Queen Victoria (Susan Field) sends an important document to the British Foreign Secretary. It is about a writing on which the destiny of the nation depends. That same night the message is stolen, being taken from the safe in Lord Redecliff's (John Le Mesurier) bedroom. Sherlock Holmes' younger brother is annoyed that he has had to live in Sherlock's shadow for so long. When Sherlock goes to the continent, he sends a case to his brother named Sigerson (Gene Wilder) who constantly tries with varying success, to imitate Sherlock's deductive and observational tricks. The younger brother of the consulting detective tries to steal Sherlock's glory by solving an important issue assisted by an eccentric Scotland Yard detective Orville Sacker (Marty Feldman) and a lovely but suspicious actress (Madeline Kahn) .
Gene Wilder (the producers, The woman in red) debuts as director of this parody about the famous detective immortalized by Arthur Conan Doyle. Here the unknown brother of the famous Sherlock takes on some of his brother's more disposable excessses and makes some hilarious moves. Gene Wilder incorporates a hypothetical brother named Sigerson, played by himself, who believes himself superior to his relative Sherlock. Moments of engaging farce borrowed from the Mel Brooks school of parody and parts of the Brooks ensemble cast as well. Fussily set in Victorian times with colorful cinematagraphy by cameraman Gerry Fisher, lively musical score by composer John Morris, nice production design from Terence Marsh and evocative sets. Of course the best and most outrageous scenes are the dance scenes when they enter the luxurious and high class ballroom and start dancing with their butts in the air. These are mostly played for laughs, but includes one piece of calculated excitement with really stirs the blood, as Gene Wilder and Roy Kinnear swing at each other with giant-sized boot and glove from the tops of speeding carriages. There are some amusing scenes involving notorious secondaries, such as: Dom DeLuise, Leo McKern, Roy Kinnear, John Le Mesurier, Douglas Wilmer, Thorley Walters, Albert Finney, among others.
The picture was mediocrely directed by Gene Wilder, who doesn't distributes what is expected from this great comic actor. Gene made his name as a funny man in Brooks' movies and his film debut as star-director turns out to be a typically Brooksian curate's egg of a helter-skelter farce. Gene Wilder was a good comedian (Frisco kid, Stir Crazy, Willy Wonka, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Blazing saddles, Hanky Panky, The Little Prince, Silver Streak) who directed a few of acceptable films, such as: The Lady in Red, Haunted Honeymoon, The French Method, The World's Greatest Lover and The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother . Rating: 5.5/10. Average but passable.
Gene Wilder (the producers, The woman in red) debuts as director of this parody about the famous detective immortalized by Arthur Conan Doyle. Here the unknown brother of the famous Sherlock takes on some of his brother's more disposable excessses and makes some hilarious moves. Gene Wilder incorporates a hypothetical brother named Sigerson, played by himself, who believes himself superior to his relative Sherlock. Moments of engaging farce borrowed from the Mel Brooks school of parody and parts of the Brooks ensemble cast as well. Fussily set in Victorian times with colorful cinematagraphy by cameraman Gerry Fisher, lively musical score by composer John Morris, nice production design from Terence Marsh and evocative sets. Of course the best and most outrageous scenes are the dance scenes when they enter the luxurious and high class ballroom and start dancing with their butts in the air. These are mostly played for laughs, but includes one piece of calculated excitement with really stirs the blood, as Gene Wilder and Roy Kinnear swing at each other with giant-sized boot and glove from the tops of speeding carriages. There are some amusing scenes involving notorious secondaries, such as: Dom DeLuise, Leo McKern, Roy Kinnear, John Le Mesurier, Douglas Wilmer, Thorley Walters, Albert Finney, among others.
The picture was mediocrely directed by Gene Wilder, who doesn't distributes what is expected from this great comic actor. Gene made his name as a funny man in Brooks' movies and his film debut as star-director turns out to be a typically Brooksian curate's egg of a helter-skelter farce. Gene Wilder was a good comedian (Frisco kid, Stir Crazy, Willy Wonka, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Blazing saddles, Hanky Panky, The Little Prince, Silver Streak) who directed a few of acceptable films, such as: The Lady in Red, Haunted Honeymoon, The French Method, The World's Greatest Lover and The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother . Rating: 5.5/10. Average but passable.