The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Original title)
Dates: 1970 (Copyright), 17 January 1971 (Release)Countries: USA, United KingdomDirector: Billy Wilder
Synopsis: Comedic detective story. In a bank vault, fifty years after Dr Watson's death, two epsiodes from the career of Sherlock Holmes are found, which were deemed unsuitable for publication during Holmes' and Watson's lifetimes. In the first story, Holmes is summoned to a theatre where a renowned Russian ballerina offers him a remarkable payment for services she wants him to render, but her request, relating rather to parenthood than to crime, does not interest Holmes in the least. In the second story, a woman arrives bedraggled at Baker Street one night, evidently fished out of the Thames and suffering from amnesia. Holmes deduces that she is Gabrielle Valladon, the wife of a missing mining engineer. Despite being warned off the case by Holmes's brother Mycroft, they follow a trail to Inverness, where Holmes and Gabrielle pose as Mr and Mrs Ashdown (with Watson posing as their valet), and they discover that a mysterious company is undertaking a project of great international importance at Loch Ness, involving canaries, foreign midgets, a red runner and a castle. When this mystery is resolved, not without surprises even for Holmes, Gabrielle leaves. News of her subsequent life affects Holmes and Watson greatly. [Note on the full version:] The original version of the screenplay, comprising four unpublished Holmes stories, opens with Watson's grandson arriving in London from Canada in 1969, where, in the presence of a Barclays Bank manager who is a big fan of the Holmes canon, he opens a tin box he has inherited, which contains various items of Holmes paraphernalia and some manuscripts of untold Holmes adventures. The stories are then told in flashback: 1. The Curious Case of the Upside-down Room. (Holmes investigates the bizarre mystery of a corpse lying in a blind landlord's flat in Hampstead where all the furniture is on the ceiling.) 2. The Singular Affair of the Russian Ballerina. (Story 1, above; set in June 1885.) 3. The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners. (In the summer of 1886, on a return voyage from Constantinople, Watson employs Holmes's methods in a bid to solve a case of two dead bodies found in their cabin, but he does not match his friend for detective skill.) 4. The Adventure of the Dumbfounded Detective. (Story 2, above; commencing on 17 April 1888.) Contained within these four stories are some brief episodes involving: in story 1, set in September 1887, a Neapolitan singing teacher fleeing a jealous husband, who hides in Holmes and Watson's train compartment (in the script's cast breakdown this episode is titled 'The Case of the Philandering Singing Teacher'); and, in story 4, a reminiscence by Holmes of how, during his time at Oxford, he had his heart broken and decided never to let emotion cloud his professional judgment.
Genres: Detective drama, Comedy
Subjects: Sherlock Holmes, Detectives, Espionage, Homicide, Loch Ness, Submarines, Ballet dancers, Drug abuse
Releases
Date: 1970Country: United KingdomRelease type: TheatricalFormat: 35mm Film - Colour - DeLuxe - SoundRuntime: 125 mins Length: 11268 FeetDialogue (original): EnglishDistributor: United Artists
Title: At Home/Soundtracks: The Private Life of Sherlock HolmesAuthor: GRAYDON, Danny Article type: Soundtrack ReviewLanguage: English
In: Sight and Sound v14 n8 August 2004 Page: 77
Title: Home movies: reviewsAuthor: MACNAB, Geoffrey Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
In: Empire n163 January 2003 Page: 62
Title: The reviewsAuthor: NEWMAN, Kim Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
In: The Listener v120 n3077 25 Aug 1988 Page: 34
Title: [The Listener - v120 n3077 25 Aug 1988: no known title]Language: English
In: Films and Filming n392 May 1987 Page: 9
Title: [Films and Filming - n392 May 1987: no known title]Language: English
Description: Further notes of scenes cut from the film.
In: Films and Filming n390 March 1987 Page: 9
Title: [Films and Filming - n390 March 1987: no known title]Language: English
Description: Details of the material cut from the film.
In: The Listener v112 n2889 20-27 Dec 1984 Page: 69
Title: [The Listener - v112 n2889 20-27 Dec 1984: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v38 n444 January 1971 Page: 11
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v38 n444 January 1971: no known title]Author: COMBS, Richard Language: English
In: Photoplay v22 n1 January 1971 Pages: 42-43,57
Title: [Photoplay - v22 n1 January 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Cinema v6 n3 Spring 1971 Page: Spring 49
Title: [Cinema - v6 n3 Spring 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Films and Filming v17 n4 January 1971 Page: 47
Title: [Films and Filming - v17 n4 January 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Cahiers du Cinéma n228 Mar/Apr 1971 Pages: 62-63
Title: [Cahiers du Cinéma - n228 Mar/Apr 1971: no known title]Language: French
In: Films in Review v22 n4 April 1971 Pages: 243-244
Title: [Films in Review - v22 n4 April 1971: no known title]Language: English
Description: Mention of historical errors.
