THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1970) C widescreen 125m. dir: Billy Wilder

w/Robert Stephens, Christopher Lee, Genevieve Page, Colin Blakely, Stanley Holloway, Clive Revill, Irene Handl, Tamara Toumanova, George Benson, Catherine Lacey

A great deal of wit and polish went into this offbeat yarn about the famous detective. The mystery (investigating the Loch Ness Monster!) takes a second place to the eccentricities of the principals involved.

From The Movie Guide: "This unjustly forgotten Billy Wilder film takes on the much-loved character of Sherlock Holmes and attempts to humanize him by examining his vulnerabilities: his ambiguous sexuality and his cocaine addiction. ... Although the film was cut by more than 30 minutes by United Artists, what is left of this satirical, intimate look at the revered character is intriguing and wholly entertaining. Nevertheless it bombed at the box office. The sets were designed under the direction of André Trauner, who re-created, in detail, the Victorian atmosphere of Holmes's London residence, including a massive back-lot reproduction of Baker Street. The score by Miklos Rozsa is one of his most impressive, and he can be seen conducting it during the ballet sequence. Robert Stephens is an excellent, never-before-seen Holmes, one with wild mood swings which veil his insecurities. Colin Blakely's Dr. Watson is loyal, humorous, and energetic, while Christopher Lee as Mycroft is excellent, making him the only actor in screen history to play both the detective (in the German-made SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE NECKLACE OF DEATH) and his brother."