| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Alan Arkin | ... | Dr. Sigmund Freud | |
| Vanessa Redgrave | ... | Lola Deveraux | |
| Robert Duvall | ... | Dr. John H. Watson | |
| Nicol Williamson | ... | Sherlock Holmes | |
| Laurence Olivier | ... | Professor James Moriarty (as Sir Laurence Olivier) | |
| Joel Grey | ... | Lowenstein | |
| Samantha Eggar | ... | Mary Morstan Watson | |
| Jeremy Kemp | ... | Baron Karl von Leinsdorf | |
| Charles Gray | ... | Mycroft Holmes | |
| Régine | ... | Madame | |
| Georgia Brown | ... | Frau Freud | |
| Anna Quayle | ... | Freda | |
| Jill Townsend | ... | Mrs. Holmes | |
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John Bird | ... | Berger |
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Alison Leggatt | ... | Mrs. Hudson |
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 attempts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux. Written by James Meek <james@oz.net>
Dr. Watson (Robert Duvall) prepares a scheme to Sherlock (Nicol Williamson) meets Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) in Vienna to cure his drugs addiction . Besides , the trio will resolve an abducting of a famous actress damsel (Vanessa Redgrave) , rescuing her from villains still being beset by his dastardly and devilish rival . Holmes excursion brings the famed Victorian sleuth towards Austria , as Holmes along Freud will solve unanswered mysteries and Sherlock undergoes some risked experiences to resolve the cases using even his habitual disguise .
It is a nice Holmes film with gripping London and Vienna setting . A genuine ripping yarn and very intriguing . The movie blends suspense , thriller , detective action , cloak and dagger , mystery and being enough interesting . Packs an exciting amount of surprises with great lots of entertainment . This is a classy and effective romp with a strongly casting . Nicol Williamson as whimsical detective is top-notch , he's in cracking form . He makes an unique perspective on his life , revealing a complex personality . He's finely matched in battle of wits with Freud . The stars have a splendid fight aboard a train towards the end ; plus , Holmes tries to battle his arch-enemy Moriarty but with an amazing final surprise . Although Basil Rathbone will be forever identified as Holmes ; however , here Nicol Williamson is also played as an intelligent , cunning , broody and impetuous pipesmoking sleuth but addicted to cocaine , his interpretation is likeness to Christopher Plummer (Murder by decree) or Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett in television . While Dr. Watson isn't a bumbling and botcher pal generally represented by Nigel Bruce , but a clever and astute partner magnificently incarnated by Robert Duvall .
Screenwriter Nicholas Meyer provides the original plot , creating the basis for this particularly storyline . After this film , source novelist-screenwriter Meyer realized a similar operation , uniting H.G.Wells with Jack the Ripper in the movie ¨Time after the time¨ , as he became a film director himself , in his another picture connected with Victorian England. Excellent sets by production designer Ken Adam in his fourth of seven collaborations to director Herbert Ross . The film boasts a beautiful cinematography by Oswald Morris and a haunting score by John Addison . The motion picture sparkles with polish and wit and the ending results to be as exciting as moving and being well directed by Herbert Ross .