8 Revisionist Holmes
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James Chapman
Abstract
Chapter 8 focuses on Billy Wilder’s film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). It shows how Wilder and co-writer I. A. L. Diamond created a multi-layered Holmes film that divided critics but marks a significant moment of change for the screen career of the Great Detective. Private Life is both an ironic commentary on the idea of Holmes as a fictional construct and a critical investigation of late Victorian hubris. It flopped at the box office but was the catalyst for a cycle of ‘revisionist’ Holmes films that are also discussed in the chapter: The Seven Per-Cent Solution (1976), Murder by Decree (1979) and Young Sherlock Holmes (1985).
Abstract
Chapter 8 focuses on Billy Wilder’s film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). It shows how Wilder and co-writer I. A. L. Diamond created a multi-layered Holmes film that divided critics but marks a significant moment of change for the screen career of the Great Detective. Private Life is both an ironic commentary on the idea of Holmes as a fictional construct and a critical investigation of late Victorian hubris. It flopped at the box office but was the catalyst for a cycle of ‘revisionist’ Holmes films that are also discussed in the chapter: The Seven Per-Cent Solution (1976), Murder by Decree (1979) and Young Sherlock Holmes (1985).
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
