The Magnificent Seven facts for kids
| The Magnificent Seven | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Sturges |
| Produced by | John Sturges |
| Written by | William Roberts Uncredited: Walter Newman Walter Bernstein |
| Starring | Yul Brynner Eli Wallach Steve McQueen Charles Bronson Robert Vaughn James Coburn Horst Buchholz |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Editing by | Ferris Webster |
| Studio | The Mirisch Company |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | October 23, 1960 |
| Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Money made | $2,250,000 (rentals) |
The Magnificent Seven is an American western movie. It was made in 1960. The music composer was Elmer Bernstein. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Original Music Score in 1960.
The movie stars Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach and Steve McQueen. The movie is a western style version of Akira Kurosawa's Japanese-language movie Seven Samurai, made in 1954. Other actors are Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Horst Buchholz and Bing Russell.
A Mexican village keeps on getting raided for food and supplies by a bandit (Eli Wallach) and his gang. The seven are a group of gunfighters hired to protect the village. The movie was made on location in Mexico. One of the towns used for the village is Durango.
In 2013, the movie was picked by the Library of Congress to be kept in the National Film Registry because it is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". This means the movie will be protected from damage that happens to older film that was used to make movies.
Cast
- Yul Brynner as Chris Adams
- Eli Wallach as Calvera
- Steve McQueen as Vin
- Horst Buchholz as Chico
- Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly
- Robert Vaughn as Lee
- James Coburn as Britt
- Brad Dexter as Harry Luck
- Val Avery as Henry the Corset Salesman
- Bing Russell as Robert, Henry's Traveling Companion
Reception
When it was released, the movie did not get many good reviews. Howard Thompson of The New York Times, said the movie was a "pallid, pretentious and overlong reflection of the Japanese original". He also said: "don't expect anything like the ice-cold suspense, the superb juxtaposition of revealing human vignettes and especially the pile-driver tempo of the first Seven."
Variety magazine said, "Until the women and children arrive on the scene about two-thirds of the way through, The Magnificent Seven is a rip-roaring rootin' tootin' western with lots of bite and tang and old-fashioned abandon. The last third is downhill, a long and cluttered anti-climax in which The Magnificent Seven grow slightly too magnificent for comfort."
But one reviewer, Akira Kurosawa, liked the movie so well that he gave the producer, John Sturges, a sword.
Over the years, the movie has become more liked and gets modern praise. Many of the actors became movie stars. They have been seen in other movies and on television. The movie itself also is shown on TV and can be seen on DVD. As of 2015, it has a freshness rating of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Of movie viewers, 88 percent said they liked it. The film is also ranked No. 79 on American Film Institute's: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills list.
Images for kids
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Cast publicity photo of "The Seven". Left to right: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn
