Holmes & Watson: Madrid Days

Agreeable and charming Holmes film with continuous suspense and intrigue when some killings have been committed in the Ripper's style. It starts in a prologue from ¨Los Conjurados¨ by Jorge Luis Borges : ¨Thinking about Holmes results to be a pleasure that remains still¨ . The motion picture sparkles with polish and wit and the ending results to be as moving as surprising and being decently directed by José Luis Garci . This is a nice tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , it is a stylish original Sherlock movie that has the sleuth rushing to Madrid , looking for Jack the Ripper . Another film about Sherlock filled with intrigues , suspense and thriller but this time is added a new ingredient : romanticism and loves . The movie blends suspense , detective action , cloak and dagger , mystery and being enough interesting . In this mystery we find the famous calculator sleuth and his helper , Watson , investigating some strange deaths and confronting an arch-enemy , Jack the Ripper , and so they pursue him to Madrid . Meanwhile , Holmes (Gary Piquer) falls in love for a beautiful Opera singer , Irene Adler (Belén López) and Watson (José Luis García Pérez)who is married (to Leticia Dolera) again has a sensitive romance to Elena (Manuela Velasco) , niece of the wealthy aristocrat Duquesa de Lima (Sagaseta) . Holmes and Watson excursion bring the famed Victorian sleuths toward Madrid , as Holmes along Watson will solve unanswered mysteries and Sherlock undergoes some risked experiences to resolve the cases . Holmes and Watson meet famous and higher class people , such as Marquis De Simancas (Manuel Tejada) , a powerful businessman with connections with minister de Fomento (Inocencio Arias) for some edification projects in the capital of Spain . Furthermore , Holmes and Watson befriend a young journalist , Alcántara (Victor Clavijo) , who follows the assassinations through his reports for La Gaceta a well as popular artists like composer Isaac Albéniz (Alberto Ruiz Gallardón) , writer Benito Pérez Galdos (Carlos Hipolito , Garci's regular) , during the restoration period . Helped by Inspector Valcárcel (Enrique Villén) , Holmes, Watson and Alcántara looking for discover if Jack the Ripper is really the killer.

This is a nice Holmes film with Madrid and London gripping setting . This affectionate story reveals the secret allegedly hidden by Holmes and Watson . Atypical Holmes movie , resulting to be an extremely personal pastiche of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories and takes a melancholic and romantic point of sight at famous eye private . It is packed with intrigue , thrills , emotion , taste , wit , and of course , suspense . A genuine ripping yarn and very intriguing and entertaining but overlong . And dealing with friendship , intrigue , literature , Madrid and women ; all of them ordinary issues in José Luis Garci films . In the flick appears the usual of the Arthur Conan Doyle's novels : Holmes , Mistress Hudson , Irene Adler and , of course , Doctor Watson . It packs an exciting amount of surprises with great lots of entertainment , though sometimes turns out to be slow-moving . Screenwriter José Luis Garci provides the original plot based on a story by Eduardo Torres Dulce , creating the basis for this particularly storyline . This is a classy and effective romp with a strong cast . Gary Piquer as whimsical detective is acceptable , he's in cracking form . He gives an unique perspective on his life , revealing a complex personality . He's finely matched with Watson , José Luis Garcia Pérez , he plays as Watson as a serious , intelligent , and good-mannered doctor , he's the perfect counterpoint to Holmes . Although Basil Rathbone will be forever identified as Holmes ; however , here Gary Piquer/Holmes is also played as an intelligent , cunning , broody and impetuous pipesmoking sleuth , his interpretation is likeness to Christopher Plummer (Murder by decree) in which also takes off Jack Ripper , Nicol Williamson (Elemental Dr. Freud) in which he befriends Freud in Vienna to cure his drugs addiction or Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett in television . While Dr. John Watson isn't a bumbling and botcher pal generally represented by Nigel Bruce , but a clever and astute partner well incarnated by José Luis García Pérez .Furthermore , the support cast is pretty well , such as : Manuela Velasco , Macarena Gómez , Manuel Tejada , Leticia Dolera , Carlos Iglesias , José Corbacho , Juan Jesús Valverde , Ramón Lillo , Jorge Roelas and brief appearance by politicians as Inocencio Arias and Ruiz Gallardón . Set design by Gil Parrondo is of first rate , the movie is very adequate , the appropriate interiors , including 223 Baker Street , carriages , dancing halls , Cafes , ¨Bagatella¨ saloon , all of them are very well designed . It packs an evocative and atmospheric score Pablo Cervantes . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Javier Palacios . Produced by Nickel Odeón and subsidized by TVE , ICAA and Ico . The motion picture was well written , directed and produced in little budget by José Luis Garci who takes melancholy look at Holmes . It was dedicated to José Luis Tafur , in Memoriam . Rating : Better than average , 7/10 . Well worth watching .