The Magnificent Seven (1960) • The Next Reel

"We deal in lead, friend." The Magnificent Seven is a breeze to watch. It’s fun. It has that clean vibe of early Hollywood westerns. Plus it’s based on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, giving it some serious street cred. Despite all of that, however, it was quite a legal imbroglio to get made. Yet once released, it eventually became successful enough to spur three sequels, a TV series and more. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Seven Samurai family series with John Sturges’ 1960 film The Magnificent Seven. We talk about the differences between Kurosawa’s film and Sturges’, what works for us in those changes and why we suspect they were made. We touch on the Mexican censors required during production to ensure the script kept their people in a positive light. We chat about the actors, notably Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson and James Coburn, and what they bring to the table (aside from testosterone). We hit on Elmer Bernstein’s iconic score and highlight the main theme, arguably the greatest western theme written. And we chat about the production trouble this film had, not to mention the issues with the writers. It’s a fun film, even if it’s one that falls short of the original when directly compared. We have a magnificent time chatting about it regardless and are certainly looking forward to seeing the remake. So tune in and join us! Film Sundries Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon Script Transcript Original theatrical trailer Original poster artwork The Next Reel talks Seven Samurai Flickchart Letterboxd Trailers of the Week Andy's Trailer: Little Sister — "I worked with Allison Timlin on the TV movie Girl in the Box and am looking forward to seeing what she does here. A great new talent, she looks to be in a funny and touching indie comedy." Pete's Trailer: Shut In — "You know what Naomi Watts is good at? Getting scared. Throw in Charlie Heaton and Room’s Jacob Tremblay and you have a recipe for a right fright. Looks like a thrilling film from French director Farren Blackburn based on Christina Hodson’s 2012 Black List script." The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements | The Film Board | Movies We Like | The Next Reel | Sitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Web | Letterboxd | Flickchart | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | DiscordYour Hosts: Andy | PeteMerch Store | Audible