In one of literature’s great minds is in decline. His portrayer, on the other hand, shows little signs of slowing down.
Sir Ian McKellen brings yet more prestige to the roster of finely attuned blokes — Benedict Cumberbatch, Basil Rathbone, Yank wise-guy Robert Downey Jr. — who’ve taken on Arthur Conan Doyle’s prickly, reasoning detective.
Based on Mitch Cullin’s the measured drama imagines Holmes older (much), amused and mildly annoyed by the fictionalizing of his life by friend Dr. John Watson.
He is living in the countryside, tending bees. Laura Linney does fine, prickly work of her own as his widowed housekeeper. Her young son is Holmes’ bright companion and fan.
Tension comes from the fact that Holmes’ finest tool is failing as he races to resolve a long-ago case.
“Mr. Holmes” reunites McKellen with director . The pair did tremendous work when they imagined “Frankenstein” director James Whale’s final days in
This outing is just as smartly intimate. And while it may seem a far cry for an actor embraced by legions of Marvelettes and Middle-earthlings for his work in the and franchise, it is another example of McKellen’s particular super and subtle powers.
We caught up with the actor via phone.
Denver Post:Was it good to reconnect with Bill Condon?
McKellen: Now, after all these years, we’re close friends. … He’s very very good at one-to-one. But he’s also — and this is unusual — capable of running a large production and spreading his own calm and enthusiasm across everybody.
Q:In addition to “Holmes,” you’re in two rather behemoth franchises. Do you approach that work differently?
A:What is unusual about doing very big, popular films, or a series of films, is you know there are millions of people waiting for you to make the film and wanting to see it. That’s a big bonus.
A film like “Mr. Holmes,” you make because you fall in love with it and very much want the audience to do the same. You’re on tenterhooks a little bit, wondering whether it’ll work, whether it will appeal in the way it appealed to everybody involved.
Q:Among the things so timely in “Holmes” are the issues of memory and loss of memory. Does that reflect any of your anxieties about aging?
A: You don’t get to being 76 without thinking about death every day of your life. And that’s because your friends are dying. Your friends are incapacitated. You have physical problems yourself that you deal with. It’s not entirely foreign territory.
Fortunately, I’m not in decline yet myself. But it doesn’t take much imagination to feel what it would be like, and we all have intimations of losing our memory. Don’t we?
Q: Is there a Holmes portrayal you find particularly interesting?
A: I particularly like Jeremy Brett. He didn’t stoop to making Holmes likable. There was clearly a dark side to his nature that he couldn’t really cope with, but was trying to. A troubled man who has a certain genius. Of course, Holmes is a bit of a know-it-all, isn’t he?
Q: What’s next?
A: I think I’m working on my memoirs. Then Patrick Stewart and I will be on stage in London with which we did on Broadway.
I just made a film with Anthony Hopkins for BBC that will be shown here next year called “The Dresser.” It’s about an old actor and his dresser. So I’m making my way through the knights.
Lisa Kennedy: 303-954-1567, lkennedy@denverpost.com or twitter.com/bylisakennedy
