Reviews (30)

Billy Wilder is a wonderful director, after all . . .
Why a mess like IRMA LA DOUCE makes a profit and a lovely film like this sinks without a trace is a mystery bigger than anything on display in this "lost" case of Sherlock Holmes, which involves the Truth About The Loch Ness Monster, some very sinister monks, and a lovely woman (Genvieve Page) who drags Holmes into the middle of it all (Well, she does show up on his doorstep stark naked in the middle of night. What's a gentleman, even one who's a bit of a misogynist, supposed to do?). Robert Stephens brings wit, melancholy, and anger to the role, keeping all of these elements of Holmes' personality at play simultaneously, and he is matched splendidly by Colin Blakely's Dr. Watson, who's smarter than Nigel Bruce's Watson and more fun than Conan Doyle's. Page is poised, charming, and ambiguous as the heroine, just the sort of girl to hold Holme's interest. There's also a wonderful supporting performance by Christopher Lee as Holmes' brother Mycroft, a sputtering mixture of affection and aggravation for his impetuous younger brother. And all of this is played against the backround of a splendid score by Miklos Rosza, adapted from his Second Violin Concerto (even if you don't like the movie, try and get a recording of the music). Just when movies like KISS ME, STUPID and THE FORTUNE COOKIE make you wonder if Wilder ever knew what he was doing, along comes a film like this, which reminds you that yes, he knew EXACTLY what he was doing--some of the time, at any rate . . .

Something's Been Lost Over the Years...
Let me preface this with the introduction to the "Deleted Scenes" extra on the disc because it describes the film as Wilder had intended:

"The original screenplay as described by Billy Wilder was a symphony in four movements. Following a modern day prologue (represented here in still photos and script pages) the intent was to illustrate four stories that Dr. Watson optednot to have published in the 'Strand Magazine'.

"Wilder wanted to explain Holmes' distrust of women, his drug addiction, his relationship with Dr. Watson; and, at the same time reveal Holmes' human side. The completed version would run approximately three hours, including an intermission. Upon its release in 1970, Wilder's symphony was presented with only two of its four movements."

Two biographies I've read confirm that Wilder cried openly when he saw the final product.

This Deleted Scenes section is most intriguing as it meticulously reconstructs as much as possible the four "movements" of Wilder's "symphony" which are titled: "Original Prologue" (including an appearance by 'Dr. Watson' circa 1970), "The Curious Case of the Upside Down Room", "The Adventure of the Dumbfounded Detective/Holmes Recounts an Affair of the Past" and finally "The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners". As mentioned above, still photos and script pages were used - and a lot of actual filmed footage which is presented with subtitles because the soundtrack could not be located. Taking all of this into consideration, I'm not all that sure that the three-hour version would have worked; and the final cut released by the studio is something of a disappointment.

The opening scene nicely introduces a somewhat different interpretation of the main characters, with Holmes complaining that Watson is always exaggerating his exploits and putting words into his mouth; and diluting his "seven-percent solution" of morphine to five. Then they're off to the final performance of Petrova in The Russian Ballet, after which Rogozgin (Clive Revill), Petrova's manager advises that she's retiring.

"She's been dancing since she was three-years-old...now she is thirty-eight."

"I must say, she doesn't look thirty-eight!"

"That's because she is forty-nine."

(And that, unfortunately, is one of a mere handful of jokes in the screenplay.)

Petrova also wants to have a "beautiful and brilliant child"; she has the beauty, and Holmes has the brains. But something's afoot! This extended 20-minute scene is meant to confirm Holmes' homosexuality and deny that the heterosexual Watson has been his secret lover. The problem is that it doesn't have anything to do with the basic plot, which doesn't kick in for a full thirty minutes. It may have "balanced" Wilder's symphony concept, but out of that context it's totally extraneous.

And by comparison to Arthur Conan Doyle's plots, this one is pretty skimpy. It was probably intended as a simple framework to hold your interest while the deleted scenes were to enlighten you about the "private life" elements. This also makes the title of the film misleading. I won't go into the details of the plot or bring up any spoilers for those who want to see it, except to say that it is shamefully simplistic.

The acting is topnotch all around and Robert Stevens makes an excellent Holmes, though Colin Blakeley's Watson is sometimes too blustery and exasperated; at times you almost expect to hear that "blowing-off-steam-whistle" sound affect associated with Lou Costello and Oliver Hardy. Christopher Lee as Holmes' brother, Mycroft, steals the few scenes he's in.

