Rating: PG13
Genre:
Mystery
Release Date: 07/15/2003
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 125 Minutes
Flags: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: MGM
In
Billy Wilder's cinematic
homage to the spirit of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British stage luminary
Robert Stephens plays
Holmes, while
Colin Blakely is his friend and chronicler
Dr. Watson. This self-described "hitherto suppressed and thoroughly fascinating" tale concerns
Holmes' search for a missing mining engineer -- a case that may have a far-reaching effect on the national security of England. Along the way,
Holmes falls in love for the first time in his life, with enigmatic foreign beauty
Gabrielle Valladon (
Genevieve Page). In this 1970 film,
Wilder emphasizes such then-current topics as homosexuality (notably during the film's prologue) and drug addiction.
Christopher Lee, a former screen
Holmes himself, has a cameo (minus toupee) as
Sherlock's brother
Mycroft Holmes. Heavily re-edited and rearranged both before and after its release,
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes was a box-office disappointment when it came out in 1970. Since that time, its reputation has grown immeasurably, especially among those lucky enough to have seen a complete print.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide