A Study in Scarlet (1914 British film)

This article is about the 1914 British film. For the American film from the same year, see A Study in Scarlet (1914 American film).

A Study in Scarlet is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring James Bragington,^[1] making him the first English actor to portray Holmes on film.^[1] It is based on the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1887 novel of the same name and is considered to be lost.^[2][3] An American film of the same name was released in the U.S. on the following day, 29 December 1914. As of 2014^[update], the film is missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.^[4][5]

A Study in Scarlet
Directed by	George Pearson
Written by	Arthur Conan Doyle (novel) Harry Engholm
Produced by	George Pearson G. B. Samuelson
Starring	James Bragington
Cinematography	Walter Buckstone
Release date	28 December 1914 (1914-12-28)
Running time	6 reels
Country	United Kingdom
Language	Silent with English intertitles

Production

Ward Lock & Co, original publishers of A Study in Scarlet in the November 1887 edition of Beeton's Christmas Annual, had the comprehensive rights to the book.^[6] The company sold the film rights to G. B. Samuelson and his film company.^[6]

Samuelson's plans for the film were ambitious^[1][7] with outdoor scenes filmed at Cheddar Gorge in Cheddar, Somerset, England doubling for Utah in the United States.^[1]

James Bragington was an employee of Samuelson's company and was cast purely due to his resemblance to Sidney Paget's famous illustrations of Holmes.^[7] Author Alan Barnes theorizes that Bragington may have been the first actor to wear a deerstalker on screen.^[7]

The success of the film led Samuelson to make another Sherlock Holmes film two years later, The Valley of Fear.^[1]

Cast

• James Bragington as Sherlock Holmes
• Fred Paul as Jefferson Hope
• Agnes Glynne as Lucy Ferrier
• Henry Paulo as John Ferrier
• James Le Fre as Father
• Winifred Pearson as Lucy, a Child

See also

• List of lost films

References

1. Boström, Mattias (2018). From Holmes to Sherlock. Mysterious Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-8021-2789-1.
2. "Silent Era: A Study in Scarlet". silentera. Archived from the original on 25 May 2001. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
3. "The Bioscope: A Study in Scarlet". bioscope. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
4. "A Study in Scarlet". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
5. "Sherlock Holmes film A Study in Scarlet from 1914 sought". BBC News. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
6. Boström, Mattias (2018). From Holmes to Sherlock. Mysterious Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-8021-2789-1.
7. Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 275–276. ISBN 9780857687760.

External links

• A Study in Scarlet at IMDb
• British Film Institute entry, including extensive notes