He also provides and interesting extra titled "Christopher Lee: Mr. Holmes, Mr. Wilder" in which he recalls a few behind-the-scenes tales of working with Wilder (whom he greatly admires), and brief overview of the Holmes legend, some of which was seen on the "The Hound of the Baskervilles" DVD released last year. This is followed by a 30-minute interview Ernest Walker, the film's editor who provides some interesting information on meeting and working with Wilder. There's also the usual Photo Gallery and Trailer.

The best part of the film is the beautifully poignant score by Miklos Rozsa, which I wish had been offered as an isolated track. The cinematography is by Christopher Challis ("Sink the Bismarck!", "Two for the Road", "Arabesque", "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines") - but it's hard to judge his contribution because of the poor quality of the transfer. It looks washed out with dull colors; and several transition scenes (probably reel ends) take on a fogged-up appearance, though not one suggesting a London "shroud". In fact, the film itself isn't much better that the found footage used for the reconstructed scenes. This is surprising coming from MGM whose "Women in Love" DVD is spectacularly lush. For that matter, so are the transfers in their Midnite Movie series. It may have been the original "Private Life..." film stock; but most of the Midnight Movies are cheap exploitation and horror films and I find it hard to believe that, say, Roger Corman, had better film than Wilder.

I must be in the minority because on imdb, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" has a rating of 7.3 rating (with over 500 votes; and hereAmazon 22 reviews averages a 4 ½ out of 5.

Perhaps I should have bought Wilder's "Kiss Me, Stupid" instead.

Wilder's Sherlock Mystery...
Wilder spices up the personality of Sherlock Holmes as the master detective enters another remarkable journey into the world of mystery and crime. It all begins with a beautiful lady who appears out of nowhere at Holmes' front door, and it seems as if she suffers from amnesia and a lost husband. However, these mysteries are old news for a genius such as Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson. Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is an interesting film, but the overall picture lacks the usual spice that Wilder used to combine into his creations.

A Grand Film and DVD but We Still Want the Missing Parts
First the good news: Billy Wilder's wonderfully comic--and tragic--examination of the romantic life of "the world's greatest consulting detective," Sherlock Holmes, is reproduced beautifully in this terrific and long overdue DVD. Indeed, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" has never looked better or more complete on the small screen, as it is presented here in a digitally remastered widescreen format that preserves the integrity of director and co-writer Wilder's original vision. As fans of the film know, Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond fill in the blanks regarding the sexual orientation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous literary creation (a hot topic among intellectuals in the late 1960s) with both a sparkling wit and grand sense of respect for the subject matter. In the film, Holmes embarks on his most scandalous case, which includes the search for a missing engineer, the discovery of secrets of state, and his burgeoning love for a mysterious woman who might not be who she claims. With his lisp and penchant for sarcasm, Robert Stephens' Holmes is less the classical hero than in previous screen versions, going so far as to chide Watson (played wonderfully by Colin Blakely) for embellishing both his habits and physical stature in his "Strand Magazine" articles, yet Stephens' Holmes retains the keen mind, loyal affability, and vulnerable spirit we have come to admire. The supporting cast, which includes Christopher Lee as Mycroft Holmes, is excellent, but it is the production, including Miklos Rosza's hauntingly luscious score, that helps propel the film to greatness. Now, the bad news: As most fans know, Wilder wanted this film to be more than three hours long and contain several other adventures that would complete this heretofore unknown set of cases whose "delicate and sometimes scandalous nature" made them unsuitable for print. Unfortunately, the studio forced him to cut much of that footage, only some of which is included here (and without sound; in other cases, stills of filmed scenes are intercut with pages of the script and recorded dialogue). The result is that those of us who have waited for years to see the film as the brilliant Wilder had intended it have to make due with the bits and pieces included here. What a shame that, once again, marketing interfered with the artistic process.

So much was LOST!
This film is a cult classic and well deserving of that status. It's one of my favourite films and for YEARS we were promised the excised footage would be replaced and we could finally see this marvellous film in the form Billy Wilder meant it to be. Well, I am sure like all fans of the film, we waited with hope that NOW they would include all these scenes. And while the film transfer is great and I was sad to see there is NO footage to speak of to be added. There are snippets of film of other adventures, stills flashed over a poor soundtrack, but according to MGM there is no extra scenes, they have been lost.

WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!

