Wonderful Westerns: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960)
Throughout the history of cinema, there seems to be one genre that’s ignored or cast aside — and that is Westerns. Sure, other genres are mocked and not taken all that seriously, such as fantasy, science fiction, and romantic comedies. But those are genres that are still made rather frequently in various forms of media, but with Westerns, we’re lucky to see at least one get released to a wide audience. With this column series, I hope to shine a light on this genre and its gems and bring a new appreciation towards it. The films I’ll be covering will be primarily from the ’60s and ’70s but I’ll probably highlight a couple from other decades. That being said, let’s start with a Western from beginning of the ’60s.
If I were to ask you to name a Western movie from the 1960s, what would pop into your mind? I’m sure you’re thinking of films such as the George Roy Hill buddy-western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) where Paul Newman and Robert Redford portray the legendary train robbers of the same name. Or maybe you’re thinking of Sam Peckinpah’s epic and controversially violent Western The Wild Bunch (1969), the film about a group of aging outlaws trying to exist in a changing world. Or maybe you’re not thinking of an American Western; maybe you’re thinking of a Spaghetti Western like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) or Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), both directed by the masterful Sergio Leone. While those are all excellent choices, there’s one that I feel is overlooked and unappreciated, and that would be the The Magnificent Seven (1960).
A remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), The Magnificent Seven tells of seven gunslingers who are hired by residents of a poor Mexican village to help chase away the bandit Calvera (Eli Wallach) who, along with his men, routinely steal the food and supplies of the villagers leaving them to starve. The seven decide to help and, in the process, they become more attached to the village and its citizens, and the audience learns a little more about them.
This underrated gem of the silver screen was directed by the equally underrated director John Sturges, whose filmography also includes: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), for which he received his only Best Director Oscar nomination; Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957); and his adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (1958). All of these films deal with a character or characters entering a seemingly familiar territory and coming up against a bigger challenge than usual, which is a good way to summarize this film also. A regular movie-goer will think that this is a stereotypical shoot-‘em-up-action-Western but instead you get a look at the eponymous seven and their lives.
The seven are led by Chris, portrayed by Yul Brynner. Now, some of you are probably raising an eyebrow at that and thinking, “What? The Russian-born actor who won an Oscar for playing a Siamese king is playing an American cowboy?” You are correct sir/madame! But Brynner’s persona in this film is very different from the bombastic and eccentric character he played in The King and I. In The Magnificent Seven, his character is very calm, collected, and cool. Dressed in all black, Chris can command a scene with just a glare and simple quote. Even when confronted with Calvera and his men, which outnumber the seven greatly, he still stares him down and says to “ride on.”
By the way, in case anyone is wondering, yes they do have an explanation for his accent. When Chris’s friend and eventual member of the group Harry Luck (Brad Dexter) visits, he refers to Chris as a Cajun, “You ol’ Cajun — you don’t talk so good, but you always know what’s goin’ on.”
The other six are certainly worth their own grains of salt. There’s Vin the drifting gunman played by then-rising star Steve McQueen; Britt the silent but deadly knifes-man portrayed by James Coburn; Charles Bronson as the desperate gunslinger Bernardo O’Reilly; Robert Vaughn as the demon-haunted Lee, who’s in a desperate struggle with his self-conscious; the aforementioned Harry, who’s joining because he thinks there maybe gold or something else involved outside of shoeing the bandits away; and Chico, played by the German-born newcomer Horst Buchholtz, who wants to be a gunman like the rest of them.
Each of these characters has his own backstory that isn’t on full display, but through the excellent direction of John Sturges, we get a good look at the identity of each of the seven and what motivates them. One of the best examples I can think of is with Coburn’s character, Britt. At one point, the seven are outwitted by Calvera and are told to leave the village. After the seven have left, their guns are tossed back at them by two of Calvera’s men, and one of the first to pick up his gun and volunteer to go back to the village is Britt. His reason: “Nobody throws me my own gun and says run. Nobody.” Little moments like that and the sparkling dialogue are what make this a great film.
If I had to highlight one performance as the best then it would have to be from the late Eli Wallach as the bandit leader Calvera. Who would’ve thought that this Brooklyn-born man of Polish heritage would make a great outlaw? He just captures you in every single scene with his charisma and pure acting talent.
Probably the most memorable things about the film its Oscar-nominated music score by legendary composer Elmer Bernstein Even if you’ve never seen The Magnificent Seven, I guarantee you that you’ve heard the score at least.
(WARNING: There are spoilers in the clip below. Stop the video at 2:30 if you want to avoid them.)
The film was followed by three sequels — I’m sure I’m going to talk about those in the near future — and a television show featuring Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman. There’s even talk about a remake coming out in the near future staring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, and to tell you the truth, I’m cautiously optimistic about it. I don’t think it’s going to be better than the original, but it could be good.
This is a movie I could talk about for hours, but instead of boring you with my ramblings, I’ll let you watch the film firsthand, and enjoy it. It’s a movie that fully displays a sense of adventure, complexity, heroism, and intelligence. It’s a Western that deserves to held in the same regard as the films I listed at the beginning.
Wonderful Westerns strives to shine a light on the genre and its gems and bring a new appreciation for films primarily released in the 1960s and 1970s.
