The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax (1991) User Reviews

Deep and dark, a beautiful episode with an intriguing narrative.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 17 August 2016]

A wonderfully dark tale from the pen of Conan Doyle. The story is wonderfully brought to life by the cast, Brett showcases his genius for the role, and is exemplary from start to finish. Hardwicke is brilliant in this episode, adding a true sense of warmth and compassion to Watson. I've always been a fan of the wonderful Cheryl Campbell, and she's on top form as the eccentric Lady Carfax, showcasing her acting talents. Julian Curry and Mary Cunningham excellent also, sweet and nasty. The way the story is told is different, a narrative for almost twenty minutes is so different. Production values in this one are particularly wonderful, it looks glorious, so many aspects, from the costumes, the horse carriages, to the rooms, it's a definite feast for the eyes. The only episode in the series I can think of that ends on such a dark note, another feature that makes this one feel unique. This has a lot going for it 9/10

One of my favorite episodes, so far

[tylerdurden_imdb · 7/10 · 1 January 2010]

Some reviewers are critical of John Madden for deviating from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original, but... I found Sherlock's "failure" in the end, a humanizing element which i enjoyed.

This is one of my favorite episodes, so far. When I was watching the episode i was impressed with the directing. The nice crane shots grabbed my eye, especially. Also, the narrative structure deviated from the other episodes which i liked. After Looking at Madden's Filmography, the director of the future Oscar winning "Shakespeare in Love", to name one great movie he's made, i knew, "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", was definitely going to be one of the best episodes in this Great series Jeremy Brett Immortalized with his genius portrayal.

Sherlock Holmes is a victorian "Superhero"; We love our heros, but they bore us eventually because we know they always win in the end. The journey of their successful ventures is how we take our pleasure. Seeing them fail though, makes them relatable to our own weaknesses. They step down from the clouds as gods and become powerful demagogic humans. At least that's what i thought when i saw the episode.

Great episode, good villain, great ending.

Another solid adaptation

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 24 June 2011]

When it comes to The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, the best adaptation and episode of this series is still for me The Master Black Mailer. The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax though is still very good and solid with only one or two scenes being a little stodgily paced being its only flaw. The ending is different, but also quite refreshing I feel. The deviations didn't bother me, the storytelling was solid and compelling enough on its own terms. As always, the production values are as wonderfully meticulous as always with lovely location shooting in the Lake District, the music is still hauntingly beautiful, the script is thoughtful and John Madden's direction is skillful. Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are superb, while Cheryl Campbell and Julian Curry also impress. In conclusion, a solid adaptation and very good episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Lots of Twists and Mysterious Turns

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 14 February 2014]

This is another episode featuring the "new" woman in England. Sadly for Lady Carfax, there are those who would do her harm. Rather than seek out help, she decides she can go it alone. Fortunately, Watson has become an observer, fascinated with this strong woman, and he lets Holmes know that something is amiss. This sets the wheels in motion since a mysterious character and much talk of money has entered the mix. Ultimately, the men end up at a hotel where Lady Carfax supposedly is hidden. This is where it gets really dicey but it has a really satisfying conclusion. I really liked the episodes where Watson, a very complex character, though he lacks Holmes' acumen, is the one who recognizes when a lady is in danger. Edward Hardwicke is front and center here and does a really fine job. After you have seen the conclusion, try to remember if you have run across it in the past in other mystery settings. Also, do a little history of the mortuary business, particularly when it came to poorer clients.

Unnecessary dark ending

[El Cine · 22 March 2007]

Conan Doyle occasionally ended his Holmes stories on ambiguous or dark notes, but not so The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax. In Doyle's text, the clever scenario involves the villains attempting to murder the title character by drugging her with chloroform and orchestrating her secret burial while she is unconscious. Holmes figures things out in time and saves Carfax from being buried alive. The villains actually escape for the time being, but there is no indication that Carfax will not make a full recovery.

Though he has saved the day, Holmes still faults himself in the text for not solving the mystery sooner, and criticizes his lapse in skill, though this is softened by his laughable pomposity -- "it can only be as an example of that temporary eclipse to which even the best-balanced mind may be exposed. Such slips are common to all mortals, and the greatest is he who can recognize and repair them. To this modified credit I may, perhaps, make some claim."

For this TV adaptation, screenwriter T.R. Bowen omits the pompous lines and makes a big deal out of the self-criticism. But worse, he for some reason wants to change Doyle's story and end the episode on a downer. In the TV version, despite Philip Green's hope that his beloved Carfax will get better, Holmes doubts this, and we see that the drugging has left Carfax in a physically and mentally retarded state. To hammer this point home, the filmmakers' final shot is a slow, silly double zoom-out of a solemn Green sitting behind the vegetated Carfax.

