Product description

The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) [1960]

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Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5050070006605
Label : MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer : MGM Entertainment
Publisher : MGM Entertainment
Release date : 2001-06-25
Title : The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) [1960]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Parental Guidance
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1960-01-01
Region code : 2
Running time : 125
Studio : MGM Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1960-10-23
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Akira Kurosawa's rousing Seven Samurai was a natural for an American remake--after all, the codes and conventions of ancient Japan and the Wild West (at least the mythical movie West) are not so very far apart. Thus The Magnificent Seven effortlessly turns samurai into cowboys (the same trick worked more than once: Kurosawa's Yojimbo became Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars). The beleaguered denizens of a Mexican village, weary of attacks by banditos, hire seven gunslingers to repel the invaders once and for all. The gunmen are cool and capable, with most of the actors playing them just on the cusp of '60s stardom: Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn. The man who brings these warriors together is Yul Brynner, the baddest bald man in the West. There's nothing especially stylish about the approach of veteran director John Sturges (The Great Escape), but the storytelling is clear and strong, and the charisma of the young guns fairly flies off the screen. If that isn't enough to awaken the 12-year-old kid inside anyone, the unforgettable Elmer Bernstein music will do it: bum-bum-ba-bum, bum-ba-bum-ba-bum... Followed by three inferior sequels, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, and The Magnificent Seven Ride! --Robert Horton

Customer reviews

review by: Thorny Bush date: 2008-04-06 rating:

'pull those pistols'
A regular hotpot of western entertainment. Throw in a handfull of stars -established and up and coming from the stage and screen of their day. A heap of on screen chemistry, and a rousing score that stirs the soul then bring it to the boil over 125 mins. This format has been imitated over the years through many a genre but rarely bested. If you love westerns -then you've seen it (what the heck are you readin' this for?), if you're dipping your toe into the genre -get it'n'watch it, if you're wondering what all the fuss is about -get it'n'watch it. Get it? Adios.

review by: Maranatha! date: 2008-02-29 rating:

Magnificent ?
Let me say this first, I love Seven Samuraii. This film (a reimagining)cannot match it but the makers probably knew that at the time, so here goes. The real strength of this film are the leads Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Eli Wallach as Calvera. Calvera is a great villain, and a good compliment to his most famous role - Tuco. The action senes are somewhat dated but exciting nevertheless. Good Saturday morning/afternoon matinee fun!

review by: The Amazon Reviewer date: 2007-12-15 rating:

Inspired a Bollywood Blockbuster
'Magnificent Seven' will always be in my Top 20 list of all time greats. What makes it so special is that as one of the greatest American films of all times, it was inspired by an Japanese all time great; 'Seven Samurai'.To make things even more interesting, the Bollywood all time great , 'Sholay' was in turn inspired by 'Magnificent Seven'.

Of the Magnificent Seven most of the screen time is given to Chris (Brynner), Vin (McQueen) and Chico (Bucholz). While no details are given about the individual pasts of the Magnificent Seven it is fairly clear what there pasts may have been.

1. Chris: A leader, perhaps a former soldier, who has encountered danger before and gained a degree of mastery over his emotions in dangerous situation.

2. Vin: A capable man with a gun, perhaps a one time cowboy. He seems to be comfortable working as a loner but clearly would like to one day settle down.

3. Chico: The youngest of the Seven and most inexperienced. He wants to shed his farming past and attempts through acts of bravado to persuade others and himself that he is a gunfighter at heart.

4. Bernardo (Bronson): A strong solitary man that in many ways resembles Chris although not displaying the desire to lead. In many ways he is the most interesting character. He has made quite a bit of money in the past even though he is now broke. The attention he gives to the local village children and the gift he gives a village girl hint at the idea that while he is good at gunfighting he knows that it is a good family life that is important.

5. Lee (Vaughn): The most difficult character to relate to. He appears to be a gunman who in the past was cocky, arrogant and self assured but now after experiencing life on the run now doubts himself. He wants to do the right thing but finds it difficult to step up to the plate when it's his turn.

6. Britt (Coburn): A loner who is unequaled in a gun or knife fight. A man whose motives remain his own.

7. Harry (Dexter): A good man to have in a fight but one who lets greed cloud his every decision. It would seem that Harry is one of those individuals who is always one step away from gaining riches but somehow never gains them.

The leader of the bandits is Calvera (Walsh) who is not an unlikeable fellow. He appears to believe that it is his job to steal so that he can support himself and his men. For him it is only a job, not unlike the farmers who work the land to provide for their families. He has what can almost be describes as a code of ethics for those who make their living with guns. This code of ethics is evident in the way he treats the Magnificent Seven towards the end of the film. However, given the films ending, this code does not seem to be shared by the Magnificent Seven

Lastly, while many people may view this film as a western action film I think there is quite a bit of underlying humanity and character depth woven into the story. It is these underlying characteristics that distinguish it from the average western action flick and have helped to make this film as popular as it is.

review by: brendoclarke date: 2007-12-02 rating:

too contrived and hackneyed for me
Okay, I realize I'm bordering on blasphemy by not liking THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Many who know alot of a lot more about the genre than moi claim it to be the "greatest Western ever." (I will maintain 'til they shovel dirt over me that "The Wild Bunch" is the greatest Western ever, but that's a topic for another time.) I had never had the opportunity to watch this film until I ran across it late one evening on television, so I seized the chance to experience the "greatest Western ever."

Given the melodrama, banality, and over-the-top acting so prevalent in films at the time, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN still requires a suspension of disbelief unhindered by the cosmos themselves. Yul Brynner. . .in a Western? As King of Siam or Pharaoh of Egypt, sure; but not as a grim-faced leader of six thugs and misfits on horseback. Too often, as I watched Brynner turn to his sidekick in this film (Steve McQueen), I expected him to say, "So let it be written, so let it be done!" My point is (if there is a point to any of this), if the viewer is constantly putting the lead character into other roles more suitable while watching a film, the film itself becomes unsuitable.

As to the ensemble of the "Seven," the guys never meshed, in my view. Charles Bronson was too bizarre while Brad Dexter too plain and James Coburn should have taken an extra couple of visits to the buffet line on the set. The prim and proper Robert Vaughn comes across as the Donald Trump of cowboys (which means his character is a howler), and I never was able to figure out if Horst Buchholz was supposed to be Hispanic, American, European, or extra-terrestrial.

Fact is, I never was able to figure out what all the hoopla was (and is) surrounding this film.

For Westerns to be engaging, the actors have to seamlessly take the viewer into the story. . .make him or her care what happens. Instead, with THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, I spent too much time guffawing. Sorry, Western lovers, this film was way too contrived and hackneyed for me.

review by: SRW date: 2007-11-16 rating:

CHRISTMAS WOULDN'T BE THE SAME
It's a feel good western. A band of gunfighting, whiskey swigging mercenaries are recruited to protect a small village from rampaging Mexican bandits.

Great cast and well acted throughout, we see the 'Seven' fight valiantly to see off heavily moustached Mexicans en masse. Great film for all the family (except Mexican's with moustaches and bandoliers of bullets crossing their chests).

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