50 films: 1970 - The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Hazel and I went to the BFI to see Mark Gatiss introduce a screening of Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. I'd not seen the film for many years, in fact I wasn't 100% sure I had seen it, and when Mark effused about it I started to wonder how I could forget such a clearly amazing film.

I had seen the film before, but I barely remembered it partly because it was a long time ago, and partly because, while mostly good, and often great, it wasn't quite as remarkable as Mr Gatiss suggested. Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely make a splendid Holmes and Watson, and always nice to see Christopher Lee pop up.

But it was a fun twisty plot that clearly had more than a little influence on Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

(play on YouTube)

Nice Miklós Rózsa score too.

(play on YouTube)