SHERLOCK HOLMES: 100-YEARS-LOST FILM FOUND AT CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE [View all]
Source: Silent Film org
The silent film version of Sherlock Holmes starring William Gillette has been found! Long considered lost since its first release, the Gillette film is a vital missing link in the history of Holmes on screen. Directed by Arthur Berthelet and produced by Essanay Studios in 1916, it was discovered at the Cinémathèque Française only a few weeks ago.
By the time the film was made, Gillette had been established as the worlds foremost interpreter of Holmes on stage. He gave his face and manner to the detective and inspired the classic illustrations of Frederic Dorr Steele. Dynamic but calm, he played Holmes in the colorful attirebent-stemmed briar, ornate dressing gown, and deerstalker capthat has been identified ever since with the character. Just as durable was Gillettes distinctive bearing, preserved in the film: the charismatic, all-seeing detective who dominates scenes with his preternatural stillness.
Booth Tarkington famously wrote after seeing Gillette on stage, I would rather see you play Sherlock Holmes than be a child again on Christmas morning. For the well-known Chicago bookman, Vincent Starrett, Gillette was beyond criticism. But perhaps the most telling accolade came from Arthur Conan Doyle himself, who had killed Holmes off and thought he was through with the character. After reading Gillettes adaptation for the stage, he said, Its good to see the old chap back.
Sir Arthur, you dont know the half of it, says Professor Russell Merritt, the supervising editor of the project and member of the Baker Street Irregulars. At last we get to see for ourselves the actor who kept the first generation of Sherlockians spellbound. We can also see where the future HolmesesRathbone, Brett, Cumberbatch, and the restcome from. As far as Holmes is concerned, theres not an actor dead or alive who hasnt consciously or intuitively played off Gillette.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.silentfilm.org/homepage/whats-new/lost-and-found