I first saw this movie in 2020, at the recommendation of a friend, and loved it. It stuck with me and I've been waiting for it to reappear on Prime so I could watch it again. I found it's back the other night, so dove in immediately.
While The Seven-Percent Solution remains my favorite Sherlock Holmes film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes now takes second place. It ticks all the boxes of what I personally look for. I must have an off-center idea of who Sherlock Holmes is, as what I think of as non-mainstream portrayals satisfy me the most. What surprises me is that it took me this long to discover this movie.
The basic plot involves Holmes and Watson taking on the case of a woman suffering amnesia after an attempt on her life. As her memory returns, she hires them to find her missing husband. Of course, a lot more is at stake than a missing person. The mystery takes them to Scotland, involves the Loch Ness monster, state secrets, spies, and Queen Victoria.
Things that stand out for me about this version.
1. Holmes often seems to be portrayed as stern, even cranky a lot of times. This Holmes, played by Robert Stephens, is neither. Serious, yes, but he's also good-natured and outright witty. He's probably the only serious version of Holmes who makes me laugh. Given this movie is co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, Sherlock being witty should hardly be a surprise. Wilder's dialogue is always a joy. All of the writing is sharp in this.
2. Christopher Lee as Mycroft Holmes is highly amusing. I love him sternly warning Sherlock off the case, and how that simply provokes Sherlock to dive in deeper. Of course, if he just told his brother what was going on up front... sure, he'd be divulging national secrets, but he would have saved himself a lot of headaches and Sherlock a lot of heartache. Of course, we'd also have no movie. (It also fits with his rigid stubbornness in this film not to say anything.)
3. Miklos Rozsa's score is beautiful, and the theme for Gabrielle is lovely and haunting.
4. Parasols and their uses.
5. On location castles.
6. Mrs. Hudson is wonderful. I love her long-suffering cry of "what have I done this time?"
7. The epilogue, and how Watson doesn't even attempt to stop Holmes, because he knows.
I understand that this movie influenced the Benedict Cumberbatch series, and I can see that. This is one I need to pick up on blu-ray so I'm not dependent on Prime's schedule to watch it again.
