The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western movie directed by John Sturges. It is a Western-style version of Akira Kurosawa's classic Japanese-language movie Seven Samurai, made in 1954. The film stars Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Robert Vaughn, and Horst Buchholz. The music was composed by Elmer Bernstein, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Original Music Score in 1960.

The plot concerns a remote Mexican village which keeps being raided for food and supplies by a bandit called Calvera (Wallach) and his gang. The seven are a group of gunfighters hired to protect the village. The movie was made on location in Mexico. One of the towns used for the village is Durango.

In 2013, the movie was picked by the Library of Congress to be kept in the National Film Registry because it is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". This means the movie will be protected from damage that happens to older film that was used to make movies.

Cast

 Yul Brynner as Chris Adams
 Eli Wallach as Calvera
 Steve McQueen as Vin
 Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly
 James Coburn as Britt
 Brad Dexter as Harry Luck
 Robert Vaughn as Lee
 Horst Buchholz as Chico
 Vladimir Sokoloff as the old man of the village
 Jorge Martínez de Hoyos as Hilario
 Rosenda Monteros as Petra
 Rico Alaniz as Sotero
 Pepe Hern as Tomás
 Natividad Vacío as Salvador
 Robert J. Wilke as Wallace
 John A. Alonzo as Miguel
 Roberto Contreras as Luis
 Whit Bissell as Chamlee, the undertaker
 Val Avery as Henry, the corset salesman
 Bing Russell as Robert, Henry's traveling companion
 Valentin de Vargas as Santos, a Calvera henchman
 Joseph Ruskin as Flynn

Reception

Variety magazine said, "Until the women and children arrive on the scene about two-thirds of the way through, The Magnificent Seven is a rip-roaring rootin' tootin' western with lots of bite and tang and old-fashioned abandon. The last third is downhill, a long and cluttered anti-climax in which The Magnificent Seven grow slightly too magnificent for comfort."

However, Akira Kurosawa liked the movie so much that he gave John Sturges a sword.

Over the years, the movie has become more liked and gets modern praise. Bronson, Coburn, and McQueen became big name stars in other movies and on television. The Magnificent Seven itself is shown on TV and can be seen on DVD. In 2015, it had a freshness rating of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Of movie viewers, 88 percent said they liked it. The film was also ranked  79 on American Film Institute's:  AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills list.

References

Other websites


Category:1960 Western (genre) movies
Category:English-language movies
Category:United States National Film Registry movies
Category:American Western (genre) movies
Category:Movies directed by John Sturges