MovieChat Forums > The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1985) Discussion > The Resident Patient...WORST ACTING in t...

The Resident Patient...WORST ACTING in the series

posted 18 years ago by Armand1880
27 replies | jump to latest

I love all of the episodes, from the Adventures, to Return, to the Casebook, and Memoirs, even (most) of the movies. I can throw in a disc and be entertained just by Brett...Fantastic. All of the episodes are superbly acted...excted one.
The Resident Patient. I love the beginning with Holmes and Watson in the barber shop, then walking arm in arm to through Baker Street. I especially love how the camera pans up from the front door, to the window where Mrs. Hudson opens it just as Holmes and Watson are walking in, and smiles. That camera pan takes my breath away.
But the acting of Nicholas Clay as Dr. Percy Trevelyan was wooden, stiff, and horrible. The man was worse than Hayden Christiansen as Skywalker in the Star Wars Prequel. The second worst actor in the episode, you guessed it, Patrick Newell as Blessington.
Obviously this is forgivable seeing as every single episode (from Adventures, Return, Casebook, Memoirs, and the Films) has amazing actors. I've even though before, the actors they have for bit roles are amazing. But not in this episode. It's sad to see a great story, and a great episode on the whole, have such wooden acting in it.
I almost feel bad saying this seeing as Nicholas Clay died in 2000, but I don't think he would mind. he seems like an actor who would have appreciated the critisim.
But...again, it's forgivable. Seeing Holmes crawl around Blessington's room makes up for it.
Any thoughts?

[–] chewtoy45 18 years ago

The Resident Patient, along with The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Creeping Man, The Musgrave Ritual and The Devil's Foot, is one of my least favorite. I can't watch any of the episodes in Memoirs because Jeremy Brett looks so sick. It's too sad.

[–] jmacleve 17 years ago

The Creeping Man has one of my favorite scenes: Holmes doing his bloodhound imitation, of which I have read so many times, but no one else has really done, or at least not done justice to. Brett nailed it.

[–] Troll_Dahl 12 years ago

Funnily enough, with The Devil's Foot and the Musgrave Ritual, you point out two of my favorites. What don't you like about them? I think Jeremy Brett is particular superb in both episodes. I also actually find the Memoirs to be more interesting than many of the Casebook stories. I think they did a good job for the most part in choosing interesting stories to adapt, like The Golden Pince-Nez, The Dying Detective, The Three Gables, The Cardboard Box. I see what you mean about Jeremy Brett's deterioration. But if it's any consolation, the fact that Memoirs was made means he was well enough to work at least some of the time.

"Sometimes it's right to feel a fool"- Cleggy

[–] thewillowraven321 18 years ago

Resident Patient is probably my least favorite in Adventures, but that was mostly because i found Blessington so irritating. but, i agree with you though; Holmes and Watson in the barbershop, and then Holmes trotting around Blessington's room more than made up for it.

i can kinda see what you mean about Nicholas Clay and Patrick Newell though. i just kind of shrugged Nicholas Clay off as portraying Trevelyan as being wooden, rather than the actor being wooden.

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[–] wildlifejunglenaturegirl 18 years ago

i dont reli like the resident patient it didnt give me the exictement the usual adventures do but i loved the barbershop scene

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] jmnh109 18 years ago

I agree with the previous writers who attest to the brilliance of Jeremy Brett. I own the whole collection and get as much joy from them today as I did when they first appeared on American Public Television in the 1980s.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Brett when he came to Atlanta as a guest of Georgia Public Television. He was the consumate gentleman and very amiable and approachable. I arrived early and was the first in line to get his autograph. He was wearing an Atlanta Braves cap as that was the first year the Braves appeared in the World Series. He said, "I believe your team has an important match tonight." I will never forget that day and I treasure the experience.
My favorite episode of the series is "The Blue Carbuncle" followed closely by "The Final Problem". I really don't have a "least favorite" but the later episodes are harder to watch as "our definitive Holmes" becomes frailer in health.
I can never make up my mind as to which is the better Watson - Burke or Hardwicke. I like them both.

[–] benjamin_davison 17 years ago

Weird I got the box set for xmas and I read this post before I got to the resident patient. So needless to say I was especting it to be terrible, but it just wasn't. I guess its one of the weaker episodes but they are mostly pretty strong so it had a high stadard to live up to. I didn't really see much wrong with Clay's performance, bear in mind that in the Victorian era they were a bit more refined.

My favourite episodes are definately the "red headed league" and the "final problem" back to back. Eric Porter who plays Moriarty is just spot on, he's exactly how I imagined him. I am looking forward to Hound of the baskervilles as its my favourite Holmes tale and I really enjoyed the Basil Rathbone version and Hammer horror's version with Peter Cushing as Holmes.

Incidentally it is well known that Edward Hardwicke wore a toupe to look more like David Burke. But am I the only one who thinks that David's hair is also a bit dubious. The colour always looks a bit odd to me. Either way he's still the best Watson.

[–] sydtheekid 17 years ago

I actually think that the worst episode is 3 Gables, which certain parts I just can't watch because of the terrible acting. Just that episode though, no other ones.

