions I included, running from top to bottom are BBC Sherlock, the Granada series with Brett, the Young Sherlock Holmes 80s film, the Ritchie Holmes and Watson and finally the classic canon Holmes and Watson who started it all.
Thanks, and feel free! Let me know if you get any responses.
Nice and elegant! Congratulations!