The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)

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 | Loch Ness Monster | Sherlock Holmes | Midget | Train

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 (uncredited)
Charlie Young Atom	...	Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
Kenneth Benda	...	Minister (uncredited)
George Benson	...	Inspector Lestrade (uncredited)
Anne Blake	...	Madame (uncredited)
Penny Brahms	...	Girl (uncredited)
Martin Carroll	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Ina De La Haye	...	Petrova's Maid (uncredited)
Michael Elwyn	...	Cassidy (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	....	hairdresser
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
Michael Boone	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
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
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	....	orchestra
Miklós Rózsa	....	conductor (as Miklos Rozsa)
Angela Morley	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Lucie Svehlova	....	orchestra leader (Tadlow re-recording ) (uncredited)
Lucie Svehlova	....	solo violin (Tadlow re-recording ) (uncredited)
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Maurice Binder	....	title designer: main title
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

• Mirisch Production Company, The (presents)
• Mirisch Films (as Mirisch Films Limited)
• Sir Nigel Films (as Sir Nigel Films Ltd.) (in association with)
• Phalanx Productions (as Phalanx Productions, Inc.) (copyright holder)
• Mirisch Corporation, The (as Mirisch Productions, Inc.) (copyright holder)
• Compton Films (uncredited)

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)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (The Sherlock Holmes Collection)

Other Companies

• Panavision  filmed in (as Panavision®)
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color (as De Luxe®)
• Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)  approved by
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The  orchestra
• Pinewood Studios  made at (as Pinewood Studios, London, England)
• Tadlow Music  score album released by: limited edition (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

125 min | Germany:120 min (TV version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian | French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #22200) | New Zealand:PG | 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:

Inverness, Highland, Scotland, UK

Company:

Mirisch Production Company, The

Trivia:

Cameo: [Miklós Rózsa]Uncredited, the film's composer as an orchestra conductor of the Swan Lake ballet.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Towards the end, when the submarine sinks we see a bible and a bottle of champagne float to the surface - alas the bottle of champagne would not float.

Quotes:

[about Madame Petrova]
Watson:They say twelve men have died for her.
Holmes:Really?
Watson:Six commited suicide, four were killed in duels and one fell out of the gallery of the Vienna Opera House.
Holmes:That's only eleven.
Watson:The man who fell from the gallery landed on top of another man in the orchestra.
Holmes:That makes an even dozen... in a messy sort of way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) (V)

Soundtrack:

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Opus 24

Garbled and Commercialized

The difficulties in producing 'The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes' are denoting for an aging director who refused to accept a change in the film industry. Originally, this film was more than three hours long and an anthology of Holmes' most tricky cases. Today's version is not that complex and emotionally flatter. It was shortened at the instigation of United Artists because other films with over-length of that time (like 'Star' (1968) by Robert Wise) flopped.

But, Wilder's film is still a little masterpiece, mainly due to the brilliant camera work of Christopher Challis with wonderful shots full of tender sensation and a certain wistfulness. Sadly without big success at the cash boxes which would have been more than deserved.