One of my cosmic wish lists of Sherlockian items is a fully restored cut of Billy Wilder's original lengthy vision of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. We'll probably never see it, as surviving pieces that didn't make the trimmed-down version only exist in audio-only, video-only, or script-only states. But the news about Doctor Who's recreated Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks gives hope.
Our culture's growing acceptance that animation isn't just for the kiddies any more has opened up some real opportunities for using that medium to fill gaps. Sad that Adam West and Burt Ward are too old to play Batman and Robin anymore? Create a new animated movie like The Return of the Caped Crusaders and let their voices carry on with new material! Have a lost Doctor Who episodes whose negatives were destroyed? Rebuild it with the parts and pieces that survive as an animated series!
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is a prime candidate for some animated treatment. Mixing animated segments with live action can work great, as was demonstrated by Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, where Lucy Liu's character's tragic origin was completely done as a cartoon. With the right style, a flashback to Holmes and Watson on a case would fit perfectly in Private Life's already somewhat tongue-in-cheek style.
I don't know if the old Billy Wilder movie has enough fans to warrant the investment, or if Sherlock's popularity from his new incarnations help that cause, but it sure would be great to finally see The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes re-created closer to Wilder's original intent, with whatever tools are available, including animation.
The ongoing investigation of Sherlock Holmes, reported from the Peoria, Illinois outpost of Baker Street's dirtiest half a dozen.
The technology is almost at the point where CGI could do the job.
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