Sherlock Holmes (1916) - October 20th 2015

[Gold Ranger]

in commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the film s original release, flicker alley along with the san francisco silent film festival and la cinémathèque française will release on blu-ray/dvd one of the holy grails of lost films: William gillette's sherlock holmes (1916). The release will be available for purchase on october 20.

Long considered lost until a complete dupe negative was identified in the vaults of la cinémathèque française last year, this william gillette film is a vital missing link in the history of sherlock holmes on screen. By the time it was produced at essanay studios in 1916, gillette had been established as the world s foremost interpreter of holmes on stage having played him approximately 1300 times since his 1899 debut. This newly-restored edition, thanks to the monumental efforts of both the san francisco silent film festival and la cinémathèque française, represents the sole surviving appearance of gillette s holmes on film. Presented with optional french and english intertitles and an original score composed and performed by neil brand, guenter buchwald, and frank bockius, flicker alley is honored to bring sherlock holmes onto blu-ray and dvd for the first time ever.

The film faithfully retains the play s famous set pieces holmes s encounter with professor moriarty, his daring escape from the stepney gas chamber, and the tour-de-force deductions. It also illustrates how gillette, who wrote the adaptation himself, wove bits from conan doyle s stories ranging from a scandal in bohemia to the final problem, into an original, innovative mystery play.

Film restorer robert byrne says, it s an amazing privilege to work with these reels that have been lost for generations. William gillette s sherlock holmes has ranked among the holy grails of lost film and my first glimpse of the footage confirms gillette s magnetism. Audiences are going to be blown away when they see the original sherlock holmes on screen for the first time.

Special features:
Sherlock holmes baffled (1900): Courtesy of the library of congress and presented in hd, this is the earliest known film to feature the character of sherlock holmes.
A canine sherlock (1912): From the eye film institute, the film stars spot the dog as the titular character.
Più forte che sherlock holmes (1913): Also from the eye film institute, this entertaining italian trick-film owes as much to méliès as it does doyle.
Hd transfers from the fox movietone collection: Interview with arthur conan doyle and outtakes from a 1930 broadcast with william gillette showing off his amateur railroad (university of south carolina). - a pdf manuscript of the 1899 sherlock holmes play by william gillette.
A pdf of the original contract between william gillette and the essanay film manufacturing company.
A booklet featuring images from the film and information about the restoration project.
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=16773

Pushed back to November 3rd 2015

Originally Posted by Bucky

I received the following e-mail:

Flicker Alley, LLC
October 6, 2015


Dear Bucky ,

Thank you again for your pre-order of our upcoming Blu-ray/DVD dual-format edition of Sherlock Holmes (1916).

We want to let you know that we are pushing back the release date of this long-anticipated publication to Tuesday, November 3rd. The pre-release sale will also be extended for two more weeks, and you will now have until November 3rd to order at the discounted price of $29.95. We understand and appreciate the excitement for this newly-restored treasure, and to ensure you have the best viewing experience and quality product you've come to expect from Flicker Alley, we will now be shipping out your order of Sherlock Holmes no later than Tuesday, November 3rd.

The deluxe, 3-disc package includes two complete versions of the film: the original French-language version as discovered at La Cinémathèque française, as well as an English-language version with intertitles translated from the French. Additionally, the set features over an hour of rare and unique bonus materials, including outtakes from a 1930 Fox Movietone newsreel with William Gillette showing off his amateur railroad.

Rest assured we are working diligently with our partners to get you this release as soon as possible. If you any questions, please feel free to reach out to us via e-mail at info@flickeralley.com. Thanks again for your patience.

Sincerely,

The Flicker Alley Team