The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Director:

John Sturges

Writer:

William Roberts (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

They were seven - And they fought like seven hundred!

Plot:

An oppressed Mexican peasant village assembles seven gunfighters to help defend their homes.

Plot Keywords:

Village | Bandit | Showdown | Farmer | Peasant

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Yul Brynner	...	Chris Adams
Eli Wallach	...	Calvera
Steve McQueen	...	Vin
Charles Bronson	...	Bernardo O'Reilly
Robert Vaughn	...	Lee
Brad Dexter	...	Harry Luck
James Coburn	...	Britt
Horst Buchholz	...	Chico
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Hilario (as Jorge Martinez de Hoyas)
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Old man
Rosenda Monteros	...	Petra
Rico Alaniz	...	Sotero
Pepe Hern
Natividad Vacío	...	Miguel (as Natividad Vacio)
Mario Navarro	...	Boy with O'Reilly

Also Known As:

Les sept mercenaires (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Die glorreichen Sieben (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Los siete magníficos (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Siete hombres y un destino (Chile) (Mexico) [es]
7 rohkeata miestä (Finland) [fi]
7 vågade livet (Sweden) [sv]
A hét mesterlövész (Hungary) [hu]
I magnifici sette (Italy) [it]
Kai oi 7 isan yperohoi (Greece) [el]
Kai oi 7 itan yperohoi (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Koya no shichinin (Japan) [ja]
Os sete Magníficos (Portugal) [pt]
Sedam velicanstvenih (Serbia) [sr]
Sedm statecnych (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Seitsemän rohkeata miestä (Finland) [fi]
Sete Homens E um Destino (Brazil) [pt]
Siedmiu wspanialych (Poland) [pl]
Syv mænd sejrer (Denmark) [da]
Yedi silahsörler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG | Australia:PG (TV rating) (2005) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #19668) | West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

George Peppard was first considered for the role of Vin.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final battle we see Bernardo slumping off a roof, onto a clay-tiled awning, and then crouching behind a brick wall. We next see him when he shoots a guy who is about to mount a horse. The guy ends up with blood only on the back of his shirt. If Bernardo shot him in the back we should see either Bernardo, the clay-tiled awning or the short brick wall in the background. If Bernardo shot him from any other angle there should be blood on the front or sides of the guy, not just on the back.

Quotes:

[as the seven are about to leave the village]
Calvera: You'll do much better on the other side of the border. There you can steal cattle, hold up trains... all you have to face is sheriff, marshall. Once I rob a bank in Texas; your government get after me with a whole army... whole army! One little bank. Is clear the meaning: in Texas, only Texans can rob banks. Ha ha.
[they look at him in silence]
Calvera: Adios!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Apontes (1996)

Top drawer production

What could have been a fairly routine western is lifted into the realm of classic thanks to some smart casting, sturdy direction and a rousing music score. A reworking of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", the story concerns a Mexican village which is constantly pillaged by bandit Wallach and his small army of followers. Three of the villagers hire a mix of gunslingers to come back to protect and defend the town and rid it of the oppressors. Brynner leads the group (seven in total, hence the title) as they teach the farmers how to use a gun and prepare the town for the eventual onslaught from Wallach. The already tough odds are lengthened when some of the villagers begin to lose faith in the power of the seven. Brynner is solid in the lead role (though, unfortunately, his later role in "Westworld" adds an odd shading to his character here.) He, McQueen and Coburn define the word cool as they go about their various exploits before and after they join forces. McQueen and Coburn are men of few words, but of fierce actions when necessary. Bronson (rather young and handsome, though still a little craggy looking) does his best with a pretty mushy storyline involving the youth of the village. Buchholz overacts feverishly as a determined, but inexperienced youth. Vaughn seems a tad out of place and has one major ham moment during a nightmare. Dexter (easily the most often forgotten member of the group) has a few moments, but his character is not particularly defined. Wallach excels in the showy role of the chief bandit. His brash performance is a great counterpoint to the more steely and solemn title gunmen. The villagers come off as hapless and pitiful, for the most part. Along the way, there are several memorable vignettes that showcase the charm of the actors involved. The casting director did an almost miraculous job of using known stars and picking supporting actors who would soon be just as big so that the film now has virtually an all-star cast. The biggest shot in the arm of all is the monumental score by Elmer Bernstein. The instantly recognizable title music is just one of the many great pieces he created for the film. The sometimes laconic story is carried a long way by his score. The concept of disparate characters being brought together for a common cause has been done many times, but rarely with this level of quality. It's sometimes hard to believe that the film was made in 1960 as its look, content and cast make it seem like a later film. It was definitely a touchstone in the development of the western film.