Growing up, I watched and enjoyed several of the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. While I have yet to read an authentic Sherlock novel, I thought those two nailed the duo extremely well. In The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicol Williamson and Robert Duvall star, alongside Alan Arkin as Dr. Sigmund Freud. This trio must solve the mystery of the kidnapping of Vanessa Redgrave’s character, Lola Deveraux.
The film begins with Watson visiting the Holmes residence. Holmes has been cooped up in his own room for months, managing to somehow sustain himself despite oft refusing nourishment. Watson, who provides narration to the audience for several scenes, has decided it is time that Holmes broke free of his cocaine addiction. Driven mad by his addiction and suspicion of his former tutor, Professor James Moriarty (Laurence Olivier), Holmes has become not only a danger to himself, but those around him. Watson manages to get him out of England and over to Vienna, where none other than Sigmund Freud takes him on as a patient and house guest. Together with Watson, over the course of a few months, they manage to tentatively wean Holmes away from his cocaine addiction, but he’s nonetheless still troubled by a particular nightmare and suspicion of Moriarty’s hidden, evil agenda.
The cocaine addiction angle essentially dealt with, the story begins to then focus on the kidnapping of Ms. Deveraux and the involvement of Baron Karl von Leinsdorf (Jeremy Kemp). Holmes’ quick wit and induction lead the way in solving the crime, with Watson and Freud in tow.
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution was worth watching, but it never quite crossed into a really entertaining film. I thought the acting was pretty good, especially Williamson’s job as a drug-addicted, crazed Holmes early in the movie. However, most of the film was just too dry and somewhat disjointed. It reminded me of some of the British mysteries or dramas from the seventies and eighties that I’ve seen. Stranger still are the initial attempts at humor, that start with the opening credits and are sprinkled in at times throughout the movie. Right from the start, I wasn’t sure what direction this movie was wanting to take. I suppose my interest in seeing how Director Herbert Ross would ultimately end the movie was a catalyst in keeping me tuned in, but I thought they movie never quite took that upward-turn so to speak, taking it from a so-so level to something better.
As for the presentation, the video transfer was mostly impressive given the original source material. This isn’t a flashy movie by any means, but the costumes and decor, especially in the residences of Holmes and Freud’s, look very good. It’s a credit to the set designers that these were also interesting to look at. Skin tones and lighting hold up well, and technical blemishes are kept under control, too. The audio excels where it needed to most: the dialog, which is consistently very audible. I applaud Shout! for including English subtitles too, although if you are interested in other audio or subtitle tracks, there are none included. Finally, the lone extra feature is an interview with the film’s writer, Nicholas Meyer who also did the screenplays for Star Trek IV and VI. This HD feature runs nearly twenty minutes and should be interesting to fans of the movie.
To the summary…