In: Positif n127 May 1971 Pages: 29-31
Title: [Positif - n127 May 1971: no known title]Language: French
In: Today's Cinema n9862 4 Dec 1970 Page: 10
Title: [Today's Cinema - n9862 4 Dec 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Kine Weekly n3295 5 Dec 1970 Page: 10
Title: [Kine Weekly - n3295 5 Dec 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: The Hollywood Reporter v213 n22 22 Oct 1970 Page: 3
Title: [The Hollywood Reporter - v213 n22 22 Oct 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Sight and Sound v40 n1 Winter 1970/71 Pages: 47-48
Title: [Sight and Sound - v40 n1 Winter 1970/71: no known title]Language: English
In: Variety 28 Oct 1970 Page: 17
Title: [Variety - 28 Oct 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Today's Cinema n9720 8 Sep 1969 Page: 6
Title: [Today's Cinema - n9720 8 Sep 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
In: Kine Weekly n3213 10 May 1969 Page: 16
Title: [Kine Weekly - n3213 10 May 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
In: Sight and Sound v39 n1 Winter 1969/70 Pages: Winter 26-27
Title: [Sight and Sound - v39 n1 Winter 1969/70: no known title]Author: GILLETT, John Article type: Prod. ReportLanguage: English
In: The Hollywood Reporter v206 n14 29 May 1969 Page: 21
Title: [The Hollywood Reporter - v206 n14 29 May 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
Author: LALLY, Kevin Pages: xi-xv. 496p.
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(1)
Film materials(1)
Description: 35mm Colour PositiveSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-960031
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status
Dates: 1970 (Copyright), 17 January 1971 (Release)Countries: USA, United KingdomDirector: Billy Wilder
Synopsis: Comedic detective story. In a bank vault, fifty years after Dr Watson's death, two epsiodes from the career of Sherlock Holmes are found, which were deemed unsuitable for publication during Holmes' and Watson's lifetimes. In the first story, Holmes is summoned to a theatre where a renowned Russian ballerina offers him a remarkable payment for services she wants him to render, but her request, relating rather to parenthood than to crime, does not interest Holmes in the least. In the second story, a woman arrives bedraggled at Baker Street one night, evidently fished out of the Thames and suffering from amnesia. Holmes deduces that she is Gabrielle Valladon, the wife of a missing mining engineer. Despite being warned off the case by Holmes's brother Mycroft, they follow a trail to Inverness, where Holmes and Gabrielle pose as Mr and Mrs Ashdown (with Watson posing as their valet), and they discover that a mysterious company is undertaking a project of great international importance at Loch Ness, involving canaries, foreign midgets, a red runner and a castle. When this mystery is resolved, not without surprises even for Holmes, Gabrielle leaves. News of her subsequent life affects Holmes and Watson greatly. [Note on the full version:] The original version of the screenplay, comprising four unpublished Holmes stories, opens with Watson's grandson arriving in London from Canada in 1969, where, in the presence of a Barclays Bank manager who is a big fan of the Holmes canon, he opens a tin box he has inherited, which contains various items of Holmes paraphernalia and some manuscripts of untold Holmes adventures. The stories are then told in flashback: 1. The Curious Case of the Upside-down Room. (Holmes investigates the bizarre mystery of a corpse lying in a blind landlord's flat in Hampstead where all the furniture is on the ceiling.) 2. The Singular Affair of the Russian Ballerina. (Story 1, above; set in June 1885.) 3. The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners. (In the summer of 1886, on a return voyage from Constantinople, Watson employs Holmes's methods in a bid to solve a case of two dead bodies found in their cabin, but he does not match his friend for detective skill.) 4. The Adventure of the Dumbfounded Detective. (Story 2, above; commencing on 17 April 1888.) Contained within these four stories are some brief episodes involving: in story 1, set in September 1887, a Neapolitan singing teacher fleeing a jealous husband, who hides in Holmes and Watson's train compartment (in the script's cast breakdown this episode is titled 'The Case of the Philandering Singing Teacher'); and, in story 4, a reminiscence by Holmes of how, during his time at Oxford, he had his heart broken and decided never to let emotion cloud his professional judgment.
