Sherlock Holmes - The Last Vampyre

Starring:Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Roy Marsden, Yolanda Vazquez, Maurice Denham, Anthony Price, Keith Barron, Jason Hetherington, Hilary Mason, Freddie Jones, Richard Dempsey, Peter Geddis, Paul Parris, Juliet Aubrey, Stephen Tomlin, Elizabeth Spriggs, Eileen O'Brien, Andrew Abrahams, Maria Redmond, Kate Lansbury
Director: Tim Sullivan (III)
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

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 tone and spirit of Doyle's tale--which finds Holmes victoriously pitting his well-grounded deductive powers against irrational fears of a rise in bloodsucking--The Last Vampyre is something of an embarrassment to the largely wonderful legacy of Granada's earlier efforts. (For the record, most of the creative executives who, along with star Jeremy Brett, had made the beloved series what it was in the 1980s were replaced by 1992, the year of this film.) In this version, Holmes does battle with a Draculalike fellow who may or may not be the real McCoy. There is a great deal of padding to fill out the story to feature length, and it is mostly silly. So, you ask, is there anything to recommend this? Well, there is the ailing Brett's ever-fascinating performance, which deviates from Doyle's vision of the detective hero toward something darker and more personal. Edward Hardwicke does his usual warm and capable work as Dr. Watson. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Sussex Vampire/The Last Vampyre.......2006-04-18

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.

Not That Bad.......2005-07-23

Of the five feature films in this series, I would agree that The Last Vampyre is the weakest. It does drag in spots, and the story line is a bit lame by typical Sherlock Holmes standards. The fact that Jeremy Brett was in a state of declining health during the filming of this movie also detracts from its impact. However, if you are a big Sherlock Holmes fan and have most, if not all of the other DVDs in the Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes) collection, I wouldn't hesitate in picking this up. It does have something unique and interesting to offer. Despite its weaknesses, I still enjoyed it.

A Strange Mystery.......2005-06-22

+++++

(This review is for "The Last Vampyre" released on DVD in Jan. 2003.)

This movie is based on the story "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" (1924) written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 to 1930).

The alternate spelling of the word vampire as "vampyre" in the movie's title is an older spelling of this word that was used during the 1700s and 1800s.

This movie is about John Stockton (Roy Marsden) arriving at a small village. When bad and strange things begin to happen, the locals seem to hold the newcomer responsible. When it's discovered that Stockton is a descendant of a family burned as suspected vampires a century before, the local vicar begins to fear that the villagers may try to get retribution. Sherlock (Jeremy Brett) and Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) are called in to investigate Stockton.

It's somewhat unbelievable that Sherlock would accept such a case but this is how Conan Doyle wrote the story, so the movie cannot be faulted for this.

However, a problem occurs when the writers attempted to pad the story and thus make it longer than it really is. As a result the movie is somewhat boring and ludicrous in spots until the last 25 minutes. I feel this movie would have worked better if it was 50 minutes but instead it is more than double this length.

Brett (as usual) does a good job (despite looking haggard) in capturing the essence of the famous gumshoe in his performance. I feel also that Roy Marsden does a good job in his performance as the suspected vampire.

Finally, the costumes, background music, attention to detail, and cinematography are quite well done.

In conclusion, despite its long length, this is a decent movie to watch even if you have read the story it's based on.

(1994; 105 min; British drama; made for TV; full screen)

+++++

It's not the story, it's the woe Brett has been subjected to.......2004-02-15

I adore Jeremy Brett's skills as an actor. However, ten years after the fantastic Granada series debued, Brett was a remarkably ill man. He was in the midst of a nervous breakdown after the death of his wife, and it is obvious in his face during the mosntrous two hours. I care not a wick for the story, I simply could not tear my eyes off of Brett's stricken and woebegone face. He looked so tired, so utterly tired of the role he has played for a decade. It was indeed cruel to have him come back into this role at that point in his life. He is so talented, so brilliant in his works of the past. I cannot stress that enough. Watch this movie and tell me he is not a suffering man! God rest his soul, we all miss this actor of unmistakeable calibur. I shall miss you, Mr. Brett.

Not perfect, but not an embarrassment, either..........2003-08-21

"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.

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