"The superbly
handsome Jeremy Brett, the regularity of his features made dramatic by a broken
nose, the mellifluousness of his voice made arresting by a slight vocal
impediment, presented a ravaged and romantic Holmes, a man who had suffered
deeply and whose recourse to the syringe was the compulsion of a self-destroying
temperament. His relationship with Edward Hardwicke’s transparently decent
Watson was that of a drowning man clinging to a raft. The authenticity of the
performance was unmistakable."
--actor/writer Simon Callow in the Times of London
Remembering Peter Hammond, who directed Jeremy Brett in The Three Musketeers miniseries (1966) and in his Sherlock Holmes series.
Since Jeremy Brett's passing in 1995,
various admirers have proposed elaborate ways to honour his memory. Although a
rose garden, a bandstand, and a posthumous acting honor are among the most
publicised of these plans, a simple tree planted on Clapham Common near
Jeremy's final home is perhaps the only such memorial which has actually come
to fruition.
Thankfully, what I believe is the most fitting memorial to Jeremy Brett is now
also a reality. Ms. Pia Trona, a Brettfan from Italy, recently established a
120,000 pound scholarship
at Jeremy's acting alma mater, the Central
School of Drama in London, UK. Ms. Trona explained, “Jeremy is my
favourite actor - I knew that he attended Central and he was very happy with
the course he followed and it was the only way I could immortalise his memory.
The students who are awarded the scholarships should put their hearts in
their acting, as Jeremy did, because passion that comes from your heart is the
most important thing, above any technique you can learn.”
I applaud Ms. Trona's generosity and foresight. This is a gift that
will not only keep Jeremy's name alive but which will also keep on giving to
help others to follow their dreams.
And, I admire Ms. Trona's priorities. She would also like to establish a
scholarship in memory of her father, Angelo, because: “Jeremy is the
second most important person and my father was the most important person of my
life.”
Brava, Ms. Trona! :->
An absolutely brilliant song and video about Jeremy Brett and Sherlock bleedin' Holmes:
Remembering actress Anna Massey (1937-2011), Jeremy Brett's first wife and the mother of his son, David Huggins.
Remembering writer Jeremy Paul (1939-2011). In 1996, I had the privilege of hearing Mr. Paul speak in person at the tribute to Jeremy Brett sponsored by the Northern Musgraves Sherlock Holmes Society.
Remembering Jeremy's second Doctor Watson, Edward Hardwicke (1932-2011)
Edward Hardwicke's father gets a special honour.
Finally, a tabloid gets it right and gives Jeremy Brett's Holmes five out of five stars!
If you live in the Washington, DC, area you can catch Jeremy's Sherlock Holmes series on WETA.
This is rather dated, but still worth looking at (it's from another PBS station that showed the Holmes series a few years ago).
Now, here's someone who knows what he's talking about: Simon Callow on Sherlock Holmes.
Jeremy Brett's cousin, actor Martin Clunes, movingly reflects on loss and life here.
Here's a fantastic 1991 interview with Jeremy Brett by Kevin Murphy (thanks so much, Kevin, for sending this link to me!) (2/15/10: INTERVIEW LINK IS "LIVE" ONCE MORE - THANKS AGAIN, KEVIN :->)
JBTV (Where you can find JB on US TV!)
Next time you're on eBay, look for Remembering Audrey, a Life Magazine tribute to Audrey Hepburn, who passed away 15 years ago. All of the fabulous photos in this softcover book were all taken by Bob Willoughby, whose long association with Ms. Hepburn began when he was assigned to photograph her for Paramount Studios in 1953. A quick flip through the book at my local supermarket revealed a full-page B&W pic of Audrey, George Cukor, and our boy Jeremy Brett on the set of My Fair Lady.
The excerpt below from the 1975 Twiggy show has to be the JB "clip of the year" on YouTube. I don't know how (or where) such rare footage was unearthed, but it's a honey. JB harkens back to his Eton choirboy roots, revisits The Merry Widow (crikey!), then does a mellow duet with Twiggy to close out the program. (And, his own singing voice wasn't used why in My Fair Lady?) It makes one wish JB could have done a solo variety special to showcase his vocal talents. And, speaking of vocal talents: Jeremy introduced Twiggy to Kate Fleming, the vocal coach for the National Theatre, because she wanted to tone down her authentic Cockney accent.
It's impossible for me to watch the eloquent Fleurop advert below and not be reminded of Jeremy Brett, because of its moving premise--and especially because of the actress who stars in it.
The Brettish Empire remembers those affected by recent disasters
To help heal the hurt, please click
here and/or here.
Thank you.
