| Sherlock Holmes | |
|---|---|
 Ad inMoving Picture World (October 1916) | |
| Directed by | Arthur Berthelet William Postance (assistant director) |
| Written by | H. S. Sheldon (scenario) |
| Based on | Sherlock Holmes byWilliam Gillette Characters byArthur Conan Doyle |
| Starring | William Gillette Edward Fielding Ernest Maupain |
| Distributed by | Essanay Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 116 mins (7reels) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (Englishintertitles) |
| Budget | $19,000 |
Sherlock Holmes is a 1916 Americansilent film starringWilliam Gillette asArthur Conan Doyle'sSherlock Holmes. Directed byArthur Berthelet, it was produced byEssanay Studios inChicago.[1] The screenplay was adapted from the1899 stage play of the same name, which in turn was based on the stories, "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Final Problem," andA Study in Scarlet byArthur Conan Doyle.[2]
All surviving prints of the 1916 filmSherlock Holmes were once thought to belost.[3] However, on October 1, 2014, it was announced that a copy had been discovered in a film archive in France.[4]
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 involveProfessor 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.
The film was released in the US as a seven-reel feature. In 1920, afterWorld 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.
The film is based on the 1899 stage playSherlock 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 thedeerstalker hat and thecalabash pipe.[5][6]Sherlock Holmes is believed to be the only filmed record of his iconic portrayal.[2][7]
The 1916 print ofSherlock Holmes had long been considered alost film. However, on October 1, 2014, theSan Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) and theCinémathèque 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 anitrate 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]