Genres: Detective drama, Comedy
Subjects: Sherlock Holmes, Detectives, Espionage, Homicide, Loch Ness, Submarines, Ballet dancers, Drug abuse
Releases
Date: 1970Country: United KingdomRelease type: TheatricalFormat: 35mm Film - Colour - DeLuxe - SoundRuntime: 125 mins Length: 11268 FeetDialogue (original): EnglishDistributor: United Artists
Credits
(48)
©: Phalanx Productions, Inc. Mirisch Productions, A production of Mirisch Films Limited: Mirisch Films Limited, In association with: Sir Nigel Films, The Mirisch Production Company presents: The Mirisch Production Company, Produced by: Billy Wilder, Associate Producer: I.A.L. Diamond, Production Manager: Eric Rattray, Production Supervisor: Larry Dewaay, Location Manager: Ivo Nightingale, Production Consultant (Sir Nigel Films): Henry E. Lester, Assistant Director: Tom Pevsner, Continuity: Elaine Schreyeck, Casting Director: Lesley De Pettitt, Written by: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond, Based upon the characters created by: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Director of Photography: Christopher Challis, Camera Operator: Frederick Cooper, Focus Puller: John Palmer, Special Effects: Wally Veevers, Special Effects: Cliff Richardson, Film Editor: Ernest Walter, Assistant Editor: Margaret Miller, Assistant Editor: Boyd Williams, Production Designer: Alexander Trauner, Art Director: Tony Inglis, Assistant Art Director: Frank Willson, Set Decorator: Harry Cordwell, Set Dresser: Terry Parr, Set Dresser: Vernon Dixon, Construction Manager: Leon Davis, Costume Designer: Julie Harris, Ladies' Wardrobe Supervisor: Dorothy Edwards, Men's Wardrobe Supervisor: John Hilling, Make-up: Ernest Gasser, Hairdressing: Biddy Chrystal, Main Titles by: Maurice Binder, Filmed in: Panavision, Music by/Music Conductor: Miklós Rózsa, Music Performed by: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballet Adviser and Dance Arranged by: David Blair, Sound Recordist: J.W.N Daniel, Sound Recordist: Dudley Messenger, Sound Recordist: Gordon K. McCallum, Sound Editor: Roy Baker, Made at: Pinewood Studios
Cast
(55)
Robert Stephens (Sherlock Holmes), Colin Blakely (Dr John H. Watson), Irene Handl (Mrs Hudson), Stanley Holloway (1st gravedigger), Catherine Lacey ('Duchess', old lady in wheelchair), Christopher Lee (Mycroft Holmes), Geneviève Page (Ilse von Hoffmanstal, 'Gabrielle Valladon'), Clive Revill (Nicolai Rogozhin), Tamara Toumanova (Madame Petrova), Mollie Maureen (Queen Victoria), Peter Madden (von Tirpitz), Michael Balfour (cabbie), James Copeland (guide at Urquhart Castle), Alex McCrindle (baggageman at Inverness Station), John Garrie (1st carter), Godfrey James (2nd carter), Frank Thornton (Diogenes Club porter), Robert Cawdron (The Caledonian Hotel manager), Paul Hansard (monk), Miklós Rózsa (ballet orchestra conductor), Ina De La Haye (Petrova's maid), Graham Armitage (Wiggins, man with telegram at Diogenes Club), C. Kenneth Benda (minister at cemetery), Eric Francis (2nd gravedigger), Ismet Hassan, Charlie Young Atom, Teddy Kiss Atom, Willie Shearer (submarine crew member), Phillip Ross (McKellar), Daphne Riggs (lady-in-waiting), Martin Carroll (1st scientist), John Scott (2nd scientist), John Gatrell (equerry), Philip Anthony (Lieutenant-Commander), Nicholas Benton (.), John y Williams (Havelock-Smith, Barclays Bank managing director [role cut]), Michael Elwyn (Cassidy, Barclays Bank legal staff [role cut]), Annette Kerr (secretary, Barclays Bank [role cut]), Colin Blakely (Dr John Watson from Canada [role cut]), Paul Stassino (Neopolitan singing teacher [role cut]), George Benson (Inspector Lestrade [role cut]), David Kossoff (Mr Plimsoll, blind landlord [role cut]), Paul Tann (Chinese corpse [role cut]), Nicole Shelby (honeymoon bride [role cut]), Jonathan Cecil (honeymoon groom [role cut]), Noël Johnson (captain of the boat [role cut]), Anne Blake (madame [role cut]), Penny Brahms (Oxford prostitute [role cut]), Marilyn Head (1st Oxford girl [role cut]), Anna Matisse (2nd Oxford girl [role cut]), Wendy Lingham (3rd Oxford girl [role cut]), Jenny Hanley (4th Oxford girl [role cut]), Sheena Hunter (5th Oxford girl [role cut]), Jennifer Baker, Susan Baker (girl in carriage [role cut])
