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The Magnificent Seven
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (3rd October 2011). |
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The Film
 If you were to ask people to list the greatest American Westerns of all-time, chances are “The Magnificent Seven” (1960) would make the Top 10 on most lists. The film has all the trappings of a classic American Western, though, ironically enough, it is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s epic Japanese masterpiece, “Seven Samurai” (1954). After producer Lou Morheim had secured to the rights to Kurosawa’s film, he set out to find the perfect cast & crew for his planned American remake. The picture was originally set to star Anthony Quinn, however, Yul Brynner managed to get the rights for himself, bringing director John Sturges with him to helm the film. Just as the original Japanese film had a strong cast of memorable characters, Brynner & Sturges knew they had to assemble a cast just as strong. And, boy, did they ever. Working with one of the greatest casts assembled for any film, and accompanied by the musical arrangements of the legendary Elmer Bernstein, Sturges crafted a picture that has lasted over 50 years as being one of the best the genre has ever produced. The story is extremely similar to “Seven Samurai” aside from a few key differences. Three drafts were written, with the first hewing very closely to the Japanese script. A gang of bandits, led by the treacherous Calvera (Eli Wallach), have overrun a Mexican border town, stealing food and terrorizing the villagers. The men of the town decide to buy guns for protection, but that plan changes when they meet Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), a talented gunman who suggests they hire professionals instead. They immediately offer the gig to Adams who accepts the job along with his friend Vin (Steve McQueen), but first they need to find 5 more men to round out their posse. Chris knows the men of this land, and he sets out to find each talented individual for the task, which pays a mere $20. Once the group is complete, the men head to the town to train the villagers in self-defense. When the bandits make their return, the gunslingers drive them out. The battle ends but, rather than abandon the town and leave its people alone, the bandits, desperate for food, make the decision to go back and fight. Chris and his group are overwhelmed and forced to give up their guns. Calvera escorts them to the edge of town and expects them to pack up and leave. Chris has other plans, though, and he and the men make one final stand against the Calvera & his gang. What. A. Cast. Seriously, you couldn’t have put together a more talented group of individuals. Led by the ever-bald-headed Yul Brynner, the film features upcoming stars (at the time) such as Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn and Eli Wallach. Looking back, it’s hard to believe they were able to put all these guys together in a single film, but at the time many of them still had yet to break it big in Hollywood. Hell, Charles Bronson wouldn’t have a major hit until 14 years later with “Death Wish” (1974). It’s fairly well-known at this point that Brynner came to despise McQueen on set despite the fact that he pushed for him to be in the film. McQueen had a way of stealing scenes he wasn’t actually speaking in by inserting subtle movements to shift focus. It could be something as small as touching his hat or more notable like hanging off his horse to grab a drink of water. It’s even rumored that Brynner, who stood 5”10”, would stand on small dirt mounds next to McQueen, who was 5’ 9 1/2”, just to appear larger in stature. And, sure enough, McQueen would slyly kick those mounds into dust every chance he got. It worked, because even though the film was Brynner’s brainchild and he took over the lead, McQueen ended up giving the more memorable performance. That’s almost not a fair statement to make since everyone here is memorable. James Coburn’s character, Britt, is a knife expert who is able to outdraw even the best gunslingers. Charles Bronson plays Bernardo, a man who is short on words (as he was in real life) but with his impressive handgun abilities. Robert Vaughn’s Lee is a complex man, someone with immense talent who constantly questions his abilities and fears an early death. Everyone brings something unique to the table. There aren’t any obvious jobbers here, where you know who’s going to be the first to bite it. You’ll find yourself rooting for everyone, and it comes as a shock when the big battle comes to see who lives and who dies. This film came during a time of Western revision. The old classics were about to be replaced with more abrasive, gritty pictures being made by both foreign and domestic directors. Gone were the absolutes of good and evil; the righteous overcoming the odds to beat the bad guys. In many ways, “The Magnificent Seven” plays as the perfect swan song to that era. Here, the good guys are clearly defined, as are the bad. There were many changes, however, that made this picture different from earlier Western films. Mexicans had become very sensitive to how they were portrayed in American films. Understandable, since they have historically been depicted as thieving, treacherous, filthy, criminals with no morals. The studio was so concerned with making sure that they didn’t offend Mexicans, and thus lose the ability to shoot the film in Mexico, that they employed a screenwriter to remain on the set just to rewrite instances in the script the Mexicans disapproved of. They made many provisions, the most obvious being that all the townspeople had to have clean clothes. If you notice, many of the bandits and gunslingers get plenty dirty, but every man in town looks like he just stepped out of a dry cleaners. I don’t think I’m able to discuss this film without mentioning Elmer Bernstein’s indelible score. It’s impossible to think of the film without humming the theme to yourself. His score has been used and parodied countless times in film and on television. In fact, Bernstein himself even scored the parody of this film, “The Three Amigos” (1986). It’s one of those scores that instantly become ingrained in the brain of every viewer. The film is elevated because of it – and that isn’t something very many films can say. His score for the film was even reused on television for Marlboro ads. It’s triumphant, inspirational, grandiose, and reminds viewers of everything there is to love about the classic American Western. Note that this disc was originally released as part of the “Magnificent Seven Collection”, which included this film along with its 3 (lesser) sequels. This is the same disc that appeared in that set – extras and all – so those of you who wanted the one classic out of the bunch can find it for much less than the $40 cost of that set.
