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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 64069
Released: April 8, 1998 |
| Our Price: $746.90 |
| Used Price: $72.49 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
While Sigmund Freud psychanalyzes Sherlock Holmes' addiction to cocaine, Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.
Description of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution:
Writer Nicholas Meyer (who went on to write two of the best Star Trek films) made his bones with his adaptation of his bestselling novel, directed by Herbert Ross. Fanciful and entertaining, it imagines what might have happened had Dr. Watson (Robert Duvall) convinced Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson) to seek a cure for his cocaine addiction from Dr. Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin). This meeting of the minds takes a turn into adventure when Holmes and Freud team up to solve a kidnapping mystery. Arkin is intriguingly likable as Freud, while Williamson makes a keen and frenetic Holmes. Duvall is almost unrecognizable as the avuncular, phlegmatic Watson. Laurence Olivier turns up as Professor Moriarty, who is hardly the criminal mastermind that the drug-deluded Holmes believes. --Marshall Fine
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Reviews:
This is actually available for a reasonable price 
2009-08-12 - I own this movie on 12" laserdisc format. Unfortunately I haven't had the laserdisc player hooked up in a long time. I've always loved this film. Certainly far above average. I only wish Nicol Williamson would have finished the Granada television Holmes series after Jeremy Brett died. That was sort of a fantasy casting idea. He is superb as Holmes in The Seven Percent Solution. And what can you say about Robert Duvall? You know he's up to the task.
The DVD is out of print in the USA as of this writing (August 2009), and it costs an arm and a leg on the used market.
However, if you have a region-free player, I would check the UK amazon site. You can probably get a Region 2 PAL copy of this movie for about $8 plus shipping. It's also been re-released on DVD in Australia (which the site I'm looking at says is also PAL format -- I don't know, I've never bought anything from Australia).
With most DVD players, you can find a little trick with the remote to make it region-free (Google is your friend). Wikipedia's article on "DVD Region Code" states, "Most freeware and open source DVD players, such as VLC, ignore region coding. Most commercial players are locked to a region code, but can be easily changed with software." Likely you could view it on your computer with VLC player. So, if you're a fan of this movie, and you don't mind a small technical challenge... it is available at reasonable prices. I think I'm going to get the import.
Fun movie, the seller prices are insane 
2009-06-07 - Got this from the library a long time ago and enjoyed it's exploration of the Sherlock Holmes psyche. This is what makes the "House" series so interesting; it's not just clever puzzles being solved/resolved, but the source of genius and it's interaction with the common world. What does a master detective do for breakfast? How does he deal with irritating people?
Anyways the only reason I wrote this is because I saw the ridiculous prices being asked by the private sellers. I was compelled by evil to write this. You'd have to be out of your mind to pay what they are asking. Greedy #*!s. I ended up getting my own copy from a much more reasonable source after googling it. I recommend being patient and waiting for it to be put back on the market and check the libraries, or buy from UK. Don't let people gouge you!
Look at the prices!
2008-03-06 - ROFL, yeah I'm going to pay that in your dreams. It is a good thing I don't base my review on the ridiculous prices of these outrageous sellers. If I based it on them I would give it no stars. Great movie with good story and cast, I will be glad when it is finally back in print. I would be very surprised if it isn't re-released on DVD. Just be patient.
A Bonny Holmes Adventure in Freud's Vienna
2007-05-30 - This film has haunted me since I first saw it in the 70's, to some extent because prior to that, my viewing experience of Holmes was our standard---yet deeply appreciated---Basil Rathbone interpretation. This fulsome breathing of life into Doyle's Holmes and Watson was a complete delight---Nichol Williamson and Robert Duvall more than do the stories justice.
Since Williamson's Holmes is lost in the throes of cocaine addiction as the story begins, the journey to free him of it carries us forward to Vienna and Dr. Sigmund Freud to aid Holmes in rehab.
Duvall's Watson has since then been my favourite interpretation due to his capturing the essence of Watson's upright, un-bumbling, and throughly splendid character. Then to add Alan Arkin as Sigmund Freud is a master stroke. Only Arkin and David Suchet have been able to interpret the much maligned doctor to my satisfaction. Vannessa Redgrave also does a lovely turn as a fellow sufferer to drug addiction---her absolute trust in Freud is quite poignant. And last, but not least, Nicol Williamson's Holmes certainly does justice to Holmes' extreme nature, his theatricality, and his extraordinary mind. (Williamson's HAMLET, directed by Tony Richardson, ought not to be missed, either.)
Others have been less than generous about the film's flaws, but it's casting, photography, intriguing storyline far outweigh the nigglers. It's a beautiful step back into pre-Edwardian Europe (the Queen is still living), and even has an amusing little Stephen Sondheim ditty thrown in when we venture into an upscale Vienese house of ill-repute.
I am utterly appalled that THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION is not available on DVD, but hope in the near future that it may be.
A very Weird But Very Good Sherlock Holmes movie
2006-12-18 - I love Angst.
So I love this movie.
This movie couldn't be too far from the Truth...Sorta.
ACD wrote that Holmes was an avid user of Cocaine and that in a few of the original Stories Watson tried to get him to leave it.
The only thing that I didn't like about the movie was that he got over his addition in one day.
The movie also has some very weird withdrawal scenes. But I love the story. And have read the book.
if you get a chance read the book before you see or after. The book came out not as a novel of the movie. But the movie was based on the book.
It's a very good watch. if you like to see famous literary characters in torment.
