The Doctor on Screen - Adapting the character of Dr. Watson from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in "Sherlok" and the "Sherlock Holmes" films

Abstract

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are two of the most recognizable figures in crime literature. They worked numerous cases together; in total, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels about them. These adventures have been adapted more than once, most recently in two films directed by Guy Ritche, "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) and "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (2011), and a television series by the BBC titled "Sherlock" (2010). Like a lot of adaptions, they make changes from their source material, including changes to the characters. Watson is no exception. For the purpose of this essay, tha Watson from the literary stories will be analyzed and compared to the Watsons from the adaptions to examine the changes they have made to his character, as he has changed from just being the assistant and chronicler of Holmes to becoming more inteligent, independent and being given a more active role than in the original stories. In addition to some general alterations along those lines, "Sherlock" gives Watson's journals a greater significance and Guy Ritchie's films make Watson more professional and even something of a detective in his own right.