The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Nicholas Meyer (novel)

Release Date:

2 June 1977 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

To treat his friend's cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.

Plot Keywords:

Sigmund Freud | Cocaine | Sherlock Holmes | Subconscious | Kidnapping

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	Dr. Sigmund Freud
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Lola Deveraux
Robert Duvall	...	Dr. John H. Watson / Narrator
Nicol Williamson	...	Sherlock Holmes
Laurence Olivier	...	Professor James Moriarty
Joel Grey	...	Lowenstein
Samantha Eggar	...	Mary Morstan Watson
Jeremy Kemp	...	Baron von Leinsdorf
Charles Gray	...	Mycroft Holmes
Régine	...	Madame
Georgia Brown	...	Mrs. Freud
Anna Quayle	...	Freda
Jill Townsend	...	Mrs. Holmes
John Bird	...	Berger
Alison Leggatt	...	Mrs. Hudson

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company:

Herbert Ross Productions

Trivia:

The title of the movie refers to the drug Sherlock Holmes is abusing. He injects himself with a solution of 7% cocaine and 93% saline solution.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Holmes, Watson and Freud are attacked by rampaging horses, the trainer can be seen running behind the horses in long shots.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: I never guess: it is an appalling habit, destructive to the logical faculty. A private study is an ideal place for observing facets of a man's character. That the study belongs to you exclusively is evident from the dust: not even the maid is permitted here, else she would scarcely have ventured to let matters come to this pass.
Sigmund Freud: Go on.
Sherlock Holmes: Very well. Now, when a man collects books on a subject, they're usually grouped together, but notice, your King James Bible, your Book of Mormon, and Koran are separate, across the room in fact, from your Hebrew Bible and Talmud, which sit on your desk. Now these books have a special importance for you not connected with a general study of religion, obviously. The nine-branched candelabra on your desk confirms my suspicion that you are of the Jewish faith; it is called a menorah, is it not?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Twenty Percent Solution (#7.4)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

The Madame's Song

A Perfect Tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

From the opening to the closing credits, filled with illustrations that originally accompanied Doyle's stories in the Strand, the details of the movie are painstakingly accurate when compared to those in the canon. This is one non-canonical Holmes story that exists in the same world as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

The movie takes the liberty of assuming that all of Dr. Watson's accounts of Sherlock Holmes are true, except for one. That would be "The Final Problem", in which the great detective supposedly dies at the hands of his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty. The movie suggests that this story is merely a cover up for a period in time in which Holmes was getting help with his cocaine addiction from none other than famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud.

The settings and characters ring true to both Doyle's mysteries and the Sydney Paget illustrations that accompanied them. Sherlock Holmes' deerstalker and cloak, though never mentioned by Doyle, look more like Paget's illustrations than ever before, more rugged than in most film interpretations. American actor Robet Duvall, despite sometimes struggling with the British accent, portrays Watson as an intellectually and physically fit comrade for Holmes, not a bumbler. Laurence Olivier's Prof. Moriarty matches the vision of Doyle and Paget rather than the cliché mustache twirler of other movies. Only now, Moriarty isn't really a criminal mastermind. He's Holmes' childhood math tutor.

Alan Arkin depicts Freud as a man of intelligence, insight, and above all, honor.

The inclusion of lesser known characters like Mycroft Holmes and Toby is a plus. There are also references, both direct and sly, to canonical Holmes stories.

While Nicol Williamson's performance as Sherlock Holmes lacks the vigor and spark of Basil Rathbone or Christopher Plummer, Williamson succeeds in showing Holmes as a troubled individual rather than a god. The movie mixes drama, subtle humor, mystery, and even action, finally showing Holmes as the capable fighter he was in the canon. The end of the film strays from the books in order to explore the uncharted territory of Holmes' childhood, providing a deeply moving climax.

This may come truer to Sir Arthur's original vision than any other pastiche written for film so far, largely thanks to the efforts of writer/director Nicholas Meyer. It's obvious in every scene that Meyer has a great love for the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle.