The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

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The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

PG-13

Released Dec 3, 1970

2h 5m

Adventure

Comedy

Crime

Drama

LGBTQ+

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87%

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30 Reviews

73%

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2,500+ Ratings

A bored Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) meets Madame Petrova (Tamara Toumanova), a famed ballerina, who tries to seduce him, hoping that their child will have her body and his brains. He manages to extract himself from her grasp, using Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) as a decoy. Then he and the doctor head for Loch Ness in search of the missing husband of Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page). While there, they meet Sherlock's brother, Mycroft (Christopher Lee), who aids them in solving the mystery.

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Stefan Kanfer

TIME Magazine

The entire effort may, I think, be ascribed to an insufficiency of imagination.

Feb 8, 2018

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

The plotting is weak, and ill-served by the movie's generally lackadaisical approach; but the dialogue is witty, and Wilder and Diamond get a lot of mileage out of the idea that Sherlock Holmes is as fragile as he is brilliant.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 22, 2014

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Guardian

Billy Wilder's endearingly romantic The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is...worth seeing just for Alexandre Trauner's sets, especially a magical Baker Street.

Aug 14, 2007

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a sly, bittersweet, autumnal film that approaches the Holmes legacy with a sense of humor and a sense of respect.

Apr 29, 2025

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It’s all meant to be an exercise in a Sherlock Holmes failure of sorts (and a rare love story of sorts), but when it’s not presented purely as comedy, it becomes a rather unamusing way to watch the iconic shamus work.

Rated: 4/10

Nov 8, 2024

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an entirely misguided and misbegotten misfire that surely marks the nadir of Wilder's filmography.

Rated: 1/4

Jun 18, 2021

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Bruce M

The original 3+ hour cut may have been better, but we'll never know. What is left is overlong, not very funny and very slow; what could have been terrific as a study in Holmes' repressed sexuality is just kind of... meh. Director Billy Wilder was certainly not on top of his game for this one.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

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Duncan C

Intelligence script and a poignant tale both moving and amusing from the days when the audience was not taken for granted

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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Jens B

Why have I ever doubted that Sherlock Holmes + Wilder/Diamond = a very good time? It's a nice comfort watch, and who would have thought that Sherlock finally comes out of the closet?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

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Alec B

An enjoyable examination of Holmes that's just melancholy enough to have the necessary stakes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

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Lanfranco C

An unconventional spy story with a deep meaning.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

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Brian S

Many will miss the point but this is Wilder at his finest, showing the great detective at his lowest! Here we get Sherlock Holmes the flailing human.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/23

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Billy Wilder

Director

Robert Stephens

Sherlock Holmes

Colin Blakely

Dr.John H. Watson

Geneviève Page

Ilse von Hoffmanstal, aka Gabrielle Valladon

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Synopsis

A bored Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) meets Madame Petrova (Tamara Toumanova), a famed ballerina, who tries to seduce him, hoping that their child will have her body and his brains. He manages to extract himself from her grasp, using Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) as a decoy. Then he and the doctor head for Loch Ness in search of the missing husband of Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page). While there, they meet Sherlock's brother, Mycroft (Christopher Lee), who aids them in solving the mystery.

Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Billy Wilder
Screenwriter: I.A.L. Diamond, Arthur Conan Doyle, Billy Wilder
Distributor: Nothing's New Vintage Media, United Artists
Production Co: The Mirisch Corporation [us], Compton Films, Phalanx Productions, Sir Nigel Films
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 1970, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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