Line #3 Theatre/TheCruciferOfBlood

Context Theatre / TheCruciferOfBlood

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1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_crucifer_of_blood.jpeg]]
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3	''The Crucifer of Blood'' is a 1978 play by Paul Giovanni based off the Literature/SherlockHolmes novel ''Literature/TheSignOfTheFour''.
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5	Long ago in India two British officers, Major Alistair Ross and Captain Neville St. Claire made a pact in blood with a common soldier -- Jonathan Small in exchange for a share in untold riches. But they betrayed their comrade sending him to prison for murder, while they went to England with their ill-gotten gains. Ross living like a miser hoarding his gold, while St. Claire has become a pathetic drug addict ridden by guilt.
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7	Many years later, St. Claire's daughter Irene comes to Mr. Sherlock Holmes concerned about her father. Meanwhile Small has escaped from his Indian prison and has made his way to England to seek his revenge on those who betrayed him ....
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9	The play was adapted into a MadeForTVMovie in 1991, starring Creator/CharltonHeston as Holmes. Heston had played the role previously in a Los Angeles production of the play, and a previous [[Series/SherlockHolmes Holmes]], Creator/JeremyBrett, was his Watson.
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11	!!Tropes in this work include:
12	* AdaptationNameChange:
13	** Small's Indian cohorts go from being Mahomet Singh and Abdullah Khan to Durga Dass and Wali Dad.
14	** Major Sholto and Captain Morstan become Major Alistair Ross and Captain Neville St. Claire.
15	** Mary Morstan becomes Irene St. Clair.
16	* AdaptedOut:
17	** The Sholto Brothers, Thaddeus and Bartholomew are nowhere to be seen.
18	** Inspector Jones is left out and replaced by Lestrade.
19	* AdaptationalVillainy: Both British army officers are downright bastards, while St. Claire's book counterpart was the more honorable of the two.
20	** [[spoiler: Irene St. Clair does not end up as Watson's wife like her book counterpart.]]
21	* ChekhovsGun: Watson first enters carrying a starters pistol, which returns in the climax.
22	* DeathByAdaptation: In the book, Small's Indian cohorts end up in the Andaman Islands with him. Here, they are both killed by the British officers at Agra.
23	* FingerLickingPoison: St. Claire is murdered when the killer places a poison dart in the mouthpiece of his opium pipe. When he inhales, he sucks in the dart and stabs himself in the throat.
24	* {{Jerkass}}: Lestrade, who's incredibly rude to Holmes, while accepting his help.
25	* LatexPerfection: In the film version, Holmes wears a (non-period) latex mask to impersonate the OpiumDen proprietor.
26	* TheOathBreaker: Both Ross and St. Claire, which is why Small hunts both of them down.
27	* OpiumDen: After Ross is murdered, St. Claire takes refuge in an opium den.
28	* RedHerring: Jonathan Small is not the ''main'' villain. [[spoiler: It's actually Irene.]]

Context Theatre / TheCruciferOfBlood