Aside from these offenses, and forcing us to see the bloody gunshot wound of one of the villains (who gets caught in the TV version), the episode is well-done. The period trimmings and camera shots are dynamic and appealing. I especially liked the opening scene in which, over the backdrop of a shimmering 221B Baker Street log fire, the appearances of various figurines Holmes takes out to fiddle with are carefully edited to correspond with Watson's voice-over recital of his letter to Holmes about the hotel guests. And I shouldn't neglect to mention the fun of seeing a bellicose Watson toss away his walking stick and take down a suspect on the floor of the bank lobby!

it's a bit tragic to watch the later episodes

[mgl-92037 · 8/10 · 16 February 2022]

Because Brett's health was so visibly in decline. Despite that, I think he fully inhabits the role of Sherlock Holmes in the later seasons even more than at the superb beginning. Cumberbatch is not 1/10 the Sherlock Holmes that Brett was-- and that even accounts for the wretched writing in Sherlock.

Solid Episode

[ericksonsam60 · 7/10 · 13 January 2012]

This story is well adapted and is one of the best episodes in the "Casebook" volume of the series. Sherlock Holmes and Watson investigate the disappearance of a woman who has been kidnapped by a con artist with a murderous history. Unlike most filmed adaptations in this series this one ends on a dark note adding a degree of ambiguity. John Madden does a solid job of directing it as T. R. Bowen does of scripting it. As usual for Granada the production values are wonderfully meticulous capturing the flavor of the time period. The cast is excellent with Cheryl Campbell giving a strong performance as the eccentric Lady Frances Carfax and Jeremy Brett still proves why he is the best actor to play the role of Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective.

Watson's observations key

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 7 November 2020]

I wondered why a man would travel on vacation to enjoy himself, but instead focus on an eccentric woman he barely knows? But, Watson enjoys the art of observation. It makes sense once Watson explained his interest. He was interested even before any sign of her danger. I thought it was a well laid out story. Watson breaking the case was an interesting angle.

Solving the puzzle many times is very simple. It's staring right at me. But I think human nature leads us to a more complex possibility. Then, comes Holmes with a brilliant, but sometimes simple solution.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 25 August 2019]

John Madden again brings a cinematic quality to The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax.

Dr Watson is in the Lake District and recounts the tales of the eccentric Lady Carfax to Holmes in London. She had a near miss when she fell of a boat that she used to attend church. A disabled war veteran swam out to rescue her.

However Holmes then joins Dr Watson as he senses this independent minded lady might be in danger from a missionary who is in Britain to raise funds.

By the time Holmes arrives, Lady Carfax has gone missing after she encountered a face from her past.

A solid story with a hint of a dark ending with Holmes finding himself temporarily flummoxed with his analytical skills. However you cannot keep a lid on a good detective.

The way the story is presented, it could initially go several ways, the villain here is devious and quick to improvise.

Excellent start

[grantss · 9/10 · 25 December 2022]

Dr Watson is holidaying in the Lake District. A notable personality at the hotel is Lady Frances Carfax, an independent-minded, bohemian single woman. She appears to be being harassed by a mysterious bearded man. After one of his appearances she disappears. Holmes now joins his friend to investigate.

The first episode of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, the third series of the Jeremy Brett-starring Sherlock Holmes mysteries (the others being The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes). It makes for an excellent start as the episode is filled with drama, tension and romance.

The solid, intrigue-filled plot is the backbone of this but as always it's Jeremy Brett's performance as Holmes that lifts it to another level. Another positive in this episode is some of the settings: quite picturesque.

A weak story, but considering what it started with, it does surprisingly well.

[pfr1685 · 6/10 · 31 March 2022]

The story is rather weak, but the original was actually one of the weakest stories. As far as a mystery, it's not much of one. More of a drama than anything. The adaptation done here is pretty well rewritten to at least make it more interesting, but it's still not very good from a mystery standpoint. If you skip this one, you aren't missing much.

She disappears thrice, in fact.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 12 March 2010]

In some ways this episode is an improvement over Conan-Doyle's original story, published in 1911. By that time the author was consumed with fatigue and paying less attention to the structure of the stories and the flavoring of the characters. The interesting stuff (the cocaine, much of the humor and whatnot) was long gone.

In the printed story, Watson is off somewhere in Switzerland, writing to Holmes, as he does in "The Hound", and Holmes doesn't really make an appearance until half-way through. This adaptation keeps Holmes and Watson together throughout, if partly through cross-cutting.

Still, I never found the story exactly enthralling. Lady Frances Carfax, a fierce and whimsical reformer, disappears. Holmes and Watson hunt her down. The solution comes as a big surprise and is the only "trick" that Holmes performs.

Nice location shooting though, in the Lake District.