The film is still a must for Billy Wilder, Robert Stephens, Chris Lee or Sherlock Holmes Fans. But just do not expect all the lost footage to be restored.

It is a very very funny look at Holmes, a more human look perhaps. This is a mirthful look at the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, lovingly portrayed with a twinkle in his eye by the late great Sir Robert Stephens. The adventures are fun (the ones we see) but mainly centre around a woman's missing husband. Toss in several hundred canaries, the Loch Ness Monster, missing midgets - the Tumbling Pickaloes to be precise - the mysterious red runner, Queen Victoria, some Trappist monks, an ageing ballerina that does not 'look 39' - that is because she is 49!! -who wants Holmes to father her child and an amnesiac damsel in distress that temps Holmes, all done with the best British wit and droll sense of humour...and you have a mix that cannot miss.

Incisive writing and direction, this fill pay homage to Holmes and Watson, with tongue firmly planted in cheek...

Even so, the currently version is a true gem, and so overlooked,
all we have left of Billy Wilder genius vision. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Aside from boasting one of the great evocative titles in film history, Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) works up a surplus of dread with a minimum of devices. Kim Stanley was nominated for an Oscar^® for her performance as a London medium who bulldozes her weak husband (Richard Attenborough) into kidnapping a little girl; the goal is not ransom money, but a chance to prove Stanley's clairvoyant gifts to the police, and thus bring her the respect she has always deserved. The suspense is keen, yet the movie's real achievement is detailing the stifling marriage between two deluded, dependent middle-aged people. Attenborough is heartbreaking as a human doormat, and Stanley's Method intensity brings the movie into a genuinely unnerving realm (she didn't work in movies again for nearly two decades). The story was remade, with intriguing changes, by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa as Séance (a.k.a. Korei, 2000). --Robert Horton ... Read more

Amazon.com

High adventure and hooty special effects make At the Earth's Core a colorful camp treat. Doug McClure plays David Innes, the brawn to Dr. Abner Perry's brains. The two have developed the Iron Mole, a vehicle that bores through solid rock. A test run goes too well and before you know it they're neck-deep in scantily clad cave women and telepathic lizard-birds. Peter Cushing has a good time playing against his usual type as the absentminded Professor Perry, while McClure sticks to cigar-chomping macho swagger. Older kids will enjoy the colorful sets and fire-breathing animals, while adults will get a kick out of the hilariously outdated gender politics. At the Earth's Core is well worth turning off your brain and taking a look. DVD version includes the original trailer and French and Spanish subtitles. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (23)

At The Earth's Core
This film is about two Victorian scientists, Peter Cushing and Doug McClure, who use their drilling machine to discover a world within the Earth's core. They are captured by a warrior race, and enslaved with humans, but help start a rebellion and destroy the monsters ruling them. The special effects and monsters are good. The film ends with the two heroes returning back to their time.

What a guilty pleasure!
This is one of those rubber-monster movies that is so clumsily made and filled with stupid movie physics so common to this genre, but I love it! Sorry, I can't help it, but watching this one, and more like it(also recommended: THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT and HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP for more laughfests!) is funnier than any so-called comedy these days! Peter Cushing is Dr Abner Perry, a mad Victorian scientist who invents the Iron Mole, a steam-powered drilling machine(?!) financed by David Innes, a token American played by Doug McClure, a mainstay of 1970s B-monster-flix. When they get lost drilling they wind up, quite literally, at the earth's core and encounter telepathic dinosaurs with lions' tails(honestly), rock bridges over lava flow which cavemen cross with bare feet, an exploding fire-breathing toad . . . and Caroline Munro is on hand as Princess Dia. Basically our heroes have to help the cavemen defeat the Majar beasts(telepathic dinos) and a race of apemen which resemble cast-offs who failed the auditions for Planet of The Apes!
Cushing absolutely revels in his role as Dr Perry. Throughout his movie career, he made all kinds of weird and wonderfully amusing horror flicks and even played the big-screen incarnation of Dr Who in two Brit productions. He knows it, and in this one he can't help but act tongue-in-cheek, which works and is fun to watch.
The SFX are truly Godzilla-style in execution. We get close-ups of men in rubber suits that make them look bigger, Majar creatures on wires(you can see them), exploding mushrooms, a killer plant made from paintbrushes and a pink lava sky! 'This cannot be the Rhondda Valley!' Mr Cushing exclaims. And later on, he asserts to the creatures: 'You cannot mesmerise me, I'm British!' Great stuff!
Oh, and Caroline Munro, who made a great Bond villainness in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME a year later, looks delicious in a loincloth bikini. So, overall, if you love this sort of thing to poke fun at, you can't go far wrong. I get a strange satisfaction out of watching bad movies at times, and this is one of my cheesiest entries in my list of 'guilty pleasure' flix. One could also say that it might have inspired THE CORE(2003), a forthcoming disaster epic with equally silly physics!

