In 1912, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sold the film rights of the Sherlock Holmes character to Éclair.[3] French actor Georges Tréville produced and directed the series as well as starred in the title role of Sherlock Holmes.[4] Filmed in England,[5] each film ran approximately 1,700 feet.[1] The series consists of two-reel films.[6] Only loosely based on Doyle's stories,[3] the Franco-British productions were released in America before reaching the rest of the world.[3]
The first three films were released in 1912 and the final five in 1913.[7]