The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | | Cast : | Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave | | Director : | Herbert Ross | | Studio : | Image Entertainment | | Format : | Color | | Released Date : | January 01, 1976 | | DVD Released Date : | August 15, 2000 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 02, 2005 | | Summary | Worthwhile for Freud Completists | Content
 | "The Seven-Percent Solution" is the sort of film that's languished in obscurity for decades. Upon viewing the movie again, I can understand why. While the characterizations of both Sigmund Freud and Sherlock Holmes are spot-on, the action sequences and suspense are woefully underdeveloped.
The film (adapted by author Nicholas Meyer from his book) is a literary "cross-over" scenario. What if Dr. Freud, father of psychoanalysis, analyzed Britain's most famous detective? This is a fascinating "What-If?" starting point, and Meyer finds a clever way to bring the two giants together. Freud affectionados might be a little surprised at the way Alan Arkin portrays the good doctor, but that's because Meyer provides us with a look at the young, rebellious doctor. As shown here, Freud hasn't yet mastered free-association or dream analysis techniques, and is still using hypnotherapy. It's the meeting of the minds between a famous scientist and an equally famous literary detective that makes this film a charmer.
Unfortunately, there's also a half-baked plot involving Turkish kidnappers, Eastern Europeans with heavy gambling debts, and one of the most poorly-filmed fight sequences atop a train in the history of 1970s movies. I can accept Sherlock Holmes dueling with a saber; I can't accept Freud suddenly brandishing a shotgun and threatening several Turks. To be blunt, the plot seems to exist because Meyer tried to make his original idea a bit more commercial. Meyer failed at this, and the silly attempts to generate suspense are most likely the real reason this film isn't seen or heard of anymore.
The only group of people who I can imagine purchasing this DVD are psychology professors. The portrayal of Freud, as mentioned earlier, is uncannily accurate and I believe that it could be used in a classroom to bring the psychoanalyist to life. Casual Holmes fans may want to take a quick peek, but there's little here to draw the viewer in more than once. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 25, 2004 | | Summary | Sigmund Freud meets Sherlock Holmes | Content
| "The Seven-Percent Solution" refers to Sherlock Holmes's usual cocaine formula, first unveiled in "The Sign of Four." While Holmes cocaine usage, which was legal at the time, never played such a huge role in the original stories, author Nicholas Meyer used it as the basis for his novel on which this film is based. In this story, Holmes's usage has blossomed into a full-blown addiction, from which he must soon free himself or die. His friend, Dr. Watson, lures Holmes to Vienna to meet with famed researcher Sigmund Freud who will help break his addiction. It is an interesting premise, and in theory no more off the mark than Sherlock Holmes's showdown with Jack the Ripper in the excellent film "Murder by Decree." There are some pretty extreme liberties taken with the characters, and hardcore fans might be shockingly disappointed. As a Holmes story, it is mediocre at best. The writers do not seem to have the necessary flair for detection that makes Holmes so interesting and invincible, and the threaded mystery and expositions are a bit lame. The inclusion of practically every character from the Holmes cannon is a distracting as well. They are all here, Moriarty, Mycroft and even Toby, although they haven't all been cast in their usual roles. A hodgepodge of everything has been packed in, some without rhyme or reason. One gets the feeling that the director was not very familiar with the original Sherlock Holmes stories. As a character study, the film works well, and the scenes with Freud, Watson and Holmes are very enjoyable. Robert Duvall makes a surprisingly excellent Watson, coming off as far more capable than Nicol Williamson (Merlin in "Excalibur") as Sherlock Holmes. Alan Arkin is also excellent as Sigmund Freud, supplying a steady hand to the shaky addict. Sir Laurence Olivier peeks in as Professor Moriarty, in a part that is far too small. All in all, "The Seven-Percent Solution" was a quirky film that I enjoyed watching, but I don't feel the need to own. It takes a few too many liberties with the characters, and the mystery is sub-par. It would have made an excellent 1/2 hour television episode, but is stretched too thin here. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 20, 2003 | | Summary | Why in the world isn't this thing letterboxed!? | Content
| The movie itself gets at least four stars, but minus two for the studio for being so purblind as to issue it with a third of the picture lopped off. Gee, folks, can't you at least give us a choice to watch the entire movie? |
| Rating | | | Date | February 14, 2003 | | Summary | Stylish deconstruction of a hero | Content
| When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the original Sherlock Holmes stories, little did he expect they would become the stuff of classics. He thought of them as throw-off stories, light fare, not the serious stuff he wanted to be known for. When he killed off the character at one point, there was such a huge outcry that he had to unwillingly create a miraculous recovery and continue writing about Holmes.
Eventually Doyle made it clear that he didn't care what happened with Holmes after his own death, inviting others to write stories about the famous "consulting detective" in whatever way they saw fit (in absolute diametric opposition to Ian Fleming, who guarded his James Bond character with virtual electric fences to prevent others being unfaithful to his vision).
Fast forward to the early 1970s, and a new Sherlock Holmes novel is released by Nicholas Meyer. It is widely hailed (and rightly so) as the best Holmes novel not written by Doyle himself, although many other mediocre ones ("Enter the Lion," etc.) and abominable ones ("Sherlock Holmes in Dallas") have been published. The famous subject and #1 best-seller status of the novel ensure that this story will be turned into a major film.
And so we have it. However, like most films made from books, something fails to make the transition. Perhaps it's the awful miscasting of Robert Duvall as Dr. John Watson (!) While Duvall plays the role true to the original character Doyle created (as opposed to the laughable buffoon from the 1930s/40s films), his dreadful accent and lost expression give the impression of one on the outside looking so far in as to seem from another world.
Much more on target is Nicol Williamson's wonderful turn as Holmes. His intensity and obsessiveness are done beautifully, and Alan Arkin's Freud is interesting as well.
The story ultimately retains two of the more disappointing aspects of the novel: The partial tearing down of the Holmesian persona as a nearly infallible detective, and Meyers' revelation of the always elusive Moriarty (Olivier wasted in this role). I won't go into great detail to spoil it for any prospective viewer, but the whole experience leaves one a bit uncomfortable, and not in a way that necessarily leads to enlightenment or profitable discussions.
The visual style with which the story is presented, however, is one of the things that saves it (along with Williamson's portrayal of Holmes). The sets, costuming, and cinematography make for some breathtaking moments (the horse stampede being the most memorable), and these things ultimately push it from two stars to three for me. Definitely worth seeing once, for those Holmes fans who have not had the chance. Rent it, if possible, before you make a decision on purchasing. |
|
