The Legendary Soviet Sherlock Holmes Fireplace.

I've been busy these past few weeks (and will be busier on the following weeks) so this has been cooking for some time as a result. Decided to just post this rather than turning it into a never-ending WIP XD

Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes!!

Wait… they’re goated

Recently I started watching Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона. So far, I have only seen episode one. But I love it already. I can't wait to see their friendship develop and all that!

I also can't wait to see how they adapted some of the stories I already know and which ones they are. As there are only eleven episodes.

I was surprised when they decided to make their first case together to be The Adventure of the Speckled Band. I read this story years ago in my literature class and really liked it. I have also already seen it in Granada Holmes. It made me happy to see it adapted in this version of Sherlock Holmes as well.

Hopefully, it won't take me too long to finish this adaptation. But as I know myself, that might happen.

On Soviet Holmes

This summer, my boyfriend and I strolled through the beautiful downtown district of Kyiv when a memorial tablet on a quite ordinarily looking panel house caught our eye: the People's Artist of Ukraine Boryslav Brondukov used to live here. We knew this actor from the landmark Ukrainian films of the Soviet era. Internationally, though, he is remembered for portraying inspector Lestrade in Soviet Sherlock Holmes. Not the most beloved Lestrade, but a formidable Lestrade nonetheless. 

Since our walk, a couple of russian missiles landed in dangerous proximity to this spot, bringing death and destruction to the city where Brondukov lived and worked. His very apartment is probably subject to power and water shortages like mine or anyone else's in Kyiv. It reminds me of the Soviet or, as some might call it, russian Sherlock Holmes adaptation and the dark context behind its cast and production. It might seem that such an innocent series has nothing to do with russian unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, but, sadly, it does. 

Firstly, another actor voices Brondukov, the Lestrade, in the final cut of the Soviet Holmes films. The director Igor Maslennikov explained this decision by Brondukov's "thick Ukrainian accent", which, in his opinion, would be unworthy of a respectable London policeman. In the director's eyes, this accent was considered provincial and something any russian speaking career professional would try to disguise. 

Also, the Baker Street scenes of the series were filmed in Riga, the capital of Latvia, the Baltic country, which suffered greatly under the Soviet occupation until the dissolution of the USSR. The Soviet Union denied independence and repressed the population of Latvia, yet never hesitated to exploit it for fine architecture.

Still, it would not be a big deal for anything filmed in the 80s if not for the persona of Vasiliy Livanov, the Holmes himself, who has been a consistent supporter of putin and endorsed the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories back in 2014. In 2022, he, among other russian actors, signed an open letter in support of the war against Ukraine (btw, you can google it in English). 

Recognizing that the creator of the beloved Holmes persona, the face of the entire series, is a vicious genocide supporter might be challenging to say the least. It would impair the sentimental value one might attach to the Soviet Holmes adaptation, which is, admittedly, a highly entertaining and meticulously executed one. You will hardly do any harm simply by watching Soviet Holmes on YouTube, provided that this platform has disabled monetization for russian channels. Yet it is morally wrong to entirely overlook the warmongering and genocide support for the sake of entertainment. 

Context is essential. Know the context. 

Posting these ahead of time so I won't miss the actual date.

Hope the new year will be better than this one((or at least not that bad)) but happy holidays everyone!

doodle😗

Nothing bad will happen to them in the Alps. Ever.

[ID: a digital drawing of Holmes and Watson walking along a stoney path. They're both carrying hiking sticks and Watson has a backpack. Holmes is leading them and pointing forward with an enthusiastic smile, pulling Watson along by the wrist. Watson looks up in awe at an off-screen waterfall. /End ID]

Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона (1979-1986)

Tryna convert them to my style, dont beat me up i promise it will get better, practice makes perfect little old men, thats what the grand Artist manuscript says yes yes

Nikita Mikhalkov as Sir Henry Baskerville