The Magnificent Seven: A Classic Western
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
On the surface, The Magnificent Seven looks like any other western of the mid-20th century, with a large cast of characters, desert scenery, and plenty of shoot-em-up action.
However, The Magnificent Seven has become a cult classic, much like the Japanese film it was based on, The Seven Samurai. One reason may lie in the casting of both well-known actors and newcomers. Another may lie in the screenplay written by William Roberts, and Walter Newman, who chose not to receive screen credit, but created the original screenplay. The Magnificent Seven spawned several sequels, and continues to reign as one of the classic American westerns of all time. If there is anything you can say to detract from this film, it may be the stereotyping of the Mexican bandits, along with the offensive practice of using white actors like Eli Wallach to play Hispanic roles.
The film is presented in a 16:9 widescreen format which seems necessary with all the action and scenery constantly on screen. It also comes with Dolby Digital Surround sound. Subtitles are available in French and Spanish. The soundtrack is also available in mono in English, French, and Spanish. The picture quality is excellent, offering much more detail than the original film, and the sound rendering is quite good, as is the color rendering.
DVD Additional Features
One of the best things about this DVD release is the bonus material. It includes a specially made, brand-new documentary with almost all of the remaining stars of the film. It also discusses the outstanding score by Elmer Bernstein, and the script writing process. Also included is a photo gallery, theatrical trailers, and audio commentary by actors Eli Wallach, James Coburn, and Walter Mirisch. The bonus material offers an extra treat for fans of this movie, and shouldn't be missed.
