Movie: Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock Holmes

On Christmas day, the latest of many movie versions of the adventures of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes debuts. The new Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey Jr. as the brooding, sexy, young sleuth with a 21st century 3-day growth of facial hair.

Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

In the preview, Holmes becomes an action figure– the Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwartenegger hero rather than the brainiac of old. The real mysterys: What would Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have thought of this new version? and will Robert Downey replace Basil Rathbone as our image of the tweedy detective that spawned a genre?

Visit Britain, the tourism agency, has cooked up an entire campaign to direct tourists to scope out the Britain of Sherlock. The map of locations in and outside of London and suggested itineraries to help you travel can be found on line. It seems that peripatetic Holmes visited as much of England as Bill Bryson.

Since 2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the very least you can do is visit 221B Baker Street Museum. (Ironically, the museum opens every day except Christmas, so on Christmas day you are free to go see the film.)

Visit Britain’s press release says,  “Sherlock Holmes was filmed on location in London, Liverpool and Manchester with scenes shot at St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Manchester Town Hall, Liverpool Docks and at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent.” Movies for A Traveler’s Library don’t get much better than that!

Let’s hope for a sequel to this movie when Sherlock travels to his final destination in Switzerland.

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