The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) | Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach

The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) | Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach | High Quality DVD collectors edition

DVDs:

The Magnificent Se...

	The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach MGM (Video & DVD), 2001 average customer review:based on 149 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Really...it's like a magnificent DOZEN or so...

I'm doing this backwards.
I'm the guy who knows that this film is based on Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", yet saw "A Bug's Life" first, which is a take on THIS.

You know the story. You know the score. You know it's got Yul and McQueen, and five other guys you need to know for trivia contests.

But actually sitting down and seeing for the first time was such an unadulterated joy, I had a dumb little smile on my face for nearly two whole hours.

Here's some things I didn't know or realize:
1) All seven gunmen are terrific in their own way, but Eli Wallach is their equal as Calvera, the head bad guy.
2) The score was one of those things "older people" always said was "classic" or "one of the greats." It was the film score your father loved. Hearing it in it's unfettered glory showed me one thing: no matter how much I hate to admit it, Dad was right. From frame one, Elmer Bernstein's music alone straightens your spine and lifts you up. It's cliche, but it really is a separate character element in the telling of this particular tale.
3) Steve McQueen does more in a scene when he's not the focus of it. I didn't realize that until I watched the excellent documentary, but he's an absolute riot. He's ALWAYS trying to detract from somebody else's scene, fidgeting about, looking off at something. And somehow he does it in character.
4) Yul Brynner walks like some regal prince, yet clad in cowboy black. And still has a strong accent. And yes, still makes it work.
5) The screenplay is a jewel of understatement, pithy humor and curious (for a western) insight into the life of a gunman.

Being Simon Cowell honest, it's not perfect. Horst Buchholz does "James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause" in a few too many scenes, but he's kinda cool in most others. There are a few clunky lines here and there. Some of the Mexican actors sound like they've never acted before in their lives. The relationship between the kids and Charles Bronson is forced and hokey.

All that pales in comparison to the epic success of everything else in the film. There are dozens of classic lines and scenes, genuinely thrilling action sequences and the whole thing packs an honestly earned emotional wallop by the time the final credits run.

This is a film for people who love film.

for more information click here

High Quality DVD collectors edition

For all fans of this great western and first time viewers, this is the version you want. The picture quality and sound are much improved. Clearly, the effort is evident the moment the movie begins, meaning, MGM gave The Magnificant Seven the proper attention that it deserves and the quality DVD upgrade fans were hoping for. Collectors Edition is the way to go.

"I got nominated real good."

It's said that Akiro Kurosawa studied the themes of American Westerns in preparation for creating his classic THE SEVEN SAMURAI. If that is true, then John Sturges' Hollywood remake, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, is a prodigal child come home.

The Magnificent Seven are recruited by a group of Mexican villagers to protect them against the depredations of the bandit Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang. Wallach finds the heart of Calvera's character in just a few short scenes, being alternately cruel, ironic, and deprecating. Despite sounding a bit like a Brooklyn version of Pancho Villa, Wallach does a splendid job.

The leader of the Magnificent Seven is Chris (Yul Brynner), the quintessential "Man in Black." Nothing fazes Chris who remains rock steady and remote throughout the film. The rest of the cast is a veritable Who's Who of graduates from the Clenched Jaw School of Acting. Steve McQueen is Vin, a jaded, but slightly wry gunfighter who yearns for a settled life. James Coburn is Britt, laconic to the point of sphinxism, who is a dangerous as a snake with both knife and gun. Charles Bronson is Bernardo O'Reilly, stolid, deadly, and unaccountably gentle. Robert Vaughn is Lee, the Riverboat Gambler gunslinger who has secretly lost his nerve. Brad Dexter, the only unremembered actor in the cast, plays Harry Luck, avaricious but principled. And Horst Buchholz plays Chico, the Young Turk, upstart, and boy-into-man with a chip on his shoulder, who admires the rest and strives to live up to them. At first excluded from the group, Chico slowly proves his mettle, and in the end matures past his need to prove anything.

The acting quality is uniformly excellent. The implicit toughness and uniform taciturnity of the actors set a standard for Westerns that later films have never exceeded. Scored with now-legendary music by Elmer Bernstein (aka "The Marlboro Man Theme") and shot on location in Mexico, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN was released just as Westerns were falling into decline. In many ways, this film represents the best, but last gasp of the genre.

for more information click here

A Case Study of Civilization

This is a parable about people who are oppressed and seek their liberation from an organized gang. They consult an older bearded man, who tells them to get arms from across the border (where people were free to keep and bear arms). The three ambassadors wind up hiring a team of experienced gunmen to defend their town against the recurring raiders. These seven free lancers work to educate and train the townsmen in the use of firearms and fortifications. Si vis pacem parabellum.

When the raiders return these gunmen and the villagers are able to drive them away. But the raiders don't give up easily, and return for a sneak attack. The film shows the characters of the gunmen and the villagers during the lull between attacks. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. But what of the gunmen? They live a lonely life and have a dim future; they can't settle down. The gang of raiders won't go away because they are desperate for food; they are worse off but even more dangerous. There is a surprise when the raiders capture the town and turn the tables. The message seems to be that the enemies of yesterday can become the allies of today.

One gunman says true bravery is working and raising a family, not roaming for adventure. [A rebuke of military forces?] After being forced to leave, the free lancers decide to return to avenge their loss.At first their surprise attack succeeds, but the greater force against them begins to tell. The mass uprising of the people, with clubs, shovels, and machetes, puts an end to most of the raiders. When the fighting is over, the survivors ride away. The farmers continue to work the land in an endless cycle of planting, weeding, and harvesting. There is a lot of philosophy in this action film, even if the audience doesn't recognize it. Biologically, this is a case where mammals fight over their food supply and territory.

for more information click here

..classic...overrated

thought the movie was ok, its way too long and very boring in some spots, definitely appeals to the older guys and the mexicans couldn't speak any better english in the film

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

products you might be interested in