| 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 |
|
Running time | 6 reels |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent with English intertitles |
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]
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]
