THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!

_____

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.

______

The film you are about to see is considered to be the very last American "Western" after "Rio Bravo" and "Red River". "THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" is a legendary film that came into existence after Executive Producer Harold Mirisch watched the 1954 film "Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa and brilliantly envisioned a Western epic about a group of seven gunmen hired by peasant villagers to protect them from being terrorized by bandits. Lead actor Yul Brynner as Chris is approached by the villagers to take on the job of recruiting a formidable army of seven gunfighters who accept a mere twenty dollars a piece for the assignment. One by one, the gunfighters are assembled to include a star-studded production that will never be equalled again: Horst Buchholst is Chico, Brad Dexter is Harry Luck--an old friend of Chris, Steve McQueen is Vin, Charles Bronson plays Bernardo O'Reilly, James Coburn is Britt and Robert Vaughn is Lee. Each of these characters is broke and only too ready to take on the task of cleaning up a border town from the bandits. In hindsight, it is a small miracle that "Magnificent Seven" was ever filmed at all!

_____

A looming actors strike in Hollywood was brewing just as final casting was nearing completion. In a desperate attempt to evade the politics and certain production delays, director John Sturges quickly moved the entire production crew in a massive effort to Mexico where an entire village and border town was constructed for shooting to begin on May 1st, 1960. Substantial script changes and delicate negotiations with the Mexican people took place over concerns that Mexicans would not be portrayed poorly as Hollywood had historically typecast them over many years in films. To satisfy this obstacle, Mirisch proposed that the seven gunfighters would ally themselves with the plight of peasant villagers who were terrorized by bandits. This strategy was accepted and no expense was spared in erecting the town. The film is also controversial for another real-life dynamic that was being played out. While each of the actors were relatively unknown by comparison to Yul Brynner, each found himself attempting to outmaneuver their co-stars. However, a very public spat between McQueen and Brynner along with a bitter feud with Horst Buchholst and McQueen challenged the filmmakers. McQueen used this actual tension in one core scene in the film where he and Brynner lead a horse-driven hearse bearing a corpse to Boot Hill for burial armed with shotguns after substantially the entire town threatens to block their passage. In a tense scene that is unscripted, McQueen repeatedly adjusts his hat and shakes a handful of bullets as if they are dice as he loads his rifle. An aggravated Brynner in this "not-to-be-missed scene" strikes a match from his boot to light his cigarette, so aggravated that he wouldn't even look over at McQueen. McQueen smiles sarcastically and says,"Let her buck" and the action begins.

_____

While filming commenced, the entire world of future Hollywood Westerns back home in the United States had fundamentally changed with the gradual arrival of Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Westerns" --so named for their filming locations in Italy that gave rise to a new breed of cowboy in Clint Eastwood. But for this precious period frozen in time across the border in Mexico, "The Magnificent Seven" became truly legendary for its realism in the tradition of "High Noon" and those films of the genre' that preceded it. Directed by John Sturges and written by William Roberts the stunning soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein was nominated in 1961 for an Academy Award for Best Music Score. Today, Robert Vaughn and Eli Wallach are the only surviving actors of this remarkable cast who had little idea that they were making history for decades to come. In 2007, Steve McQueen's widow Barbara Minty McQueen appeared as a Guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" in what was her first public appearance in since Steve's death in 1980. Paul Shafer and the band played the Theme from "The Magnificent Seven" as Barbara walked out to an emotion-packed standing ovation. There's no other way to say it. This is one hell of a film!

_____

I hope you enjoy it!

Authors Note: Dariana needs your support. She has been diagnosed with lung cancer. After you've visited mine, go to hers and give her your help. She needs it badly. Her blogsite is: http://thedivinedivas.blogspot.com