Six-time Academy Award winner Billy Wilder is best known for his sophisticated comedies Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, as well as film noir classics Sunset Blvd and Double Indemnity. Late in his career, he took on one of literature's best-loved characters with a film that takes a deeper look at the man behind the legend in one of his strangest adventures.
Originally intended to be an epic roadshow theatrical presentation featuring four separate mysteries with a modern-day prologue and an intermission, Wilder was ordered by the studio to cut his film down to two hours. What remains are two of the stories and a shortened introduction. The main plot involves a mysterious woman who engages Holmes to find her missing husband, a trail that leads to unexpected places, both geographically and emotionally.
The film was originally slated to star Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers, but Wilder decided to go with lesser-known faces, casting esteemed stage actor Robert Stephens, who turns in what is now regarded as one of the best Holmes portrayals. Joining him is Colin Blakely as Watson, and screen icon Christopher Lee (who had previously played Holmes on multiple occasions) as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's "smarter" brother.
Wilder took over ten years to write the screenplay, a collaboration with longtime partner I.A.L. Diamond (who also co-wrote The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, and eleven other films with Wilder). A daring choice at the time was the attention paid to Holmes' cocaine habit, something which hadn't been mentioned in a film adaptation since the 1930's. There is also an exploration of the unconventional relationship between Holmes and Watson, as well as Holmes' attitude towards women.
The film did not do particularly well at the box office, and received a mixed critical reception. However, it is now recognized as one of Wilder's best late-period films, as well as one of the most unique and "human" takes on the Holmes mythos.
Film runs 2 hrs.
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