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Sherlock Holmes (1916 film)

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Sherlock Holmes
Ad in Moving Picture World (October 1916)
Directed byArthur Berthelet
William Postance (assistant director)
Written byH. S. Sheldon (scenario)
Based onSherlock Holmes
by William Gillette
Characters
by Arthur Conan Doyle
StarringWilliam Gillette
Edward Fielding
Ernest Maupain
Distributed byEssanay Studios
Release date
  • May 15, 1916 (1916-05-15)
Running time
116 mins (7 reels)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Budget$19,000

Sherlock Holmes is a 1916 American silent film starring William Gillette as Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Directed by Arthur Berthelet, it was produced by Essanay Studios in Chicago.[1] The screenplay was adapted from the 1899 stage play of the same name, which in turn was based on the stories, "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Final Problem," and A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.[2]

All surviving prints of the 1916 film Sherlock Holmes were once thought to be lost.[3] However, on October 1, 2014, it was announced that a copy had been discovered in a film archive in France.[4]

Plot

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A prince, the heir apparent to a large empire, was once the lover of Alice Faulkner's sister. During their love affair, he had written some incriminating letters to her. Alice was given these letters for safe keeping on the deathbed of her sister. Count von Stalburg, the prince's assistant, and Sir Edward Palmer, a high British official, have been given the task of negotiating the restitution of the letters to the prince prior to his upcoming marriage.

However, Alice Faulkner is being held captive by the Larrabees, a husband and wife team of crooks who realize the value of the letters and are trying to get them from Alice in order to blackmail the prince. Failing to secure the letters for themselves, they decide to involve Professor Moriarty in the affair. The film unfolds as a battle of wits ensues between Moriarty and Holmes.

Dr. Watson is only marginally involved until the final third. Holmes receives more assistance from an associate named Forman and a young bellboy named Billy.

Full film
A publicity still of Sherlock Holmes

Cast

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Release

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The film was released in the US as a seven-reel feature. In 1920, after World War I was over and US films were returning to Western European screens, it was released in France in an expanded nine-reel format, which could be shown as a four-part serial, a popular format at the time. The first episode had three reels while the other three had two reels each.

Production

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The film is based on the 1899 stage play Sherlock Holmes. Gillette had played the role of Holmes 1,300 times on stage before it was made into a "moving picture". It was he who was responsible for much of the costume still associated with the character, notably the deerstalker hat and the calabash pipe.[5][6] Sherlock Holmes is believed to be the only filmed record of his iconic portrayal.[2][7]

Preservation

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The 1916 print of Sherlock Holmes had long been considered a lost film. However, on October 1, 2014, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) and the Cinémathèque Française announced that a print of the film had been found in the Cinémathèque's collection in Paris.[8] The restoration of the film was overseen by SFSFF board president Robert Byrne in collaboration with the Cinémathèque Française. The French premiere of the restored film took place in January 2015; the U.S. premiere followed in May 2015.[4][9]

The print that was found is a nitrate negative of the nine-reel serial with French-language intertitles that were translated from French back into English by Daniel Gallagher in consultation with William Gillette's original 19th century manuscripts, which are preserved at the Chicago History Museum.[2] The film had been mixed up with other Holmes-related media at the Cinémathèque and had been incorrectly labeled.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sherlock Holmes (1916)". The Progressive Silent Film List.
  2. ^ a b c Pulver, Andrew; Willsher, Kim (October 2, 2014). "'Holy grail' of Sherlock Holmes films discovered at Cinémathèque Française". The Guardian. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  3. ^ Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. p. 175. ISBN 9780857687760.
  4. ^ a b "Lost and FOUND! Sherlock Holmes: 100-years-lost film found at Cinémathèque Française". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. p. 174. ISBN 9780857687760.
  6. ^ Eyles, Allen (1986). Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration. Harper & Row. p. 39. ISBN 0-06-015620-1.
  7. ^ "Lost Sherlock Holmes film found in France after 100 years". CBC News. October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  8. ^ de Castella, Tom (January 26, 2015). "William Gillette: Five ways he transformed how Sherlock Holmes looks and talks". BBC News. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Phillips, Michael (May 21, 2015). "Lost Sherlock Holmes Film Shot in Chicago from 1916 Found in France". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  10. ^ "Sherlock Holmes silent classic uncovered in Paris vault". BBC News. October 3, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
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