A chapter in the book “Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy” written by the author of this article approaches the concept of Nietzschean philosophical theory as it applies to the character of Holmes based on the historical tendency of actors to play Sherlock as a calculating machine whose brilliance almost seems to require an utter lack of nuance and style. This approach to the portrayal of Sherlock may play quite a large part in the fact that humor is very often absent from straight detective movies featuring Holmes as well as the fact that only a few have ever attempted to turn the consulting detective into a comedic character. The good news is that those have added significantly to the Sherlock Holmes filmography.
Sherlock, Jr.
“Sherlock, Jr.” is not a comedy about Sherlock Holmes, per se, but it does represent the first authentically brilliant entry into the subgenre of comedic films related to the great detective. This is a silent movie from Buster Keaton that should be seen whether you have any interest in Sherlock or not. “Sherlock, Jr.” is a visual tour de force that features a projectionist who literally walks into the screen and becomes a part of the story taking place within the flickering images. Yes, as you have probably have figured out, “Sherlock, Jr.” inspired Woody Allen’s “The Purple Rose of Cairo.” Keaton’s projectionist becomes the character of Sherlock, Jr. in the story in the movie within the movie and his attempt to prove the guilt of a suspect touches off a series of hilarious comedy sequences.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
The man who may well deserve the title of the greatest writer/director of all time, Billy Wilder, made a comedy about Sherlock Holmes late in his career. “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” is really two different movies in one. The shorter segment brings to the forefront an aspect of the relationship between Holmes and Watson usually left to subtextual engagement when a woman comes to Sherlock hoping to convince him to father her child. The longer and more important segment of this comedy touches upon the Loch Ness Monster and World War I spy efforts. The shorter segment provides more comedy than the longer, but makes no mistake: this is definitely a Sherlock comedy.
Without a Clue
At some point, genius is always questioned. Over the centuries, the genius of a simple actor who became the greatest playwright in history has been questioned to the point of suggesting a number of possible different personages behind the actual writing credited to actor. The question that is raised in “Without a Clue” is which of the inhabitants of 221B Baker Street is the real deductive mastermind. Ben Kingsley played a Dr. Watson whose stories feature a fictional doppelganger that he credits with solving the crimes that in truth he has been solving all along. Fearing that fans will not accept that Sherlock is merely a fictional creation of his mind, Watson hires an alcoholic actor played by Michael Caine to masquerade as Holmes.
They Might Be Giants
Following in the footsteps of “Sherlock, Jr.” is this movie that casts George C. Scott as a possibly delusional 20th century New Yorker who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes. While his brother fights to get him put away, Scott teams with his psychiatrist who becomes his Watson. “They Might Be Giants” is the film that gave a certain iconoclastic rock band their name and is a wonderful entry into not only into the Sherlock comedy canon, but the subgenre of films devoted to honoring nonconformists.
For more articles by Timothy Sexton, check out:
The Greatest Nonconformists in Hollywood History
The Funnest Rock Bands of All Time
How to Become a Private Detective and What to Expect When You Do