Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Chris Columbus (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 December 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Mystery

Tagline:

Before a lifetime of adventure, they had the adventure of a lifetime.

Plot:

When assorted people start having inexplicable delusions that lead to their deaths, a teenage Sherlock Holmes decides to investigate.

Plot Keywords:

School | Family | Amateur | 19th Century | Sherlock Holmes

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Nicholas Rowe	...	Sherlock Holmes
Alan Cox	...	John Watson
Sophie Ward	...	Elizabeth Hardy
Anthony Higgins	...	Professor Rathe
Susan Fleetwood	...	Mrs. Dribb
Freddie Jones	...	Cragwitch
Nigel Stock	...	Waxflatter
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Lestrade
Earl Rhodes	...	Dudley
Brian Oulton	...	Master Snelgrove
Patrick Newell	...	Bentley Bobster
Donald Eccles	...	The Reverend Duncan Nesbitt
Matthew Ryan	...	Dudley's Friend
Matthew Blakstad	...	Dudley's Friend
Jonathan Lacey	...	Dudley's Friend

Also Known As:

Pyramid of Fear
Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

When young Sherlock Holmes and John Watson first meet, Holmes incorrectly guesses that Watson's first initial stands for "James". This is a reference to one of the contradictions in the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories: in most of the stories, Watson's first name is John, but in one story, his wife inexplicably calls him "James". Watson's middle initial is "H". This stands for "Hamish", which is the Scottish variation of "James". Perhaps this is a private term of endearment used by his wife.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The line of Susan Fleetwood's skin cap is often visible.

Quotes:

[Waxflatter has crashed his flying machine into a tree]
Waxflatter: [looking around] A very hopeful sign. Very hopeful!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars' (2004) (V)

An enjoyable non Doyle Holmes story

There are probably more Sherlock Holmes stories not written by Conan Doyle than were written by him. Some are quite bad but every now and then a good one comes along. "Young Sherlock Holmes"is one of the better ones and works on the premise that Holmes and Watson did not meet as adults in "A Study In Scarlett" but in boarding school. Of course they are in London where the young Holmes detects a link between a series of bizarre murders (depicted in some lively and imaginative special effects). The game is afoot and along the way (with a slight tongue in cheek) we learn where Holmes picked up some of his more famous trademarks and most infamous nemesis. A well written script, fine cast of actors and a physical production that recreates late 19th century London in grand fashion. A film to sit back and enjoy.