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Sherlock Holmes - The Last Vampyre
Sherlock Holmes - The Last Vampyre
Actors: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Roy Marsden, Keith Barron, Yolanda Vazquez
Director: Tim Sullivan
Genres: Drama, Horror, Television, Mystery & Suspense
NR     2003     1hr 42min

This two-hour, overblown adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" was perhaps the most ill-advised of Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes series. Entirely contrary to the to...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actors: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Roy Marsden, Keith Barron, Yolanda Vazquez
Director: Tim Sullivan
Creators: David Odd, Kim Horton, June Wyndham-Davies, Rebecca Eaton, Sally Head, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jeremy Paul
Genres: Drama, Horror, Television, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: Drama, Horror, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
Format: DVD - Color
DVD Release Date: 01/28/2003
Original Release Date: 01/27/1994
Theatrical Release Date: 01/27/1994
Release Year: 2003
Run Time: 1hr 42min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

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Movie Reviews

Not perfect, but not an embarrassment, either...
Mark Savary | Seattle, WA | 08/20/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Last Vampyre" is one of the more misunderstood entries in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes collection.Often villified by fans of the Granada series, I think that such complete criticism is a bit unfair. Looking over the installment, one cannot help but admire the production values throughout, which are excellent. The supporting cast is well chosen and delivers, as do Brett and Hardwicke. The location settings are perfect for the tale, and the cinematography is absolutely first-class.So, why does this episode fail to please the audience? Perhaps it is all of the padding inserted into the original story, which takes us far afield from Doyle. Pointless sexual antics, vampirism, local politics, etc., intrude upon what could have been a top-notch entry, in an attempt to extend the episode to movie-length. The real pity is that all of the padding has relegated this installment to the dustbin for most fans.However, if one could excise about twenty minutes from the production, it would play much better. I think such judicious re-editing would raise the episode to at least acceptable standards on a par with other, at least average, episodes in the Granada series. The unfortunate thing is that the padding does serve to set the mood for the mystery, and would therefore be all but impossible to remove completely while at the same time leaving intact any semblence of a cohesive story.Perhaps it is all a matter of taste. I liked enough of the episode to enjoy it despite its problems, and in many ways it was probably as good as (or no worse than), "The Master Blackmailer". That installment has severe weak points as well, including the lack of any true Holmsian deductions. It leaves the viewer wanting in places, too, just as "The Last Vampyre" does.I would submit that the production values alone make the installment worth a screening, but we have Brett and Hardwicke on top of that. Take these factors, combined with the interesting and creepy character of Stockton (as played by Roy Marsden), and I don't see how the episode can be written off so casually.While "The Last Vampyre" can be disappointing when compared to the glory days of the Granada series, it is also not the abject failure that some viewers have claimed."
Overwrought
Mark Savary | 02/23/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)

"In later years, the great Brett series was in decline with the loss of some apt scriptwriters and adaptions. Instead we get long, drawn-out versions of relatively simple stories, to the point that many of the characters seem annoying and the whole thing is exposed as ridiculous. Brett and Hawthorne are always good as Holmes and Watson, but their producers are not serving them well with this kind of script."
The Sussex Vampire/The Last Vampyre
Claudia A. Reynolds | Rumford, ME USA | 04/18/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)

"I adore Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and cannot help but admire how beautiful and authentic these adaptations were filmed. Authentic detail and great casts made this a do-not-miss series. However, this episode (The Last Vampyre) is a travesty of the original story. Instead of a moving story about a woman who is protecting her child and trying to keep peace within her home, we have this horrible (as in "horror") and mindless tale. No doubt about it. Conan Doyle was a fabulous story teller. Why present this mediocre, at best, plot instead of the real thing??? And the Eligible Bachelor (based on The Noble Bachelor) is nearly as bad. A shame, too. Both original stories were strong and impressive on their own."
Despite solid production, LAST VAMPYRE lacks bite.
Hazen B Markoe | St. Paul, MN United States | 02/11/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the short story, "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire," SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE LAST VAMPYRE, proves to a lesser entry in the now classic Jeremy Brett series. Set in a small English country village, Holmes and Dr. Watson must investigate the mysterious deaths surrounding a rather dour man named Stockton, while dealing with the paranoia engendered by the deaths. As usual, Brett is solid as Holmes, but he lacks his usual dynamic energy due to the fact that he was ailing during the filming of this episode. Edward Hardwicke is on the top of his game as the trusty Watson. Unfortunately, despite the top-notch production values, much of the episode seems overlong as the short story is padded out to feature length with motivations that are never completely explained. While the Granada TV series still entertains, THE LAST VAMPYRE has to be regarded as a less-than-satisfactory entry. Recommended for Holmes fans only."