The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Director:

John Sturges

Writer:

William Roberts (screenplay)
(more)

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
Danny Bravo
John A. Alonzo	...	Tomas (as John Alonso)
Enrique Lucero	...	Villager
Alex Montoya
Robert J. Wilke	...	Wallace (as Robert Wilke)
Val Avery	...	Henry (corset salesman)
Whit Bissell	...	Chamlee (undertaker)
Bing Russell	...	Robert, (Henry's traveling companion)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Henry Amargo	...	Villager (uncredited)
José Chávez	...	Rafael (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Roberto Contreras	...	Villager (uncredited)
Valentin de Vargas	...	Calvera henchman (uncredited)
Larry Duran	...	Calvera henchman (uncredited)
Victor French	...	Front office clerk (uncredited)
Joseph Ruskin	...	Flynn (uncredited)

Directed by
John Sturges

Writing credits
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay "Shichinin no samurai") uncredited &
Shinobu Hashimoto		(screenplay "Shichinin no samurai") uncredited &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay "Shichinin no samurai") uncredited
William Roberts		(screenplay)
Walter Bernstein		uncredited and
Walter Newman		uncredited

Produced by
Walter Mirisch	....	executive producer
Lou Morheim	....	associate producer
John Sturges	....	producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(as Charles Lang Jr.)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Art Direction by
Edward Fitzgerald

Set Decoration by
Rafael Suárez		(as Rafael Suarez)

Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup artist (as Emile Lavigne)
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup artist (as Daniel Striepke)

Production Management
Francisco Day	....	production manager (as Chico Day)
Allen K. Wood	....	production supervisor
Hubert Fröhlich	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jaime Contreras	....	assistant director
Robert E. Relyea	....	assistant director
Emilio Fernández	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Sam Gordon	....	property

Sound Department
Del Harris	....	sound effects editor
Rafael Ruiz Esparza	....	sound (as Rafael Esparza)
Jack Solomon	....	sound

Special Effects by
Milt Rice	....	special effects

Stunts
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Don Stott	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Music Department
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Other crew
Thom Conroy	....	dialogue director
John Franco	....	continuity
'Chema' Hernandez	....	head wrangler (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Mirisch Corporation, The
• Alpha Productions (as A Mirisch-Alpha Production)

Distributors

• United Artists (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1961) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1961) (France) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1980) (USA) (VHS) (reissue)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vidéo (1997) (France) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (France) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2001) (UK) (DVD) (special edition)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (France) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (special edition)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Netherlands) (VHS)

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 (TV rating) (2005) | Australia:PG | 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:

James Coburn was a big fan of Shichinin no samurai (1954) and his favorite role in that film was the character that he ended up playing in the Americanized version.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scene, when Calvera is complaining about religion, he takes the cup to drink in his left hand. As he sits at the table and finishes complaining, the cup is switches to his right hand.

Quotes:

Chamlee: I'm sorry, friend, but there'll be no funeral.
Henry: What?
Chamlee: Oh, the grave is dug and the defunct there is as ready as the embalmers ought to make him. But there'll be no funeral.
Henry: What's the matter? Didn't I pay enough?
Chamlee: It's not a question of money. For twenty dollars, I'd plant anybody with a hoop and a holler. But the funeral is off.
Henry: Now how do you like that. I want him buried, you want him buried and if he could sit up and talk, he'd second the motion. Now that's as unanimous as you can get.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Insecticidal (2005)

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.