On December 23 as reported here via Pop Eater, Robert Downey, Jr has suggested in interviews that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson may have had more than a investigative relationship.
Apparentley this hint and suggestion that Holmes and Watson may be gay is not at all sitting well with the executors of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, creator of the popular Victorian era sleuths.
The executors of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary estate have threatened to withdraw Guy Ritchie’s rights to the Sherlock Holmes story if the director hints at a homosexual relationship between the lead characters in his sequel.
Robert Downey, Jr., who plays the supersleuth in Ritchie’s new movie adaption, recently appeared on David Letterman’s U.S. talk show and hinted at a homoerotic subtext in the relationship between his character and Jude Law’s Dr. Watson.
During the interview the actor also asked the audience to decide whether Holmes is “a very butch homosexual.”
But Downey, Jr.’s comments have infuriated Andrea Plunket, who controls the remaining U.S. copyrights to the Holmes story, and she’s threatened to withdraw permission for a follow-up if Ritchie suggests the detective is more than just friends with his sidekick.
She says, “I hope this is just an example of Mr Downey’s black sense of humour. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books.”
Source – jam! showbiz
As with each and every book, it is open to the interpretation of the reader. I find Andrea Plunket’s response, homophobic!
Ken
http://rvbirdsofafeather.blogspot.com
Comment by Ken — January 4th, 2010 @ 6:40 am
I think it’s just silly… Can’t they take a joke? And even if there’s some homo erotic scenes… what’s the big deal? The movie and the actors were great. Law and Downey were brilliant. If they stop the sequel they’re the ones who will regret it later.
Comment by Maria — January 12th, 2010 @ 7:39 am
I find her response appropriate. To people who do not enjoy the full delight of Sherlockian history, it may seem silly, but as an avid lover of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original short series AND the 1954 and 1955 tv series, it would be very wrong to make the two men gay, especially since Watson had an aversion to cute ladies, and Holmes was uninterested in ANY form of romantic endeavors. How dare sexual equality step on such a beloved tale. I do not dislike gay people in any way, but I don’t believe that such a classic series should be used as fodder for “homosexual rights” or “homophobic attacks.” For once, can’t we love a movie that has no scandal or hidden motives? Instead, can’t we love a story wrought from two strait men who love each other as deeply and as purely as brothers?
Comment by Natalie — January 14th, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I thought that the movie is not based on the books, but rather on the comic books inspired by the Conan Doyle’s creations? I am a fan of Doyle’s books, but I find it stupid (and a dangerous tendency) to stop the flow of post-modern interpretations of classic pieces of literature… It’s a blockbuster movie, please! Every scene is just silly and has little to do with the book! Suddenly it’s Downey’s joke about some gay romance that get Andrea Plunket going. take it easy, Andrea Plunket!
(and she clearly IS homophobic – she’s making a big deal out of nothing important)
Comment by Oleg — January 27th, 2010 @ 8:48 am
Wow, if you read the books, Holmes oozes homoerotic tendencies all the time. No, it doesn’t seem as though they actually had a relationship, and Watson certainly liked the ladies, but there was still always a tension there. When I read the books Watson is so avid about Holmes and is so attentive to him, that I can totally see the tendencies. I mean, Doyle wrote it like that. Holmes was the esthete of the novels.
Comment by Star — March 12th, 2010 @ 1:31 am