Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
5.8
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron
5.8
1 Ratings
100
90
80
70
60
51
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Director
  
Arthur Berthelet

Distributed by
  
Essanay Studios

5.7/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Mystery

Duration
  

Country
  
United States

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) movie poster

Language
  
Silent film English intertitles

Writer
  
Arthur Conan Doyle
,
William Gillette

Release date
  
May 15, 1916 (1916-05-15)

Cast
  
William Gillette
(Sherlock Holmes),
Ernest Maupain
(Professor Moriarty),
Marjorie Kay
(Alice Faulkner),
Edward Fielding
(Dr. Watson),
Stewart Robbins
(Benjamin Forman),
Hugh Thompson
(Sir Edward Leighton)

Screenplay
  
William Gillette, Arthur Conan Doyle, H.S. Sheldon

Genres
  
Silent film, Short Film, Drama, Detective fiction, Indie film, Mystery

Similar movies
  
Mr. Holmes
,
Sarabham
,
Fargo
,
Let's Be Cops
,
12 Years a Slave
,
Taken 2

Sherlock holmes 1916 william gillette all published segments may 2015


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

Contents

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) wwwgstaticcomtvthumbmovieposters12105007p12

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

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Antti Alanen Film Diary Sherlock Holmes 1916 William Gillette

William gillette as sherlock holmes audio video


Plot

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Markings Sherlock Holmes William Gillettes lost 1916 Silent Film

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.

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Longlost 1916 Sherlock Holmes is found restored CBS News

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.

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Sherlock Holmes 1916 film Alchetron the free social encyclopedia

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.

Release

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Markings Sherlock Holmes William Gillettes lost 1916 Silent Film

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 reels format. This was so it 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

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Cinmathque Franaise discovers 1916 Sherlock Holmes film BFI

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 (a pipe Holmes never smoked in any of Conan Doyle's novellas). Sherlock Holmes is believed to be the only filmed record of his iconic portrayal. A young Charlie Chaplin played Billy during one of the play's runs in London in the late 1900s.

Preservation

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. 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.

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

References

Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) Wikipedia
Sherlock Holmes (1916 film) IMDbSherlock Holmes (1916 film) themoviedb.org