Contextual influence plays an important role in crime fiction and shapes the conventions of the genre. Like a tree, the genre gradually grows to incorporate many elements, making it increasingly hard to define. For example, in the earlier twentieth century, feminism was on the rise and female authors were getting more common, as a result crime fiction became more ‘cosy’ and stronger female characters were developed. This type of contextual influence can be seen in Guy Ritchie’s film production of Sherlock Holmes, which though conforms to most of the traditional conventions of the genre, still subverts some of the conventions in its attempt to engage modern audiences. This is evident in the film’s setting and characterisation. Contextual influences can also be observed in my related text, the 1978 film production of Death on the Nile.
Guy Ritchie both follows and challenges crime fiction conventions through the use of setting. Traditionally, the setting of crime fiction is supposed to be realistic, in order to enhance the plausibility of the story. This is the case in Sherlock Holmes most of the time. However at the end of the film, the show down between Holmes and Blackwood took place on top of the London bridge, the zoom out after Blackwood’s death make the setting seem more exciting but less plausible. Death on the Nile, on the other hand, had a more realist but less uncommon setting. Also, unlike most crime fiction, Sherlock Holmes is set in different parts of London instead the conventionally small confined space. Long shots of the buildings are employed, this, combined with the darker shades of lighting used, adds an ominous touch to the film and creates more tension for the audiences, who are already used to the conventional ‘cosy’ confined type of setting in Death on the Niles and may be looking for something more ‘exciting'.
Another way Guy Ritchie both conforms to and challenges the conventions of the crime fiction genre is through the use of characterisation. When the main protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, investigates a crime, flashbacks of what happened are constantly employed to highlight his uncanny ability to recreate crime scenes using the clues he find. However, Guy Ritchie also challenges the conventional image of a detective by increasing the importance of physical capacity. For example in the boxing scene, Guy Ritchie utilizes a combination of close-ups, mid-length shots and lack of costumes to emphasize Holmes’s physical strength. This can be seen as an attempt engage modern audiences, as we now generally enjoy movies with more action and naked men. In contrast, though the main protagonist of Death on the Nile, Hercule Poirot, is also portrayed as very intelligent and observant, as flashbacks are also used in the film to highlight his deducing abilities, he never had to actually engage in any physical combat, indicating that audiences at the time were less interested in the physical element of the story.
The characterisation of the femme fatale, Irene Idler, is also significant. At the beginning of the film, Irene plays the role of the traditional femme fatale in crime fiction. But as the story progresses, we realise she is also intelligent and can assist Holmes in solving crimes. This change of role is highlighted in Irene’s change of costumes, at the beginning of the film when she plays a more traditional femme fatale role, she is dressed in very feminine clothes; while her costumes became much less feminine later in the film. Similarly, the conventional role of femme fatale is also challenged in ‘Death on the Nile’, where the leading female character is actually the antagonist of the story. Her intelligence is underlined through using the contrast between her and her less clever male partner in crime. The conventional role of the femme fatale is challenged in both films, as women started playing an increasingly important role in society, we as audiences generally prefer to see strong and intelligent female characters we can identify with.
Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes follows some of the crime fiction conventions, but subverts others as the director is influenced by the context. Similarly, most writers and directors challenge the conventions of the genre under influence from the context. This is why what is traditionally known as the crime fiction genre has evolved to include so many things. However no matter how far the genre branches out, texts like Sherlock Holmes can always be considered as a part of crime fiction as it still contains some of the important conventions from the root.