[–] nicoledesapio 16 years ago

Oh, Nicholas Clay! He was in EVIL UNDER THE SUN with Peter Ustinov! I knew he looked familiar!

(By the way, does anyone here think the actor who plays Blessington resembles Ustinov? I do.)

I, too, put down Clay's stiffness to the fact that people in Victorian times were generally much more formal.

[–] Troll_Dahl 12 years ago

I semi-agree on The Three Gables. There is possibly some overacting here and there. But I also thought Mary Ellis was delightful in some scenes as the old granny, talking to Watson while he was staying over to protect her. And supporting cast was really fine in general: the brutish Steve Dixie, the housekeeper/spy Susan, Claudine Auger as the villainess, and the actor who played Langdale Pike was excellent, I thought.

If nothing else, they did a good job in Memoirs of choosing interesting stories from what was left, more so than Casebook in my opinion. Mazarin Stone might be an exception.

"Sometimes it's right to feel a fool"- Cleggy

[–] ghostfan 12 years ago

Old post, but I had to answer this. About Burke's hair? Definitely a dye job, most likely not a toupee.

I have a book on the making of the Granada series, and there is a shot of Brett and Burke learning to smoke pipes before the first episode was filmed. Burke was totally grey haired then. Makes sense, the guy was 50-odd when the series started!

a 30 year old David Burke was in a Sherlock Holmes episode though... in the 1960's BBC series with Douglas Wilmer, Burke played the bad guy, in an episode they dramatized that even Granada didn't get to -- the Beryl Cornet.

Burke was a very good Watson, and did a great deal toward getting rid of the bumbler that Nigel Bruce played, and later Watsons at times thought they should emulate. But Edward Harwicke will allways be my favorite. He was perfect to play the older and wiser, slightly more serious Watson that had to live for three years thinking his best friend was dead. And I don't think he wore a toupee to look like David Burke, but just to look like Watson -- and slightly younger. Watson had never been pictured or portrayed as bald, or going in that direction even.

I also like that David Burke actually recommended him for the part!

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] flan99 16 years ago

I just saw The Resident Patient.

The acting was fine.

[–] whatsitsgalore 16 years ago

I haven't watched that one in a while, but I wonder if the actor playing Trevelyan thought a stilted manner was the best way to portray the character.

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[–] frog-34 16 years ago

Nicholas Clay also played Lancelot in John Boorman's film "Excalibur."

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[–] avenger-16 16 years ago

I saw 'The Resident Patient' last night - I thought that the acting was fine, but hated the story. The cold blooded hanging of a man - oh my goodness, ugh!

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 16 years ago

what kind of avenger are you -- the world's greatest panty waist?

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[–] MichaelMartinDeSapio 15 years ago

I saw "The Resident Patient" last night and thought Nicholas Clay was excellent -- a bit stiff and formal, perhaps, but one has to remember that this is the Victorian era, when people generally WERE much more formal. He also brings real emotion to his role. He seems genuinely to want to help Blessington in his predicament, and there's also a touching moment near the end when he seems to realize that with Blessington dead, his benefactor -- the man who got him his medical practice in the first place -- is also gone.

If anyone overacts in this episode, I think it's the man who plays Blessington.

[–] NickKitt 15 years ago

Completely disagree !!

One of the finest episodes in the series all around.

Just watch Brett go thru that room finding clues without a word.

And the acting was top notch for all the the characters involved.

Read the story and watch it again.

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[–] e-a-milliken 12 years ago

I agree--that episode has the best "clue crawl" of all the episodes. and it is done in near complete silence. I never had any problem with Clay's protrayal of the doctor. Period appropriate formality, especially for a young, up and coming doctor who was aiming for a ritzy, gentell practice and was a big shot in medical school.

[–] Troll_Dahl 12 years ago

The Resident Patient isn't one of my favorites. I didn't particularly notice Nicholas Clay in a bad way but I'll agree Patrick Newell was possibly overdoing it. Although it was hard not to with that opening scene of his.
Unfortunately, it came off as almost funny rather than scary at times. But to be fair, Patrick Newell was used to working on the likes of the Avengers, which while it was a fun show, is definitely B-TV, if there is such a thing.

"Sometimes it's right to feel a fool"- Cleggy

[–] thedude_85 12 years ago

I really like this episode. I thought Nicholas Clay was fine; he was supposed to be fairly stiff and formal, as are most of the middle and upper-class characters in the series. The episode stands out for me as it is both one of the scariest episodes, (Sutton's dream and the hanging) and the most amusing (Dr Trevelyan's appointment with the "Russian" and Mr Blessington's general flamboyance and eccentricity:

"Just have the kindness to step outside!"

"Dr Trevelyan! Dr Trevelyan! Dr Trevelyan! Dr Trevelyan! Dr Trevelyan!"

[–] cold_sky 12 years ago

I just watched this yesterday and I thought the episode was darned entertaining. The whole beginning was great. Each episode seems to bring its own quirk to the table, and this one had some good uses of mirrors and "nightmare"-ish editing.

Acting seemed totally fine to me. I mean, no one can underact like Burke, whose Watson is brilliant and subtle (imho), and of course Brett is the man. But this show can get a bit theatrical in parts, which only makes the series that much more fun for me.