It always amused me a little bit that some of our elder Sherlockians held such contempt for Cumberbitches.
The idea of discovering an actor through his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, then enjoying that actor's full body of work, becoming a fan of that actor . . . well, that never happened in Sherlockiana before Benedict Cumberbatch arrived on the scene. Basil Rathbone . . . Jeremy Brett . . . well, they were . . . different.
And that William Gillette . . . well, he was . . . let's face it, another actor who got "the Sherlock bump." We meet an actor as Sherlock Holmes, get fond of him in that part, and then follow him into his other works. There's a reason Secret Service is on my bookshelf.
It's easy to see the glow we add to the work of the big Sherlocks from their time as Holmes, but that phenomenon also carries over to less Sherlock-identified actors. Like Joaquim de Almeida.
You may have seen Joaquim de Almeida before, in the TV series 24 or the Robert Rodriguez film Desperado. He's one of those familiar faces you see around on movies and TV, often without knowing the name. He's currently featured as a candidate for the Bolivian presidency in the movie Our Brand is Crisis out in theaters now, and I have to tell you, the Sherlock glow was on him as I watched that movie this morning.
You may not have seen O Xango de Baker Street, as it's not the easiest Holmes film to come by, but Joaquim de Almeida stars as Sherlock Holmes in that quirky adaptation of the quirky novel of the same name. Having seen it myself, de Almeida is forever branded a Sherlock in my head, and I always enjoy seeing him perform. Good character actor.
In Our Brand Is Crisis, Joaquim de Almeida is performing with that first lady of modern American cinema, Sandra Bullock, and as brightly as her star shines (Love me some S.B.!), the Sherlock glow that enhances my enjoyment of de Almeida put him right up there with her as I watched the film.
Because we do love our Sherlock Holmeses. Even when they're not Cumberbone Brettlette.
The ongoing investigation of Sherlock Holmes, reported from the Peoria, Illinois outpost of Baker Street's dirtiest half a dozen.
Perceptive as always.
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