Review of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) by Stuart K — 27 May 2009

Billy Wilder, who has made countless movie classics over the years from film noirs in the 1940's to his comedies of the late 1950's and early 60's, took on the might of Sherlock Holmes with this one.

Which at the time was his most epic project to date, it is also one of his very best films and a glourious love letter to Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. This film starts off with notes and artifacts found in a dusty old bank vault, which are opened 50 years after the death of Dr.

John Watson (Colin Blakely), who documented the life and times of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens). The film documents the case of a wife's missing husband, which also includes six missing midgets, villainous monks, a mysterious castle on the bank of Loch Ness and something living in the Loch too, and there's twists and turns along the way, and nothing is what it seems.

This Holmes film was done with a light comic touch, but it looks beautiful, and Stephens was a good choice for Holmes, and Blakely made a fine Watson. It captures the spirit of the stories brilliantly, even if it is an original story in it's own right, (with inspiration from other Sherlock Holmes stories), it's a pity studio interference prevented this from being better, somewhere there's more of this.

..