In
my humble estimate, THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ($20) is
one of the most brilliant of all writer/director/producer Billy Wilder’s
cinematic works. Sadly, it is also one of Wilder’s most under
appreciated gems, as well as being a film whose original scope would seem
lost to time. As originally envisioned, THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK
HOLMES was to include four separate unknown "adventures"
involving the legendary residents of 221B Baker Street. However, two of
these segments were removed prior to the film’s release (to reduce the
running time), and efforts in recent years to locate all the missing
footage have proved less than successful. In its present form, THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES offers a Wilder-esque spin on the
characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, yet it remains completely
faithful to the spirit of Holmes and Watson. Wilder and co-writer I.A.L.
Diamond’s meticulously crafted screenplay nails every aspect of the
characters and settings, then it does one extraordinary and unexpected
thing- it turns the world’s most famous consulting detective into human
being.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES starts off in a London bank vault
fifty years after the death of Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely), at which time,
a strongbox containing memorabilia and several unpublished works is
opened. Although Watson chronicled his adventures with Sherlock Holmes
(Robert Stephens) during his lifetime, the personal nature of these
particular exploits kept them from circulation until all involved parties
were long dead. As the manuscript is read, the film flashes back to the
time and places of the incidents themselves. The first, and decidedly more
amusing of the two, finds Holmes and Watson being invited to a performance
of the ballet, where the Russian prima ballerina has a most unusual and
urgent need of the consulting detective’s services.
As
for the second and more intricately involved story, it begins with a cabby
arriving at the door of 221B Baker Street with an amnesiac woman that he
fished out of the Thames. Holmes quickly deduces the woman’s identity as
that of Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page), who has come to London from
Brussels in search of her missing husband. Holmes’ brother Mycroft
(Christopher Lee) tries to warn him the case- claiming matters of national
security. However, the consulting detective proves unwilling drop the
matter, especially since someone has already tried to kill the very
beautiful Madame Valladon. Eventually, the trail to the missing husband
leads Holmes and Watson to Scotland’s Loch Ness, where they have an
encounter with the strange beastie that inhabits that particular body of
water. The cast of THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES also
features Tamara Toumanova, Clive Revill, Irene Handl, Mollie Maureen and
Stanley Holloway.
MGM
Home Entertainment has made THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been
enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. This is a truly fine transfer that
bests all preceding editions of the film, including the handsome
widescreen Laserdisc edition from Image Entertainment. The picture is
generally sharp and very nicely defined, although sequences that have been
purposely fogged and filtered do appear softer. Colors are saturated at a
realistic level and reflect a palette of early 1970’s film stocks and
DeLuxe processing. Earthen tones and pastels tend to dominate, but here
are occasions where strong reds and greens are rendered in an effective
fashion. Blacks appear accurate and whites are pretty crisp looking.
Shadow detail is more than respectable for a film that is more than three
decades old. The film element used for the transfer is in very good
condition, displaying only minor blemishes and only a slightly noticeable
grain structure. Digital compression artifacts are usually well concealed,
although the foggy sequence on Loch Ness is a tiny bit problematic.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES comes with a very nice sounding Dolby
Digital monaural soundtrack. Through the mastering process, the track has
been cleaned of noticeable audio anomalies and background hiss, leaving a
clear, precise sound. Fidelity is good for a monaural track of this
particular vintage and Miklós Rózsa’s wonderful score comes across in
a very pleasant fashion when amplified. Dialogue is always completely
intelligible and the actors’ voices have a good sense of presence. No
other language tracks have been encoded onto the DVD, although English,
Spanish and French subtitles are provided.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which feature access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a couple of extra
features. Christopher Lee: Mr. Holmes, Mr. Wilder is a
fifteen minute program featuring a new interview with actor Christopher
Lee, who discusses working with Billy Wilder, portraying Mycroft Holmes in
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and having the opportunity to
play the consulting detective himself in other productions. Additionally,
an Interview With Editor Ernest Walter runs twenty-eight
minutes, during which time Mr. Walter discusses his career and work on THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Surviving portions of the film’s
two deleted sequences and original prologue are also included amongst the
supplements, as is a photo gallery and theatrical trailer.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES is one of Billy Wilder’s most
brilliant and under appreciated works. If you have never had the
opportunity to experience this wonderful film for yourself, then MGM’s
fine widescreen DVD edition is certainly the way to go. If you are a fan,
then this is a must own disc. Very highly recommended.
