Rent The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
3.6 of 5 from 119 ratings
2h 0min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared, the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) to Scotland, where - to their surprise - they uncover a plot involving a clandestine society, Her Majesty's Secret Service...and the Loch Ness Monster! But before he can deduce matters to the elementary. Holmes makes an error that may jeopardise the national safety of Britain...and ruin his reputation!
- Actors:
- Robert Stephens, Christopher Lee, Colin Blakely, Geneviève Page, Tamara Toumanova, Clive Revill, Irene Handl, Mollie Maureen, Stanley Holloway, Catherine Lacey, Peter Madden, Michael Balfour, James Copeland, John Garrie, Godfrey James, Robert Cawdron, Alex McCrindle, Frank Thornton, Paul Hansard, Philip Anthony
- Directors:
- Billy Wilder
- Producers:
- Billy Wilder
- Writers:
- Arthur Conan Doyle, Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
- Studio:
- MGM
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Romance, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A History of British Queens in Film, Action & Adventure, Drama Films & TV, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Tilda Swinton, People of the Pictures, Remembering Maggie Smith, The Best of Sherlock Holmes, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Billy Wilder, Top Film and TV Detectives: Guide to Screen Sleuth
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 22/01/2018
- Run Time:
- 125 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- A new video interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard
- The Missing Cases (50 mins): A presentation of the films deleted sequences, using script excerpts, production stills and surviving film footage. Includes the film's Original Prologue, The Curious Case of the Upside Down Room, The Adventure of the Dumbfounded Detective and The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners
- Deleted Epilogue Scene (audio only)
- Christopher Lee: Mr. Holmes, Mr. Wilder - an archival interview with Christopher Lee about his experience working with Billy Wilder
- Interview with editor Ernest Walter
- Original Theatrical Trailer
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Reviews (1) of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Period Comedy - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes review by Steve
Pleasant though patchy Sherlock Holmes spoof from Billy Wilder which is a case of what might have been. Much of this unevenness is surely due to the studio editing out 90 minutes of (now lost) footage from the final release in the director’s absence.
There's a superior period production, but it's a disappointment. Wilder has a pedigree for adapting classic detective stories, with Double Indemnity (1944) and Witness for the Prosecution (1958). The main difference here is this is not a version of a story by Arthur Conan Doyle. And the mystery presented just isn’t all that interesting.
Of course, the title tells us that this is something else. It is principally about Holmes’ sexuality, including why two middle aged bachelors are living together. Nothing really stands out, though we get an impression of Holmes’ personal sadness which leads to his use of the legendary 7% solution.
This was obviously made with love, though we can only wonder at the original cut. There’s a colourful support cast, with Irene Handl an ideal Mrs. Hudson. Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely are fine as the immortal Victorian sleuths, but hardly definitive. There’s not much here for admirers of the great detective, or the great director.
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