The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Nicholas Meyer (novel)

Release Date:

2 June 1977 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Mystery | Comedy | Crime

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Drug Addict | Drug Addiction | Fencing | Cocaine | Detective

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
Régine	...	Madame
Charles Gray	...	Mycroft Holmes
Georgia Brown	...	Mrs. Freud
Anna Quayle	...	Freda
Jill Townsend	...	Mrs. Holmes
John Bird	...	Berger
Alison Leggatt	...	Mrs. Hudson

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company:

Herbert Ross Productions

Trivia:

Charles Gray would play Mycroft Holmes again years later in the PBS "Sherlock Holmes" TV series starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

[Last lines; after meeting unexpectedly on the boat]
Lola Deveraux: Journeys alone are always so tedious, don't you find? 'Specially when they are long.
Sherlock Holmes: Will this be a long journey?
Lola Deveraux: That all depends. But I do think it will seem shorter if there are two of us... don't you?
Sherlock Holmes: I hope it will not seem too short.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Designing 'Salon Kitty' (2003) (V)

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.