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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Seven-per-cent Solution -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

Robert Harris

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With Nicholas Meyer adapting his own novel, for director Herbert Ross, we end up with a high quality film, and one that I've enjoyed for decades. Shout Factory's release of the Universal production is actually quite acceptable, even if the transfer may go back a month or so. Apparently with an image harvested from an IP, we have a bit of movement, but an overall decent image, with good color, a bit of requisite grain. Overall very nice, and never digital-looking. Great fun! Great cast! Image - 3 Audio - 4 Recommended. RAH
 

Matt Hough

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For fans of the original Holmes tales, the book is a really fun read. Meyer really catches the cadence of Doyle's writing style. The movie follows through and is very entertaining even if it does inevitably work a romance in it for Holmes. The delightful Madame's song by Stephen Sondheim "I Never Do Anything Twice" doesn't get its due in the film, but catch it on some of its recorded versions, and it's a very witty and very sophisticated song.
 

Dick

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Waiting now for Blu's of MURDER BY DECREE and A STUDY IN TERROR.
 

Ray H

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I've been meaning to see this for years, but it hasn't been available on Netflix, and the DVD is one of those MOD type things for $20. Good that a nice affordable BD is coming out. I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, and Vanessa Redgrave so I'm looking forward to it!
 

Matt Hough

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Originally Posted by Dick
Waiting now for Blu's of MURDER BY DECREE and A STUDY IN TERROR.
I could not agree more. I love both of these Holmes' encounters with Jack the Ripper and would welcome either one or both on Blu-ray. Thankfully, we do have DVDs of them which is some compensation.
 

Dave B Ferris

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MattH. said:
I could not agree more. I love both of these Holmes' encounters with Jack the Ripper and would welcome either one or both on Blu-ray. Thankfully, we do have DVDs of them which is some compensation.
I should have asked this question more promptly: For A Study in Terror, is the DVD actually the DVD-R I'm finding at various online etailers, or was there an earlier pressed-disc release?
 

ahollis

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Dave B Ferris said:
I should have asked this question more promptly: For A Study in Terror, is the DVD actually the DVD-R I'm finding at various online etailers, or was there an earlier pressed-disc release?
There was not a pressed DVD of this title in Region 1. Sony talked about it but never announced it. The transfer was very good so I assumed that they produced the transfer used for the DVD-r in anticipation of a pressed release. If possible the transfer appeared good enough for a Blu.
 

Dave B Ferris

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ahollis said:
There was not a pressed DVD of this title in Region 1. Sony talked about it but never announced it. The transfer was very good so I assumed that they produced the transfer used for the DVD-r in anticipation of a pressed release. If possible the transfer appeared good enough for a Blu.
Thank you. From a purely selfish standpoint, I'm glad I did not miss-out on a pressed release.
 

JoHud

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ahollis said:
There was not a pressed DVD of this title in Region 1. Sony talked about it but never announced it. The transfer was very good so I assumed that they produced the transfer used for the DVD-r in anticipation of a pressed release. If possible the transfer appeared good enough for a Blu.
Well, it's Sony. Almost all of their recent transfers, MOD or otherwise, are very good.
 

Dennis Nicholls

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Two of my favorite films, The Seven-per-cent Solution and Exodus, were originally given two of the worst DVD transfers: non-anamorphic letterbox or full-frame transfers that were horrible to view.

I finally picked up this Blu-Ray and have casually watched through it. Certainly it seems much improved, as does the recently-acquired Australian import Blu-Ray of Exodus. These releases were made by Shout and Shock, respectively.
 

Dick

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Matt Hough said:
For fans of the original Holmes tales, the book is a really fun read. Meyer really catches the cadence of Doyle's writing style.
Nicolas Meyer's second Holmes novel, The West End Horror, was a pale shadow of his first. He should have quit while he was ahead. The film community obviously agreed...it was never made into a movie.
 

Matt Hough

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Dick said:
Nicolas Meyer's second Holmes novel, The West End Horror, was a pale shadow of his first. He should have quit while he was ahead. The film community obviously agreed...it was never made into a movie.
I agree. Not nearly as much fun though it was a best seller. He stopped there with the Holmes books, didn't he, or did miss any follow-ups?
 

Dave Jessup

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The Canary Trainer, 1993, W W Norton (hardcover), 1995 (same publisher, trade paperback). Holmes is in Paris, "commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real...."

Couldn't give you a critique, because it's probably been twenty years since I read it - but it's still on the shelf here along with first ed's of the others.
 

Matt Hough

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Dave Jessup said:
The Canary Trainer, 1993, W W Norton (hardcover), 1995 (same publisher, trade paperback). Holmes is in Paris, "commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real...."

Couldn't give you a critique, because it's probably been twenty years since I read it - but it's still on the shelf here along with first ed's of the others.
Thanks. I'll check that out.
 

Dick

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Matt Hough said:
I agree. Not nearly as much fun though it was a best seller. He stopped there with the Holmes books, didn't he, or did miss any follow-ups?
No follow-ups. That was it.
 

Bob Cashill

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The problem with West End as a film was that Murder by Decree explored the same terrain around the same time.
 

CinemaCynic

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Dick said:
Waiting now for Blu's of MURDER BY DECREE and A STUDY IN TERROR.
The latter is avail in the UK, may even be region free tho I haven't tested it. Looks great!

Of additional note, the Hammer 'Hound' was released on Blu in Australia recently, looks absolutely superb! Also to be released shorty down under is a PAL dvd of the 1982 BBC adaptation of 'Hound' with Tom Baker.

'Murder by Decree' is begging for a blu upgrade, just hope whoever gets to it doesn't put out an inferior transfer like Kino did with 'Private Life.'
 

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