We are here in the workshop of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, where he is constructing the son of Sherlock Holmes from spare parts and cemetery leftovers.
Arthur & George (2015) is a three part TV series which is a dramatized retelling of an incident from the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in which he was asked to investigate a series of domesticated animal mutilations in the town of Great Wyrley in Great Britain. George Edalji, a young man and son of a parson, who has mixed English and Indian heritage, had been convicted and sentenced to seven years of hard labour for the crimes, although released early. This blot on his record will prevent George from entering in on his preferred career as a solicitor.
And so an appeal to Doyle, who is in mourning for his late wife, and considering marriage to a woman of interest he met during his late wife’s convalescence, to prove this conviction fallacious. It’s a distraction, then a fixation, as he explores the social problems of a so-called half-breed in the backwoods of Great Britain, the toxic culture of young boys, and a few other subcultures. All the while, he’s tracking clues, chasing figures in the night, and wondering about everyone except his trusted manservant, Woodie, who quite frankly caught my attention because of his constant obstructionism. However, social standing is an important part of the Brit society of the time, and is attained through proper behaviors as well as accomplishments.
Well acted and staged, it’s a lot of fun in the British tradition of drama.