Entertaining and a classic.
This movie starts good, but it get static, silly and stiff toward the mid-end of it. Overall: Fair to Good.

Another classic!
When I was a kid, Doug Maclure movies were a Sunday afternoon tradition. Giant rubber dinosaurs and paper mache monsters. Awesome!!! Still as much fun to watch today as they were 20 years ago.

"Come on Doc.....it can't be much further!"
Despite some of the more negative reviews for this movie, I found it really enjoyable! Sure, the monster special effects technology is not comparable with Jurassic Park, but keep in mind that this movie was made in the 1970's! Doug McClure and Peter Cushing made a very good team in this action-packed adventure film! The movie starts out in the Victorian age as scientist; Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) and his Geologic Engineering student; David Innes (Doug McClure) are embarking on a mission to test a manned underground drilling machine called "The Iron Mole". When the "Iron mole" goes off-course, the teacher and student duo end up in a place "like nothing on Earth", as stated by David Innes.
David and Dr. Perry end up getting captured and enslaved with humans, by Sagaths, the soldiers for the Majars who rule in the city of Pellucidar.
After finding a way to escape from the caves of the Sagaths, David, aided by a new human friend; Rah, returns to free the slaves and rescue Dr. Perry. The human tribes unite and Dr. Perry trains the tribesman on the skills of Archery, in order to revolt against the Majars and Sagaths, and destroy them.
I loved the comradery between David and Dr. Perry, and the protective nature that David showed for the doctor when they were being roughly treated by the Sagaths and all through the movie. David even, helped physically hold the doctor upright, on the long trip into the caves as they were being pulled along on a long chain of human captives, saying "Come on doc,...it can't be much further". David is a real gentleman, and he also was very courageous and protective for the woman he fell in love with, Princess Dia. He even fought for her protection against ugly men who attempted to "man handle" her!
The movie was filled with humor that may have been unintentional, by the "air-headed" character of Dr. Perry, and the "serious natured character" of David Innes. The antics of Doug McClure and Peter Cushing in this film, for example, when they were being chased by a giant "eagle-looking" bird, after crash landing at the earth's core, was comparable to the antics of the "Three Stooges". I couldn't help but laugh! I enjoyed this movie so much, I watch it frequently! It seems that I pick up on things that I did not previously notice before, the more times that I watch it! A fun and entertaining movie overall! Andrea Lynn Burcham ... Read more

Reviews (10)

TRIPLE DISTILLED HORROR... maybe a little watered down
The Oblong Box - Not a bad movie...deals with voodoo, schemes, and revenge. Vincent Price plays Sir Julian Markham, an aristocrat who is charged with the care of his brother, Edward, who was horribly disfigured in a voodoo ritual as punishment for some apparent crime he committed against the native tribe. Edward's face is messed up, along with his mind, and creates a devious plan to escape from his brother, who keeps him locked away in the attic. Well, the best-laid plans and such...something goes wrong, and Edward gets buried alive, but manages to escape and plots revenge. Christopher Lee has a bit part as an unscrupulous surgeon who performs experiments on freshly dead and buried bodies. The movie seems a little long-winded, and I felt about ten or fifteen minutes could have been shaved off, but no matter. The movie was passable, even though I saw the surprise ending coming a mile away.
The second feature was much more difficult to watch. Scream and Scream Again was a big mess of a movie. The first hour of the movie jumps between three different plot threads, and finally gets around to trying to tying them together late into the movie. The first thread involves a man who wakes up in a hospital room and only to find a limb missing. He wakes up at some later point, another limb is missing, and so on...the second thread involves Vincent Price as a doctor and a serial killer...the third involves a plot within a military state (the solders look Nazi in the way they dress, but the insignia is different). I ultimately think this movie was about the creation of a super race of human beings, but the scope of the story was too wide to convey this accurately. As I said, it's difficult to follow this movie until about an hour in, when they start to try and tie the loose plot threads together, but not very successfully. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing make appearances, for like five minutes each, and Vincent price shows up early for a short bit and then at the end for like 15 minutes.
The quality on both pictures is pretty good and the audio is not too bad, although on Scream and Scream Again, I felt the dialogue got drowned out by the music at some points, causing it to become muddled. A couple of trailers, and that's it for extras. I like how MGM seems to now be releasing their 'Midnight Movies' in a two for one deal, as if I had paid full price for one of these movies, I would have felt ripped off.