Video
Despite being over 50 years old, the film’s 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image looks stellar. This is a great example of how catalog titles should be handled, although I would imagine some extra restoration work would have made it really pop. The image doesn’t exhibit any signs of DNR use or digital manipulation of any kind. The worst offense I can think of is that the opening credits are very wobbly, almost like it’s experiencing some telecine judder. But thankfully that goes away as soon as the picture starts up. Details are exquisite, especially facial close-ups and small details, like McQueen’s bright blue eyes on a sunny day, or the lines in Charles Bronson’s face. Colors appear rich and vibrant, especially against the backdrop of a barren desert full of earthy tones. There are a handful of shots that look extremely grainy, almost to the point of appearing like they came from a different, very poor print. Luckily, these instances are limited to mostly single or static shots, so it’s not something that detracts from any given scene. Just be aware that the image can greatly vary from shot to shot in some cases, but the overall image is one of uniformed quality. Black levels look much richer than I had anticipated. The scene with the bandits around the campfire showcases a good amount of detail despite being lit by a large fire (and I’m sure a few well-placed stage lights). The biggest concern of most classic film fans os that titles released on Blu-ray will be digitally scrubbed to produce a clear image in line with newer titles, so I’m pleased to report that this looks to have escaped unscathed in that respect.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit isn’t going to wow anyone – probably – but it’s a competent track for a film of this vintage. I think it would have been wiser for MGM to make this track 2.0 instead of 5.1 since the additional channels weren’t part of the mix back in 1960, and they really don’t add much now. The vast majority of all effects and dialogue emanate from the front speakers, so the rears don’t exactly have a lot to do. They provide some ambient effects throughout, but nothing about the track made me feel it needed to be more dynamic than what it originally was. Dialogue was low at times, often so low that I had to increase the volume level just to hear what was being said. Bernstein’s score benefits the most from the additional channels, but I think if the entire track had been boosted ever-so-slightly and presented in 2.0, nobody would have complained. The disc also includes an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track, as well as a Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound track. Subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, Spanish and French.
Extras
MGM has included a generous amount of material here, although we don’t get everything that was present on the last 2-disc DVD. What is included, however, is great stuff. There’s an audio commentary, documentary, featurettes, theatrical trailers and still gallery. The audio commentary with actors Eli Wallach, James Coburn and executive producer Walter Mirisch is a great pleasure to sit back and soak in. These three have got some stories to tell, and hearing them recount what it was like to work with their fellow actors, how they got their parts, how the film all came together… everything is truly fascinating and interesting. ”Guns for Hire – The Making of The Magnificent Seven” (480p) is a documentary that runs for 46 minutes and 54 seconds. Here’s everything you wanted to know about this classic film’s production, culled from current interviews, archival interviews, behind-the-scenes photos and much more. It’s hilarious to watch old footage of Brynner referring to “kids” like Charlie Bronson and Steve McQueen. They don’t have interviews with everybody (everyone but Vaughn is dead, and I know Bronson was disinterested in granting interviews), but the people they do get provide some great details. Although I will say that Steve McQueen’s ex-wife can get grating very quickly. “Elmer Bernstein and The Magnificent Seven” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 14 minutes and 48 seconds. You can’t think of one without the other. Bernstein’s score is synonymous with the film, and this piece examines his impressive & timeless contribution to the picture. “The Linen Book: Lost Images from The Magnificent Seven” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 14 minutes and 47 seconds. Way back when, studios would put together a linen book filled with head shots, behind-the-scenes photographs and other marketing materials. This book was discovered in a salt mine in the 80's and it contains some incredible (and incredibly rare) pictures of the cast & crew. I would LOVE to get lost in MGM’s archives in that salt mine. The amount of material in there is staggering. Theatrical trailer "A" (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 46 seconds. Theatrical trailer "B" (1080p) runs for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. A still gallery (1080p) contains 50 behind-the-scenes and promotional images for the film. This Blu-ray loses 2 features from the previous 2-disc special edition DVD: an audio commentary with Sir Christopher Frayling, and a featurette, “Christopher Frayling on The Magnificent Seven”. Since both items that have been excluded feature Frayling, I can only assume he wasn’t able to work something out with the studio to have his materials included.
Packaging
Those of you who owned the 2-disc SE DVD, get ready for a downgrade. The film comes in an standard keepcase with some rather uninspired cover art. The 2-disc DVD had an attractive foldout digi-pack with a very well done booklet. I think it’s ridiculous they couldn’t reproduce something similar.
Overall
Just as the title says, this is a magnificent film full of magnificent actors with a magnificent score. Honestly, the cast list alone makes me sweat with anticipation in seeing all these Hollywood heavies playing with guns and chewing scenery. I’d watch them all get together to paint a house, but thankfully they decided to make one helluva great Western film. Highly recommended, even if you aren’t a fan of Westerns (and why wouldn’t you be?), this is something everyone can enjoy.
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