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:

Shotgun | Spanking | Exploitation | Slap In The Face | Grave

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

Also Known As:

Sept mercenaires, Les (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Glorreichen Sieben, Die (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Siete hombres y un destino (Chile) (Mexico) [es]
Siete magníficos, Los (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
7 rohkeata miestä (Finland) [fi]
7 vågade livet (Sweden) [sv]
Koya no shichinin (Japan) [ja]
Magnifici sette, I (Italy) [it]
Sedam velicanstvenih (Serbia) [sr]
Sedm statecnych (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Seitsemän rohkeata miestä (Finland) [fi]
Sete Homens E um Destino (Brazil) [pt]
Sete Magníficos, Os (Portugal) [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:

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

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

Sterling Hayden was originally supposed to play the knife expert, Britt. Hayden dropped out for unknown reasons, so John Sturges sent out an extensive casting call. Robert Vaughn (Lee) recommended old schoolmate and friend 'James Coburn' for the role. Vaughn and Coburn helped each other get roles throughout the rest of Coburn's life.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Calvera gives the "adios" command to send the seven out of town, he waves his right hand and starts walking away from a pole. In the very next shot (from behind) he is shown still leaning against the pole.

Quotes:

Chris: There's a job for six men, watching over a village, south of the border.
O'Reilly: How big's the opposition?
Chris: Thirty guns.
O'Reilly: I admire your notion of fair odds, mister.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

A brilliant classic, beautifully scored, shot and acted.

A wonderful classic beautifully scored and shot.

There are so many moody looks between characters, and little movements or idiosyncrasies that just make each of the gunmen seem so real. Apparently, there were big egos behind the camera that caused these acts of showmanship, but unlike most films where the egos clash, here they just build the characters up without harming them.

Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen are just wonderful, and James Coburn and Charles Bronson both put in equal performances. There's just nothing about this film that you can fault, the script is kept light when required and the stunning score lifts up and the acting is huge but never too much. This is a must see…again and again.