late '60s Vincent
this DVD combines two of Vincent's under-rated horror films from this era. "Scream and Scream Again" is a great movie...but the people at AIP ruined the film's legacy by giving Vincent top billing. the reason? Vincent is only in maybe 20 minutes of the movie...and this isn't an uninterrupted 20 minutes either. his big scene is in the lab at the end of the film as he kills one of his own robots that have gone corrupt, only to be confronted by Christopher Lee's character in an eerie scene. Peter Cushing's role is two scenes, and he's killed by the main robot or "composite" as Vincent calls them. However, these three horror legends have no scenes together and each one has nearly a minute or two of on-screen time sandwiched between other scenes with the London police and the scientist/coroner on the case. this is a good movie...but beware that the three horror legends that get top billing ARE NOT the stars of the film! the other film, "The Oblong Box", IS a Vincent Price starring film. He plays the brother of a man who was mutated in Africa by a bunch of witch-doctors for a crime he didn't do. Price's character {Julian Markham} had killed a child {the victim of a horse trampling} but the natives grabbed the brother by mistake! forced to wear a crimson mask because of his scars, the brother {named Edward Markham} plots revenge on everybody. Christopher Lee plays a doctor named Neuhart who can't help the brother but nevertheless the brother demands satisfaction. later, when the insecure Edward {played by Alister Williamson} feels that the doctor is double-crossing him, a swift slice of the neck with a blade does the trick and Lee meets his demise midway through the film. Lee is wearing a grey wig for some reason!? it's rather funny seeing him in it and deliver his lines in that voice we all know and love! "The Oblong Box" is a mixture of voo-doo, cult, and African cultures very different from typical Price horror movies of the previous years by Roger Corman and William Castle. "Scream and Scream Again" is a good movie for what it deals with {1970, release} and "The Oblong Box" is also good {1969, release}.

A Bit More Than Meets the Eye
There are serveral good reviews of this DVD and I'll not go over ground that's been extensively covered. However, there are a couple of things not mentioned that should be. First, Scream and Scream Again, when it appeared in theaters, was spooky as hell. At least I thought so as a 13 year old. Second, the thread mentioned by several reviews of the runner who wakes up missing parts actually is not a separate thread at all, but background to the main story. You see, Price is making people out of spare parts and well . . . you have to get them from somewhere, don't you? Third, the movie is an adaptation of a book by the same title, written by Peter Saxon--a well respected English writer of gothic horror and mysteries.

The book's better, by the way.

The Oblong Box is sloooooooow. Not terribly interesting and the end of the film is telegraphed well in advance. Price isn't at his best and I had the feeling this was one film he wasn't terribly interested in, himself. If you like Price, though, it's worth watching.

Closed Captioning on the DVD is available, though the CC'ing on The Oblong Box is slightly late some of the time. You find yourself looking at someone talking, get about 2 seconds of CC'ing and then the scene will shift to another view, often of someone else and you're still reading the CC'ing. Annoying.

Buy it for the Box
Heres one that i have to give only three stars as Scream and Scream Again is so very terrible. The Oblong Box on the other hand is a great Price horror flick and on its own would recieve 4 stars. You have Voodoo, a premature burial, lots of murder and mayhem and an ending that makes one shiver. At the low price these Midnight Movies are the best deals on DVD, and the double features are nothing less than a steal. The extras are next to none but the picture quality is great.

Bored And Bored AGAIN!!
SCEAM AND SCREAM again was something I saw a lot as a child and I never understood what was going on but I watched it anyone because it was VINCENT PRICE and it seemed to be a horror film. Well I watched it recently and on this very disc and still could not be able to tell you what the sub-plots in the movie are about. I could give you a vague guess and then tell you most of the movie is about a crazy scientist who is making super beings who live on blood. But it is SO BORING!! I don't know how I watched it so many times as a child. THE OBLONG BOX is my least favorite VINCENT PRICE movie so I cannot reccommend this under any circumstances when I refuse to own it myself. I immediately sold it after I watched it because I was so mortified by it's total lack of entertainment value. ... Read more