Somewhere at the beginning, there's a scene in which Sherlock Holmes tells Watson that he tends to over-romanticise the image of Sherlock and exaggerate his genius. The film promises to present Sherlock Holmes in a different way, and does just that- it gives a glimpse of his vulnerabilities hidden from others. He's shorter, less handsome, less brilliant; he's fallible, capable of feelings and thus human*. Except for a few funny moments, such as the hilarious scene in the ballerina's dressing room, the film as a whole is melancholy: Sherlock's silence when Watson asks him about the women in his life, when Watson asks about the woman's arrest, when Watson asks about "the personal message", when he receives the bad news at the end of the film; Sherlock's answer to the woman about why women are not to be trusted, as he tries to hide his own feelings; Sherlock's vague response to the German woman when she mistakenly believes that he suspects the truth all along.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes may not compare to Billy Wilder's greatest films such as Sunset Blvd, The Apartment, Some Like It Hot and Witness for the Prosecution, but it's underrated, and that's unfortunate.
*: Reminds me of this scene from Sabrina- "No man walks alone from choice":
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