When Billy Wilder presented this personal vision of the famous Doyle’s character in 1970, he wasn’t well understood, and the film was a failure. “The private life of Sherlock Holmes” has been better appreciated with time like other Wilder’s works
The film shows a closer and vulnerable Sherlock. He is presented as a man, not as the God of logic. The classical stereotype is broken. The problems of the famous detective are not small details in his overwhelming personality; drugs addiction and misogyny are real problems of a very complex man.
Wilder also treats widely other important aspect of Holmes’ myth: his relationship with Watson. Their living together is not easy. The speculations about the homosexual nature of the relationship worry them both. In one unforgettable sequence of the film, Watson understands the truth about his admired friend. Wilder is able to explain it masterly, with humoristic elegance.
The film is so rich that each time I see it, I discover new things. Last night, I noticed other detail in the film: Holmes has to face his own fame. His life and adventures are being published in Watson’s articles. And his glory obviously exceeds himself. His public shadow is better than his “real” skills. His brother, the evil Maycroff remind it to him, in a very cruel way. That’s very interesting: a literary character living his own literary fame. As many other things: this narrative trick was invented by Cervantes, in “Don Quixote”.
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