Rent The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

Period Comedy - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes review by Steve

Pleasant though patchy Sherlock Holmes spoof from Billy Wilder which is a case of what might have been. Much of this unevenness is surely due to the studio editing out 90 minutes of (now lost) footage from the final release in the director’s absence. There's a superior period production, but it's a disappointment.

Wilder has a pedigree for adapting classic crime literature, with Double Indemnity (1944) and Witness for the Prosecution (1958). The main difference here is this is not a version of a story by Arthur Conan Doyle. And the mystery presented- of the appearance of the Loch Ness Monster- just isn’t all that interesting.

Of course, the title tells us that this is something else. It is principally about Holmes' sexuality, including why two middle aged bachelors are living together. There is nothing particularly original, though we get an impression of the immortal Victorian sleuth's personal sadness which leads to his use of the legendary 7% solution.

This was obviously made with love, though we can only wonder at the original cut. There’s a colourful support cast, with Irene Handl an ideal Mrs. Hudson. Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely are fine as Holmes and Dr. Watson, but hardly definitive. There’s not much here for admirers of the great detective, or the great director.

“The answer is yes, you’re being presumptuous.” - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes review by LJ

The witty dialogue and slightly more human approach to Holmes are a winning combination even if the plot in hindsight is lacking; the 50 minutes of deleted scenes (which now only exist in pieces) would have made this a brilliant character piece.

“You’ve saddled me with this improbable costume which the public now expects me to wear.”

“That is not my doing. Blame it on the illustrator.”