The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Billy Wilder (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

What you don't know about Sherlock Holmes has made a great motion picture. [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

When a bored Holmes eagerly takes the case of Gabrielle Valladon after an attempt on her life, the search for her missing husband leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster.

Plot Keywords:

Loch Ness | Monk | Sherlock Holmes | Castle | Loch Ness Monster

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert Stephens	...	Sherlock Holmes
Colin Blakely	...	Dr. Watson
Geneviève Page	...	Gabrielle Valladon (as Genevieve Page)
Christopher Lee	...	Mycroft Holmes
Tamara Toumanova	...	Madame Petrova
Clive Revill	...	Rogozhin
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Hudson
Mollie Maureen	...	Queen Victoria
Stanley Holloway	...	Gravedigger
Catherine Lacey	...	Woman in wheelchair
Peter Madden	...	Von Tirpitz
Michael Balfour	...	Cabby
James Copeland	...	Guide
John Garrie	...	First carter
Godfrey James	...	Second carter
Robert Cawdron	...	Hotel manager
Alex McCrindle	...	Baggageman
Frank Thornton	...	Porter
Paul Hansard	...	Monk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philip Anthony	...	Lieutenant Commander (uncredited)
Graham Armitage	...	Wiggins (footman at Diogenes Club) (uncredited)
Charlie Young Atom	...	Submarine crewman (uncredited)
Kenneth Benda	...	Minister (uncredited)
Penny Brahms	...	Girl (uncredited)
Martin Carroll	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Ina De La Haye	...	Petrova's maid (uncredited)
Eric Francis	...	Gravedigger #2 (uncredited)
John Gatrell	...	Equerry (uncredited)
Ismed Hassan	...	Submarine crewman (uncredited)
Marilyn Head	...	Girl (uncredited)
Sheena Hunter	...	Girl (uncredited)
Annette Kerr	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Teddy Kiss Atom	...	Submarine crewman (uncredited)
Wendy Lingham	...	Girl (uncredited)
Anna Matisse	...	Girl (uncredited)
Kynaston Reeves	...	Old man (uncredited)
Daphne Riggs	...	Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
Philip Ross	...	McKellar (uncredited)
Miklós Rózsa	...	Orchestra conductor (uncredited)
John Scott	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Willie Shearer	...	Submarine crewman (uncredited)
Judy Spooner	...	Twin (uncredited)
Tina Spooner	...	Twin (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Arthur Conan Doyle		(characters) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Billy Wilder		(written by) and
I.A.L. Diamond		(written by)

Produced by
I.A.L. Diamond	....	associate producer
Billy Wilder	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Christopher Challis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ernest Walter

Casting by
Lesley De Pettit		(as Lesley De Pettitt)

Production Design by
Alexandre Trauner		(as Alexander Trauner)

Art Direction by
Tony Inglis

Set Decoration by
Harry Cordwell		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Julie Harris

Makeup Department
Biddy Chrystal	....	hair stylist
Ernest Gasser	....	makeup artist
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Larry DeWaay	....	production supervisor
Eric Rattray	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Pevsner	....	assistant director

Art Department
Leon Davis	....	construction manager
Vernon Dixon	....	set dresser
Terry Parr	....	set dresser
Frank Willson	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Baker	....	sound editor
J.W.N. Daniel	....	sound recordist
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound recordist
Dudley Messenger	....	sound recordist
Danny Daniel	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Graham V. Hartstone	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)
John Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Charlie McFadden	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects
Wally Veevers	....	special effects
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator (as Frederick Cooper)
John Palmer	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dorothy Edwards	....	wardrobe supervisor: women (uncredited)
John Hilling	....	wardrobe supervisor: men (uncredited)

Music Department
Miklós Rózsa	....	conductor (as Miklos Rozsa)
Angela Morley	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Maurice Binder	....	title designer
David Blair	....	ballet advisor
David Blair	....	dance arranger
Henry E. Lester	....	production consultant: Sir Nigel Films Ltd.
Ivo Nightingale	....	location manager
Elaine Schreyeck	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Compton Films
• Mirisch Corporation, The
• Phalanx Productions
• Sir Nigel Films

Distributors

• United Artists Corporation (1970) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Films (1971) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1979) (1993) (2001) (Finland) (TV)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (UK) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (????) (Finland) (video)

Other Companies

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The  orchestra
• Tadlow Music  score album released by (limited edition)

Runtime:

125 min | Germany:120 min (TV version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #22200) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | USA:GP (original rating) | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, Highlands, Scotland, UK

Company:

Compton Films

Trivia:

With a 260-page script and a budget of $10 million, this was set to be a 165-minute Road Show picture with an intermission for comfort. It was to be the "Big One" for Billy Wilder. The shooting schedule ran for six months and resulted in a rough-cut that came in at three hours and 20 minutes. The film was originally structured as a series of very specifically structured linked episodes, each with a particular title and theme. The opening sequence was to feature Watson's grandson in London claiming his inherited dispatch box from Cox & Co. and there was also a flashback to Holmes' Oxford days to explain his distrust of women. All were shot, but deleted from the final print. So what happened? Well, it appears that United Artists suffered a number of major film flops in 1969 that pretty much scuppered the road show format for Wilder's massive project. Studio execs ordered the film to be cut to fill a regular theatrical running time, whittling it down to a 125-minute version. The episodic format made the pruning process relatively simple, so cut were the opening sequence, the Oxford flashback and two full episodes entitled "The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners" at 15 minutes and "The Curious Case of the Upside Down Room" at 30 minutes. We can only hope that the full footage can one day be restored, although a full print is not currently thought to exist.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Holmes, Watson and Gabrielle get off the train at Inverness, the train goes forward to another destination. The railway station at Inverness is a terminus.

Quotes:

Holmes: We all have occasional failures. Fortunately Dr. Watson never writes about mine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

A marvelous, delightful, and must see look at the best know and most famous consulting detective.

Of the films on Sherlock Holmes which have been made, this Billy Wilder version is a masterful blend of drama and comedy. It also has excellent score to match this marvelous film and its main character.

Robert Stephens has captured the mind set of Holmes with a bit of humor added. However, his performance seems slightly detracted with a touch of femininity, but works well within the framework of the film. Holmes, one of the best minds in England, also has a dark side.

Colin Blakely is a fun and delightful bumbling Dr. John Watson, as one might expect in a comic and light hearted film of this nature.

Who else to play Mycroft, but the very talented and marvelous actor, Christopher Lee, who is always a treat to watch.

Genevieve Page is an absolute beautiful and charming woman, making the perfect mystery woman, until her true identity is revealed. We discover a bit of Sherlock's past plans to have wed. But Ms. Page has become the only other woman that has managed to steel the affections of Sherlock's heart.

Over all, an excellent film and a must for any one who enjoys Sherlock Holmes. There is some silly and fun parts to this film, but it only adds to the color and favor of the film and characters. Keep in mind that this is not the PBS series in which you have an entirely different style of Holmes and Watson.

A tid bit for the true movie and Holmes' buffs who enjoy this film. The movie runs over 2 hours, but rumors exists that @50 minutes of the film were cut out before it was released. How marvelous it would be if the 50 minutes were found and added back to the film so we could see the full vision of what Billy Wilder wanted us to see. This leaves us with a real mystery as to what was left on a cutting room floor to be swept out. Or was it swept out? Perhaps as the film begins, the words of Dr. Watson are correct, "Somewhere in the vaults in a bank in London is a tin dispatch box with my name on it...". ???