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Sherlock Holmes' most devoted fans are being urged to help solve the mystery of a missing 100-year-old film featuring the detective at the height of his powers.

The film version of A Study in Scarlet has not been seen for generations - but the British Film Institute is hoping to track it down with the help of a new generation of 21st Century amateur detectives.

The silent film, released in 1914, is an adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story of the same name. It sees the detective solve a series of murders using his now-legendary prowess during a trek across America led by religious leader Brigham Young and his Mormon followers.

The BFI has issued an appeal to find a copy of the long-lost film ahead of a landmark exhibition on Sherlock at the Museum of London.

Bryony Dixon, curator of the BFI's National Archive, said: “Every archivist dreams of finding lost films. But this is a film of great importance. Sherlock Holmes is internationally renowned as a great detective. It would be wonderfully appropriate if a super-sleuth could help us celebrate the centenary of this film with a chance to see it."

The film was shot during the summer of 1914 at the Worton Hall studios in Isleworth, west London, as well as Cheddar Gorge in Somerset and Southport Sands in Merseyside - meaning tracing clues could be a tall order.

Alex Werner, curator of the Museum of London’s Sherlock Holmes exhibition, said: “The long filmic history of Sherlock Holmes is unique - dominating popular culture in a manner only to be rivalled perhaps by Dracula or Frankenstein.

"As we prepare for the museum’s major exploration of the most famous fictional Londoner of all time, it would be a remarkable achievement to discover this missing film in its centenary year, and at the very least, remind the public of Sherlock’s endurance on-screen, interpreted literally hundreds of times for over a century.”

The exhibition opens at The Museum of London on October 17. Any amateur detectives who manage to trace a clue should contact Sherlockholmes@bfi.org.uk or use the #FindSherlock hashtag on social media.