Like another poster, I too have a huge collection of Sherlock Holmes on video in my personal collection, but I find Langella's portrayal of "The Master" to be stuffy and unlikeable. I saw the original Broadway production with John Wood in the lead and I think that it is a crying shame that he never got to assay the role on video of any kind. He not only looked like Holmes (while Langella decidedly did not) he was so close to the original character I loved in the Canon and other pastiches.
Donald Morfogen chose to play Moriarty like Richard Nixon which I found odd and distracting but that may have been the director's intent. As it was, the Gillette play was done in a tongue and cheek melodramatic style, and that may come across to viewers of the stage play as corny.
Still, Frank Langella is a marvelous actor and always fun to watch, I just don't see him as MY Holmes.
In the original HBO presentation, included were the curtain calls as each character bowed to the audience, (Actually, only the star came out n "character" as I remember it.
Donald Morfogen chose to play Moriarty like Richard Nixon which I found odd and distracting but that may have been the director's intent. As it was, the Gillette play was done in a tongue and cheek melodramatic style, and that may come across to viewers of the stage play as corny.
Still, Frank Langella is a marvelous actor and always fun to watch, I just don't see him as MY Holmes.
In the original HBO presentation, included were the curtain calls as each character bowed to the audience, (Actually, only the star came out n "character" as I remember it.