The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) ( The Seven Per Cent Solution (The 7% Solution) )

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) (DVD) (*)

$22.99

Alternate Title: The Seven Per Cent Solution (The 7% Solution)
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Oscar Academy Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Italian ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
Italian ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
108 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1976 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Herbert Ross

Written By:
Arthur Conan Doyle
Nicholas Meyer

Actors:
Alan Arkin ..... Dr. Sigmund Freud
Vanessa Redgrave ..... Lola Deveraux
Robert Duvall ..... Dr. John H. Watson
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

Synopsis:

Dr. Watson is growing increasingly concerned at Sherlock Holmes' use of cocaine and the fantasies they produce. The great detective's use of a 7% cocaine solution has led him to believe that Prof. Moriarty, who was his brother Mycroft's childhood tutor, is a criminal mastermind running the London underworld. Holmes will die in a year if he continues to use cocaine at his current rate and Watson contacts Dr. Sigmund Freud in Vienna to for assistance. Under a pretext devised by Watson and Mycroft, Holmes, Watson and the ever trusty Toby set off to Vienna. Under Freud's care, he slowly and painfully goes through withdrawal. He doesn't fully revive however until he joins Freud in the strange case of Lola Deveraux, another of Freud's patients who was addicted to cocaine. When she is kidnapped, they set off to rescue her. In his final act, Freud also determines why Holmes is the man he is.

Nicholas Meyer based his screenplay for the "retro" Sherlock Holmes adventure The Seven Percent Solution on his own best-selling novel. As any Baker Street Irregular will tell you, the title refers to the dosage of cocaine taken by Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson). The Great Detective's friend and chronicler Doctor Watson (Robert Duvall), concerned that Holmes' drug dependency is getting out of hand, suggests a cure under the auspices of Viennese psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (top-billed Alan Arkin). While undergoing treatment, Holmes comes to the realization that his archival Professor Moriarty (Laurence Olivier) is not the Napoleon of Crime, but instead a somewhat pathetic philanderer. Not yet completely cured, Holmes recharges his deductive batteries by undertaking a tricky conspiracy case involving another ex-addict, beautiful actress Lola Devereaux (Vanessa Redgrave). The traditional Holmesian sleuthing and split-second rescues of the film's second half are not as innovative as the Holmes-Freud scenes at the beginning of The Seven Percent Solution, but they provide this largely cerebral effort with a rousing climax. A success with both critics and filmgoers, The Seven Percent Solution opened the floodgates for subsequent TV and movie "reprises" of Conan Doyle's immortal literary figure.

Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attemts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 20 July, 2021.