Brew is very positive about BBC's new take on Sherlock Holmes. He balances all his enthusiasm with a sophisticated tone, remaining reliable. He sees the show in an artistic light, and gives the actors, Moffat, and McGuigan much credit in an informative review.
Brew starts the essay in establishing the difficulty: making the current audience "take notice" is a "very hard job." The next sentence is isolated, a lone paragraph accenting the final destination of the paper: Sherlock has "an awful lot" to offer. He establishes that it's "different," worthy of new attention, yet is quick to assure that it's also "faithful"- the perfect combination. Tone helps to establish Brew's credibility; he keeps just enough of a formal air to stay credible. He describes Moffat's script as being done "terrifically well," and McGuigan as a "brilliant, brilliant" choice. Cumberbatch being a "superb" choice and the film "rollicking" keeps, again, an interesting amount of distance while still being engaged.
The review, in its positiveness, appears unbalanced. Brew seems hesitant to give criticism; every negative factor is quickly followed with a redeeming quality. The story is "not the most demonstrative," but "[that]," according to Brew, "[is] not a bad thing." The story, he later admits, didn't have "quite the sense of threat" the beginning promised, yet, again, "it helps is, if anything."
Still, he supports his claims, his details backing his legitimacy. He lists other movies that McGuigan and Martin Freeman worked on, and gives quotes from the show when his review calls for them. Noting McGuigan's frequent use of the rule of thirds adds to his artistic authority. It's a good observation.
He seems to have great confidence in the creators of the show. McGuigan "wisely" understands what the audience will want. Brew presents the show as an art form: it's specifically "Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock" that he's analyzing, a "portrayal" that "anchors" the show.
Brew's writing often reflects what he's trying to describe, creating more of an atmosphere for those readers who have not yet seen Sherlock. Sherlock being a "texting-mad, nicotine patch-wearing creation" captures his energy. The first episdoe is a "maiden story," a phrase which, though fitting, is unusual- again, a reflection of the show. Moffat's script "subtley crams," a juxtaposition which sounds like what it means. Throughout the review, Brew creates an energetic yet learned look on the new version of Sherlock Holmes.
You did a good job analyzing tone. I would suggest that you say diction and syntax are used to create the specific tone instead of just adding in quotes. They are good examples, but you have to make it clear that they are contributing to the tone. You did a good job analyzing the language and how it is all positive. Your examples were clear and effective. Good job.
ReplyDeleteYou do a phenomenal job using and analyzing specific quotes. This is really the key to good analysis, and you really nailed it here. It seems the only problem is it is a very narrow analysis on tone. Maybe expand into some other aspects of the writing and other techniques of the author. But this is redeemed by the fact that you do a great job focusing on the analysis of tone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Beckman that your analysis was a bit narrow, judging by the fact that it only focuses on tone. I was extremely confused at first because I was looking for three different elements, but after reading the other comments, I figured out that this was solely based on tone. I thought you did a wonderful job on incorporating specific quotes that emphasized your point, but I would work on organizing the essay a bit more into distinct paragraphs that have a specific point. It just seemed a bit all over the place for me. But overall, it was well written, and you did a great job with the analysis!
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