In
my humble estimate, THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ($20) is
one of the most brilliant of all writer/director/producer Billy Wilder’s
cinematic works. Sadly, it is also one of Wilder’s most under
appreciated gems, as well as being a film whose original scope would seem
lost to time. As originally envisioned, THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK
HOLMES was to include four separate unknown "adventures"
involving the legendary residents of 221B Baker Street. However, two of
these segments were removed prior to the film’s release (to reduce the
running time), and efforts in recent years to locate all the missing
footage have proved less than successful. In its present form, THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES offers a Wilder-esque spin on the
characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, yet it remains completely
faithful to the spirit of Holmes and Watson. Wilder and co-writer I.A.L.
Diamond’s meticulously crafted screenplay nails every aspect of the
characters and settings, then it does one extraordinary and unexpected
thing- it turns the world’s most famous consulting detective into human
being.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES starts off in a London bank vault
fifty years after the death of Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely), at which time,
a strongbox containing memorabilia and several unpublished works is
opened. Although Watson chronicled his adventures with Sherlock Holmes
(Robert Stephens) during his lifetime, the personal nature of these
particular exploits kept them from circulation until all involved parties
were long dead. As the manuscript is read, the film flashes back to the
time and places of the incidents themselves. The first, and decidedly more
amusing of the two, finds Holmes and Watson being invited to a performance
of the ballet, where the Russian prima ballerina has a most unusual and
urgent need of the consulting detective’s services.
As
for the second and more intricately involved story, it begins with a cabby
arriving at the door of 221B Baker Street with an amnesiac woman that he
fished out of the Thames. Holmes quickly deduces the woman’s identity as
that of Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page), who has come to London from
Brussels in search of her missing husband. Holmes’ brother Mycroft
(Christopher Lee) tries to warn him the case- claiming matters of national
security. However, the consulting detective proves unwilling drop the
matter, especially since someone has already tried to kill the very
beautiful Madame Valladon. Eventually, the trail to the missing husband
leads Holmes and Watson to Scotland’s Loch Ness, where they have an
encounter with the strange beastie that inhabits that particular body of
water. The cast of THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES also
features Tamara Toumanova, Clive Revill, Irene Handl, Mollie Maureen and
Stanley Holloway.
MGM
Home Entertainment has made THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been
enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. This is a truly fine transfer that
bests all preceding editions of the film, including the handsome
widescreen Laserdisc edition from Image Entertainment. The picture is
generally sharp and very nicely defined, although sequences that have been
purposely fogged and filtered do appear softer. Colors are saturated at a
realistic level and reflect a palette of early 1970’s film stocks and
DeLuxe processing. Earthen tones and pastels tend to dominate, but here
are occasions where strong reds and greens are rendered in an effective
fashion. Blacks appear accurate and whites are pretty crisp looking.
Shadow detail is more than respectable for a film that is more than three
decades old. The film element used for the transfer is in very good
condition, displaying only minor blemishes and only a slightly noticeable
grain structure. Digital compression artifacts are usually well concealed,
although the foggy sequence on Loch Ness is a tiny bit problematic.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES comes with a very nice sounding Dolby
Digital monaural soundtrack. Through the mastering process, the track has
been cleaned of noticeable audio anomalies and background hiss, leaving a
clear, precise sound. Fidelity is good for a monaural track of this
particular vintage and Miklós Rózsa’s wonderful score comes across in
a very pleasant fashion when amplified. Dialogue is always completely
intelligible and the actors’ voices have a good sense of presence. No
other language tracks have been encoded onto the DVD, although English,
Spanish and French subtitles are provided.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which feature access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a couple of extra
features. Christopher Lee: Mr. Holmes, Mr. Wilder is a
fifteen minute program featuring a new interview with actor Christopher
Lee, who discusses working with Billy Wilder, portraying Mycroft Holmes in
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and having the opportunity to
play the consulting detective himself in other productions. Additionally,
an Interview With Editor Ernest Walter runs twenty-eight
minutes, during which time Mr. Walter discusses his career and work on THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Surviving portions of the film’s
two deleted sequences and original prologue are also included amongst the
supplements, as is a photo gallery and theatrical trailer.
THE
PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES is one of Billy Wilder’s most
brilliant and under appreciated works. If you have never had the
opportunity to experience this wonderful film for yourself, then MGM’s
fine widescreen DVD edition is certainly the way to go. If you are a fan,
then this is a must own disc. Very highly recommended.
