A silent film featuring Eille Norwood, celebrated for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, will be screened for the first time since its 1922 release. The film, titled The Golden Pince-Nez, has been meticulously restored by the BFI National Archive.
The Golden Pince-Nez is based on a Sherlock Holmes short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in the Strand Magazine in 1904. The film represents one of many adaptations where Norwood, known for his exceptional portrayal of the detective, demonstrated his talent for unraveling mysteries from minimal clues.
Conan Doyle praised Norwood’s performance, describing him as possessing a unique “glamour” that captivated audiences even when he was not actively performing. The restoration of this film, which is part of a larger project, will be unveiled on October 16 at the BFI London Film Festival.
Bryony Dixon, the BFI’s silent film curator, noted that Norwood had engaged with Conan Doyle regarding his role. While later actors such as Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett are also well-regarded, Norwood’s dedication to the role was profound. “He immersed himself deeply in the character, studying the stories extensively,” Dixon explained.
Dixon described The Golden Pince-Nez as remaining faithful to Conan Doyle’s original plot, in which Holmes applies his deductive skills to solve a complex murder case. The film’s plot involves Holmes investigating the murder of a professor’s secretary, using a pair of women’s pince-nez glasses found at the crime scene to deduce the victim’s characteristics.
In the story, Holmes deduces the glasses’ origins and the physical traits of the owner with remarkable precision, illustrating his astute observational skills.
The film is part of a collection of 45 episodes and two features that Norwood made between 1921 and 1923. The premiere will include screenings of two other restored episodes: A Scandal in Bohemia, where Holmes falls for a woman, and The Final Problem, featuring Holmes’s confrontation with his arch-nemesis, Moriarty.
This restoration is the first release in a comprehensive multi-year project by the BFI, which acquired the original negatives for the Holmes series in 1938. The BFI National Archive, home to the world’s largest film and television collection, preserved the two-reel negative of The Golden Pince-Nez on safety stock in the 1950s to prevent deterioration.
Roger Johnson, editor of the Sherlock Holmes Journal, expressed enthusiasm for the restored film, highlighting Norwood’s commitment to the role and his effective use of disguise. “Norwood’s mastery of disguise was exceptional, and his performance would have certainly impressed Conan Doyle,” Johnson noted.
The premiere of The Golden Pince-Nez will be hosted at Alexandra Palace with a specially commissioned live score, a collaboration between the BFI and the Royal Academy of Music. This restoration effort was made possible through an agreement with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Really Useful Group.
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