A series of Sherlock Holmes films from the 1920s, long thought lost, have been restored by the British Film Institute (BFI) and will soon be shown on screen for the first time since 1942.
The collection includes 45 silent films featuring the famous detective, and three of these films — A Scandal in Bohemia, The Golden Pince-Nez, and The Final Problem — will be showcased at the Alexandra Palace Theatre in London on 16 October during the BFI Film Festival.
The restoration of the films has been a meticulous process.
BFI’s silent film curator, Bryony Dixon, explained that there has been significant demand for these films, which are the last of the silent Sherlock Holmes series to be restored worldwide.
The films star Eille Norwood as Sherlock Holmes, a portrayal that Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the character, personally praised.
Restoration involved carefully inspecting the fragile century-old reels from the BFI National Archive.
Elena Nepoti, film conservation manager, described the process of working with such old materials as both exciting and daunting.
The films are first cleaned by hand and then digitized.
Ben Thompson, part of the restoration team, has been stabilizing the picture, removing blurs and flickers, and digitally patching over damaged frames to bring the films back to life.
In addition to restoring the films’ visuals, the BFI has also recreated the original tints used in silent cinema, where colors like blue or orange indicated nighttime or electrically lit scenes.
The three restored films will be screened with a live score performed by teachers and students from the Royal Academy of Music, making this event a unique cinematic and musical experience.
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