One of my favourite things about the most modern incarnations of Sherlock Holmes* is how they deal with Sherlock’s apparent mastery of disguise. Visual Media is wary of masters of disguise** because the medium in itself is playing exactly the same trick on the audience. Robert Downey Jr is NOT really Sherlock Holmes, but we have to believe he is. But if he is Sherlock Holmes in disguise, the audience should be able to spot the disguise, else we aren’t in on the game. Hence RDJ dragging up appallingly in a Game Of Shadows amongst others. So obviously then I saw this picture I thought it was Benidct Cumberbatch in some sort of lousy Sherlock disguise.
(Note, Gollum is not in the original picture – that is my theory.) Turns out to actually be Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, casting which may be genius, or may be appalling and certainly not one I am willing to damn from a quick photo like this. Heaven forfend that I end up in the same hot water as I did with Frank Sidebottom. (Though from a mere word perspective Cumberbatch and Sidebottom feel nicely related in a way that FASSbender and ASSange could have also elided nicely). Anyway, Guess My Theory, I haven’t got all day…
*RDJ and BC here, sorry JML not seen Elementary. I need to learn more about Elementary actually. Is the an Elementary School I can go to?
**Not least in the appalling Dana Carver movie Master Of Disguise, where Carver plays a master of disguise, named Pistachio Disguisey, who is anything but. Enjoy:
Master of Disguise (Theatrical Trailer) by NakedBrotha2007