Sherlock Holmes saw something of a resurgence in the 1970s. All sorts of directors took their stabs at the character, including Bob Clark (Murder by Decree), Herbert Ross (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), and even Gene Wilder (The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother). But preceding all of these in 1970 was Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, which claimed to show no less than a side of the famous sleuth we've never seen before. Starring Robert Stephens as Sherlock himself and Colin Blakely as Dr. Watson, the film is a respectful tale that doesn't live up to this boast, which wouldn't be a bother if viewers hadn't received a rather tiresome and choppy procedural instead.

Holmes admirers know all his escapades inside and out, from battling Professor Moriarty to that darn Baskerville hound. But as our story begins, the opening of a decades-old box reveals an adventure left out of the pages of Strand magazine. After returning home from his latest mystery, Holmes endures a boredom not even his notorious cocaine concoction can cure. But things are soon shaken up by the arrival of two very unique women. One is an aging ballerina with quite the proposition for Holmes, but it's the second fetching face that really sets his heart aflutter. When they agree to help a Belgian beauty (Genevieve Page), Holmes and Watson embark on a case that takes them all the way to Scotland -- where they just may come face to face with old Nessie herself.

I'm not sure who to assign blame for Private Life's slipshod state, knowing it's but a shell of the flick it was intended to be. Wilder first envisioned a Holmesian epic, running over three hours in length and made up of multiple episodes. All got filmed, but one too many studio hardships forced Wilder to include just two segments in the end. Who knows how Private Life would have played in its original form, though the excised vignettes leave a gaping hole where some fun could most definitely have been shared. Neither of the tales that made it have much to do with one another, and Wilder's attempts to bridge them only makes this more noticeable. The one common thread the entire "private life" angle is built on involves Sherlock's romantic woes. While Story #1 is good for a wry chuckle, #2's aspirations are never established enough to deserve the profound note things end upon.

Colin Blakely & Robert Stephens

Private Life's satire is also far less subversive than it likes to think. Turning Holmes on his ear ends with the man bemoaning the ridiculous deerstalker everyone expects him to wear. The traditional Holmes game is soon afoot, but the central mystery is too dull and prolonged to have a good time following it. But I wouldn't call this a lazy film, for it at least regards its source material with real affection. Wilder took great pains to make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fans feel at home visually; it's hard to imagine something that looks like this being anything but a Holmes story. The performances, however, are as mixed as bags can get. Stephens nails the detective's restless disposition, but more than once does he veer dangerously close to drama queen territory. Blakely's Watson is great to start, though he soon becomes a bumbling mess that would make Nigel Bruce cringe.

Followers of the world's most famous gumshoe may be relieved that The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes takes very few liberties with the character. He's a man not many like to see drastically overhauled, so Wilder ensures the picture's suspense and overall spirit are in good nature. But though it's a pleasant enough experience, one sees The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes as one boat that could have used a little more rocking.

Director: Billy Wilder

Writers: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond

Cast: Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Genevieve Page, Christopher Lee, Irene Handl

Rating: PG-13 (some sensuality)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Run Time: 125 minutes

Studio: United Artists

Format: Color, widescreen

Photo credits: United Artists