Posted Wed Jun 3, 2015 at 10:00 AM PDT by Steven Cohen
The previously lost film will make its Blu-ray debut in October, and you can pre-order the disc here.
In an early announcement to retailers, Flicker Alley is preparing 'Sherlock Holmes (1916)' for Blu-ray on October 20.
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 is proud to present the Blu-ray premiere of one of the holy grails of lost films: William Gillette's 'Sherlock Holmes.' 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 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.
Specs have not been detailed yet, but supplements will include: Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900); A Canine Sherlock (1912); Più forte che Sherlock Holmes (1913); Interview with Arthur Conan Doyle and outtakes from a 1930 broadcast with William Gillette showing off his amateur railroad; 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; and A booklet featuring images from the film and information about the restoration project.
Suggested list price for the 2-Disc Blu-ray is $39.95.
You can find the latest specs for 'Sherlock Holmes (1916)' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 20.
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