The Magnificent Seven
Year: 1960
Film Studio: The Mirisch Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Western, Classic
Length: 128 Min.
DirectorJohn Sturges (1910)
WritingWilliam Roberts (1913)...Screenplay
ProducerWalter Mirisch (1921)
Lou Morheim
John Sturges (1910)
CinematographerCharles Lang (1902)
MusicElmer Bernstein (1922)...Composer
StarsYul Brynner (1920) as Chris Adams
Eli Wallach (1915) as Calvera
Steve McQueen (1930) as Vin
Charles Bronson (1921) as Bernardo O'Reilly
Robert Vaughn (1932) as Lee
Brad Dexter (1917) as Harry Luck
James Coburn (1928) as Britt
Horst Buchholz (1933) as Chico
Review John Sturges had been directing movies since 1946; he would find his first success with
Bad Day at Black Rock in 1951. By the latter part of the decade, the western proved to be his forte.
Gunfight at the OK Corral, and
Last Train from Gun Hill, had met with both critical and box office success. So in 1960 he returned to the genre that was his bread & butter. Yul Brynner had convinced United Artists to secure the rights to Akira Kurosawas
Shichinin no Samurai, a film viewed by many to be a Japanese western. Sturges was signed on to direct, probably because he had once stated that he could take any story and make it into a western.
After a brief legal squabble with Anthony Quinn over the rights to the film, cast and crew were re-located to Cuernavaca, Mexico to shoot the film. Brynner had final approval over casting and following Sturges’ recommendation hired Steve McQueen (fresh from his success in television on
Wanted: Dead or Alive) for his breakout role as Vin. This decision would cause Brynner nightmares over the course of shooting the picture. McQueen’s deliberate scene stealing antics would drive Brynner crazy and the resulting competition between the two actors would create some of the most riveting scenes ever produced in a western. Rounding out the cast were four newcomers; James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, the woefully miscast Horst Buchholz, and for the seventh gunmen, one of Sturges’ drinking buddies, Brad Dexter. Lastly, Eli Wallach would play the main protagonist Calvera.
One of the main keys to the success of this film wasn’t derived from an actor’s performance, but was the result of the masterful film score written by Elmer Bernstein. It is probably the most recognizable score in film history, rivaled only by Mancini’s
Pink Panther theme.
At one time, I fell into the same trap that other cinephiles fall into; I unjustly compared this film to the original concept film. Over time I realized that this is a great film in its own right, and deserves its place in cinema history as one of the best westerns ever produced.
Review Criterion5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.
4 ½ Stars - Not quite an immortal film, yet a masterpiece in its own right.
4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.3 ½ Stars - An entertaining film that’s fun or engaging to watch.
3 Stars – A good film that’s worth a Netflix venture.
2 ½ Stars - Borderline viewable.
2 Stars – A bad film that may have a moment of interest.
1 ½ Stars – Insipid, trite and sophomoric, and that's its good points.
1 Star – A film so vacuous, it will suck 2 hours from the remainder of your life.
½ Star - A gangrenous and festering pustule in the chronicles of celluloid.
