Taking liberties with the mythology of Sherlock Holmes isn’t a recent development. It might seem that way with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as modern updates on Sherlock and Elementary. But they’re not that ground-breaking. Authors have been doing their own variations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s hero for a while. Mark Twain brought the British detective to the wild West. Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution became a bestseller in 1974. The book was Dr. Watson’s memoir of Holmes’ battle with cocaine addiction. Meyer found himself adapting the novel for a screenplay soon after. The movie proved a bit of a shock for fans used to Basil Rathbone’s version of Holmes. Solution tore apart the legends of Holmes and yet rebuilt him a bolder character.
When Dr. Watson (The Godfather‘s Robert Duvall) arrives at 221B Baker Street, he does not find the usual Holmes (Nicol Williamson) testing out an outlandish theory. His pal is completely freaking out under the influence of cocaine. He doesn’t merely snort the stuff like a disco dancer in the basement of Studio 54. Holmes has gone hardcore by injecting the drug into his arm. This is where the seven-per-cent solution comes into play. At one point the drug assisted Holmes during investigations, but his addiction makes him completely paranoid and off base. He informs Watson that there’s been one diabolical mastermind behind all their cases: Professor Moriarty (Laurence Olivier). Watson checks out this mysterious figure. Turns out Moriarty isn’t that evil or mysterious. The educator is quite disturbed that Holmes has been threatening to destroy him. The professor was a math tutor to both Sherlock and his brother Mycroft (Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s Charles Gray). Watson needs to get Holmes cleaned up, but this was long before the Betty Ford Center or Dr. Phil. He takes Holmes to see Sigmund Freud (Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin). The father of psychology treats the father of investigation with hypnosis. This lets the film uncover a dark moment in Holmes’ life. But this film isn’t merely a rehab flick. An actress (Vanessa Redgrave) under Freud’s care is kidnapped. Holmes can’t wait for a complete cure. He must rescue her before she disappears in Turkey.
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is perfect for fans of the recent Holmes revival. The story is unconventional with its approach to Holmes being a junkie. It reexamines the role of Professor Moriarty. Was his evil ways a delusion found at the end of a needle? The performances from an all-star cast helps make this variation on the traditional Holmes mystery seem natural. The actors play up the manners required in a period piece without suffocating the modern twists on the character. This is a Holmes adventure worth devouring after a heaping of Benedict Cumberbatch.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the Victorian production design. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio that makes things sound extra clean. There are subtitles in case you get confused by the various accents.
When Sherlock Met Sigmund (18:07) is a talk with Nicholas Meyer about his work on the film. He talks of how his father introduced him to Holmes. His father was a shrink so in a sense, The Seven-Percent-Solution was inspired by his father as much as Holmes. A Writer’s Guild strike gave him the time to focus on the novel.
A DVD of the movie is included with the Blu-ray. This comes in handy if you want to loan out the DVD or you haven’t upgraded to Blu-ray.
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution dares to show Sherlock Holmes as a drug abuser who needs the help of Sigmund Freud to dry out. Can he kick the habit and rescue a kidnap victim.
Shout! Factory presents The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. Directed by: Herbert Ross. Screenplay by: Nicholas Meyer. Starring: Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall, Nicol Williamson and Laurence Olivier. Running Time: 113 minutes. Released: January 22, 2013. Available at Amazon.com.
