The First Sherlock Holmes Movie Was Quietly Resurrected After 68 Years (& It’s Not What You Think)

by

From classics like Elementary, Sherlock, to films like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories have been adapted for the screen many times. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most well-known detectives in fiction, and has been reimagined in countless ways – from stories that stick closely to the original tales, to modern versions that explore new ideas.

Sherlock Holmes made his debut in a short, silent film directed by Arthur Marvin in 1900. The less-than-one-minute black-and-white clip provides a very brief introduction to the character who would later become famous in movies and television. Called Sherlock Holmes Baffled, the film was thought to be lost until a print was found on paper in 1968.

Sherlock Holmes Baffled Isn’t Considered Arthur Conan Doyle Canon

In the short film, a man discovers a burglary happening in his drawing room. He challenges the thief, but is shocked when the intruder simply disappears. At first, Holmes tries to dismiss the event, even lighting a cigar, but when the thief reappears, Holmes tries to get the stolen bag back.

He grabbed a pistol from his robe and shot at the fleeing criminal. After retrieving the stolen bag, it mysteriously reappeared in the thief’s grasp, allowing him to escape through a window. The movie ends suddenly, leaving Holmes completely puzzled.

The film Sherlock Holmes Baffled isn’t actually based on any existing story. It seems the filmmakers simply used the famous Sherlock Holmes name to attract viewers. The film was shot using only one camera on a stage and was meant to showcase new movie techniques, especially a special effect called the ‘stop trick,’ which French director Georges Méliès had popularized in 1896.

This movie was the first to depict Sherlock Holmes as a comedic figure. In Sherlock Holmes Baffled, the detective is shown as somewhat clumsy and is even outsmarted by a burglar – a far cry from the brilliant, logical Holmes created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Similar to other early films, it faced challenges in conveying complex conversations or investigations, relying more on physical comedy and mysterious events than detailed detective work.

Sherlock Holmes Baffled Was Lost Until 1968

The short film Sherlock Holmes Baffled began as content for early arcade machines known as Mutoscopes. These machines were invented by Herman Casler in 1894 and sold by the American Mutoscope Company.

The Mutoscope was created to rival Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope. It worked like this: you’d put in a coin, which turned on a light inside. Then, by turning a crank and looking through an eyepiece, you could watch a short film. However, it’s important to note that these weren’t films meant to be shown on a big screen – they were designed for individual viewing within the machine.

Rather than a continuous film strip, the images were printed on individual cards fixed to a rotating core, which spun when a hand crank was turned. Although it technically wasn’t a traditional film due to this method, it’s still commonly referred to as a film, even though ‘flip book’ might be a more accurate description, given it was initially filmed at 30 frames per second.

The film was thought to be lost for decades, but a copy was found in 1968 at the Library of Congress by film historian Michael Pointer. Before 1912, movies weren’t protected by copyright, so filmmakers sent in paper copies to officially register their work.

These early films were printed on paper similar in size to the original film and processed like regular photographs. Both the Edison and Biograph companies created movies this way, and many of these originals still exist today. The film has since been copied onto 16mm film and is now safely stored at the Library of Congress.

Sherlock Holmes Baffled Implemented Classic Cinematic Techniques

Movies have changed dramatically since the early 1900s. What started with basic camera tricks and limited sets has become a medium with incredible visual potential. Today, effects that once relied on clever editing or illusions are now created using technologies like motion capture, green screens, and computer-generated imagery.

Early filmmaking innovations were crucial to the development of modern cinema, shaping the art form into what we know today.

To steer clear of Edison’s patents, Biograph cameras used a larger film size – 2-23/32 inches (68 mm) wide – which held four times the image area of Edison’s standard 35 mm film. Importantly, this film didn’t have the usual sprocket holes already punched in it.

Rather than using standard perforations, the camera created its own holes in the film while shooting at 30 frames per second. The resulting film, Sherlock Holmes Baffled, was approximately 86.56 meters long, which meant it lasted around 30 seconds, although the actual length of the viewing experience could change based on how quickly the Mutoscope was operated.

Arthur Weed Marvin, who worked as a cameraman for Biograph, both directed and filmed the short movie Sherlock Holmes Baffled. From 1897 to 1911, he created over 418 short films, and was particularly famous for filming vaudeville acts. He also went on to become the cinematographer for some of D.W. Griffith’s earliest silent films. The names of the actors who played Sherlock Holmes and the burglar in Sherlock Holmes Baffled are currently unknown.

Prior to 1903, Biograph primarily produced documentary-style films showing actual people, locations, and happenings. However, Holmes Baffled stands out as one of their first attempts at a comedic story, and it was filmed on the rooftop of their studio in New York City.

The short film was filmed in April 1900 and shown to the public in May of the same year. However, it wasn’t officially copyrighted until February 24, 1903—that’s the date listed on its copyright information.

The Character Has Come a Long Way Since Sherlock Holmes Baffled

To me, and probably a lot of other people, Basil Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes. He played the detective in fourteen movies between 1939 and 1946, like The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and really created the iconic look we all have in our heads – you know, the deerstalker hat and cape. He became so well-known for that role, it was hard for him to play anything else, and sadly, he even ended up doing commercials later on!

I’ve always felt Jeremy Brett was Sherlock Holmes when he took on the role in 1984. Over the next decade and through 41 episodes, he really seemed to become the character. He even started to show some of the quirks and fixations described in the original stories, and honestly, it led to what I think is the most believable portrayal of Sherlock Holmes ever. It wasn’t just acting; he embodied the detective!

Between 1979 and 1986, Soviet television created a five-part series featuring Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr. Watson. These films were remarkably faithful to the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was praised for its strong acting, the excellent connection between the two lead actors, and its careful attention to detail, making it one of the most accurate screen adaptations ever produced. In 2006, Vasily Livanov was even honored with an Honorary MBE by the British Empire.

The films directed by Guy Ritchie in 2009 and 2011 were huge commercial successes. Jude Law’s portrayal of Dr. John Watson was a return to the more capable and equal partner as originally written by Conan Doyle, unlike the more comical version seen with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. While Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes wasn’t entirely faithful to the classic character, he brought a lively and engaging energy that appealed to contemporary audiences.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s take on Sherlock Holmes was another excellent portrayal of the character. Paired with Martin Freeman as Watson, the series updated the classic Conan Doyle stories, setting them in modern times while still preserving Holmes’s famous personality traits.

As a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I’ve seen so many takes on the character! Recently, while the show focused more on his sister, it was great to see Henry Cavill bring a really intense performance to the role – even in a generally lighthearted movie. And both Elementary and Sherlock offered fresh perspectives on the classic stories. Elementary especially delved into Sherlock’s struggles with addiction, which is something straight from the original books, and I really appreciated that.

The character has evolved significantly since his debut in Sherlock Holmes Baffled, but that first appearance still laid the groundwork for everything that followed. While the short film is quite different from the Sherlock Holmes we know from Conan Doyle’s stories, it’s important to remember it was the very first time the detective appeared on screen.

This early film was a groundbreaking story told through innovative camera techniques and clever visual effects, helping to advance filmmaking at the start of the 20th century. Though it’s short – less than a minute long – it significantly impacted how movies were made and remains a key piece of Sherlock Holmes’ history on screen.

Read More

2025-11-24 17:13