Articles held in BFI Reuben Library
(23)
In: Empire n216 June 2007 Page: 159Title: At Home/Soundtracks: The Private Life of Sherlock HolmesAuthor: GRAYDON, Danny Article type: Soundtrack ReviewLanguage: English
In: Sight and Sound v14 n8 August 2004 Page: 77
Title: Home movies: reviewsAuthor: MACNAB, Geoffrey Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
In: Empire n163 January 2003 Page: 62
Title: The reviewsAuthor: NEWMAN, Kim Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
In: The Listener v120 n3077 25 Aug 1988 Page: 34
Title: [The Listener - v120 n3077 25 Aug 1988: no known title]Language: English
In: Films and Filming n392 May 1987 Page: 9
Title: [Films and Filming - n392 May 1987: no known title]Language: English
Description: Further notes of scenes cut from the film.
In: Films and Filming n390 March 1987 Page: 9
Title: [Films and Filming - n390 March 1987: no known title]Language: English
Description: Details of the material cut from the film.
In: The Listener v112 n2889 20-27 Dec 1984 Page: 69
Title: [The Listener - v112 n2889 20-27 Dec 1984: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v38 n444 January 1971 Page: 11
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v38 n444 January 1971: no known title]Author: COMBS, Richard Language: English
In: Photoplay v22 n1 January 1971 Pages: 42-43,57
Title: [Photoplay - v22 n1 January 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Cinema v6 n3 Spring 1971 Page: Spring 49
Title: [Cinema - v6 n3 Spring 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Films and Filming v17 n4 January 1971 Page: 47
Title: [Films and Filming - v17 n4 January 1971: no known title]Language: English
In: Cahiers du Cinéma n228 Mar/Apr 1971 Pages: 62-63
Title: [Cahiers du Cinéma - n228 Mar/Apr 1971: no known title]Language: French
In: Films in Review v22 n4 April 1971 Pages: 243-244
Title: [Films in Review - v22 n4 April 1971: no known title]Language: English
Description: Mention of historical errors.
In: Positif n127 May 1971 Pages: 29-31
Title: [Positif - n127 May 1971: no known title]Language: French
In: Today's Cinema n9862 4 Dec 1970 Page: 10
Title: [Today's Cinema - n9862 4 Dec 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Kine Weekly n3295 5 Dec 1970 Page: 10
Title: [Kine Weekly - n3295 5 Dec 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: The Hollywood Reporter v213 n22 22 Oct 1970 Page: 3
Title: [The Hollywood Reporter - v213 n22 22 Oct 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Sight and Sound v40 n1 Winter 1970/71 Pages: 47-48
Title: [Sight and Sound - v40 n1 Winter 1970/71: no known title]Language: English
In: Variety 28 Oct 1970 Page: 17
Title: [Variety - 28 Oct 1970: no known title]Language: English
In: Today's Cinema n9720 8 Sep 1969 Page: 6
Title: [Today's Cinema - n9720 8 Sep 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
In: Kine Weekly n3213 10 May 1969 Page: 16
Title: [Kine Weekly - n3213 10 May 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
In: Sight and Sound v39 n1 Winter 1969/70 Pages: Winter 26-27
Title: [Sight and Sound - v39 n1 Winter 1969/70: no known title]Author: GILLETT, John Article type: Prod. ReportLanguage: English
In: The Hollywood Reporter v206 n14 29 May 1969 Page: 21
Title: [The Hollywood Reporter - v206 n14 29 May 1969: no known title]Article type: CreditsLanguage: English
Description: Credits.
Books held in BFI Reuben Library
(1)
Title: Wilder times: the life of Billy WilderAuthor: LALLY, Kevin Pages: xi-xv. 496p.
Film, Video or Digital materials held in BFI National Archive(1)
Film materials(1)
Description: 35mm Colour PositiveSound: CombinedBFI identifier: C-960031
Status: Status pending - Material requires inspection to determine preservation or access status