SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS: Blu-ray (MGM, 1954) Warner Archive
The name
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer evokes an irreplaceable part of our cherished collective
cultural heritage. Yet in retrospect, Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) ought not to have been among the myriad of
treasures bursting forth from its backlot: a big and boisterous outdoorsy
musical extravaganza, distilled into a cramped and claustrophobic studio-bound
production, it decidedly lacked the visual splendor of Oklahoma!, already a Broadway smash, and very shortly, to follow
its cue on the big screen in resplendent Todd A-O. In fact, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was
begun as something of a response to 2oth Century-Fox outbidding MGM for the
rights to produce this bucolic bit of Rodgers and Hammerstein stagecraft. In
its heyday, Metro possessed a seemingly limitless wellspring of talent and
funds to pursue whatever projects its chosen few desired…at least, under the
auspices of studio mogul and Hollywood’s raja, Louis B. Mayer. Alas, by 1954,
MGM was no longer L.B.’s kingdom; the old lion, deposed in a palace coup by Metro’s
parent company’s wily president, Nicholas Schenk and replaced with the
ineffectual Dore Schary. Despite a rather impressive assortment of credits over
at RKO, Schary simply lacked both the chutzpah and showmanship Mayer possessed
in spades. The fatal results of this
misfire in management would not immediately be revealed as Schary, either
through general neglect or merely being sidetracked by an absolute investment
in his own slate of projects, simply let the studio’s creative brain trust do
as they pleased on projects already in the works at the time of his ascendance
to the throne. Regrettably, more steam was required to fuel the pistons of this
vast factory complex. And yet, it was Schary’s generalized contempt for both
MGM’s star system and the Hollywood musical – a genre that had put the studio
on the map and for which their impeccable mark of quality was best known – that
would ultimately lead to complications on the set of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Producer Arthur
Freed’s sour grapes at being denied the opportunity to bid on Oklahoma! would ironically yield one of
MGM’s most beloved musicals of all time. In hindsight, it is easy to see why. Based on Steven Vincent Benet's 'The Sobbin' Women' - itself a version
of an ancient Roman tale, The Rape of the
Sabine Women, Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers remains at the high-water mark of MGM’s illustrious musicals – unpretentious
and ebullient. Even though it had everything working against it, the picture
somehow managed to triumph over the studio’s miserly cost-cutting measures. Not
only that: it became one of the biggest and brightest money makers of the
season – even outshining ‘the other’ musical offering of the season - Brigadoon; a project for which Schary
had quietly syphoned off one third of ‘Bride’s initial budget to complete. In
pre-planning Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers, producer Jack Cummings turned over the creative reigns to one of
MGM’s freshest finds: director Stanley Donen, who had inconspicuously come to
the studio as a dancer from Broadway’s Best
Foot Forward (1943). Donen’s ambitions were loftier. He quickly gained the
ear of rising star, Gene Kelly, his legendary collaborations with Gene leading
to a lucrative co-directing credit on Singin’
in the Rain (1952) before venturing out on his own. In retrospect, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
immeasurably benefits from Donen’s indentured servitude and intuitive
wherewithal behind the camera; his ability to maneuver and re-frame the action
and the extras, in this case, not merely to fill the expansive vistas of
Cinemascope, but also to camouflage many – if not all – of the shortcomings
inherent in this sound stage enclosed production.
For the most
part, Donen’s camouflage works – particularly within the artifice of the
musical genre. Just prior to principle photography Dore Schary slashed the
film’s budget by nearly half, scrapping Donen’s plan to shoot a large
percentage of Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers on location – or even, outdoors. With the exception of a few brief
establishing shots (all of them utilizing MGM’s western back lot), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers would
be confined almost entirely to indoor sets, the cavernous interiors redressed
with painted cycloramas to suggest, though never convince us of the wide-open frontier
of Oregon, circa the late 1800’s. If Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers has a shortcoming, it remains MGM’s
shortsightedness to realize the movie would have immensely benefited from a few
key sequences – most noticeably, ‘Wonderful,
Wonderful Day’, ‘The Barn Raising Ballet’
and ‘Lonesome Polecat’ being
photographed outdoors. In retrospect, there is a queer disconnect between these
obvious ‘set pieces’ and the ‘Bless Your
Beautiful Hide’ and ‘Spring, Spring,
Spring’ sequences, shot on the MGM back lot.
To Stanley
Donen’s credit, we are never entirely aware, or perhaps, distracted by this
juxtaposition for more than a few fleeting moments. Like Brigadoon, Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers was photographed twice; once in the vast expanses of Cinemascope (its letterboxed image once described by director,
Vincente Minnelli as suitable only for photographing snakes and funeral
processions), then again in the matted aspect ratio of 1.78:1. In Cinemascope’s
infancy, studios were eager to capitalize on widescreen – like 3D – perceived
as the salvation that could woo back audiences who had traded their movie
consumption virtually overnight for the comforts of staying at home to watch
television. Donen’s finesse in simultaneously shooting two movies with
decidedly different framing requirements reveals his accomplished sense of
cinema space. Neither version of Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers feels cramped. Nor does it appear as though Donen
was forced to compromise the integrity of his tempo, mood or staging to
accommodate either process. Undeniably, The
Barn Raising Ballet plays more
exuberantly when horizontally re-composited to cover the entire ‘scope’ image,
even if the more ‘full-figured’ proportions of its matted widescreen
counterpart reveal a tad more elemental design, vertically, in sets and
costumes. As Cinemascope was quite new in ’54, a good many theater patrons
eventually saw Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers in the matted widescreen process too.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers stars Howard
Keel and Jane Powell in roles that, arguably, have since defined their careers.
Powell’s tenure at MGM dated all the way back to the late 1940’s when she made
her formidable debut as the studio’s response to Universal’s Deanna Durbin in
George Sidney’s resplendent, Holiday in
Mexico (1946 – not her first starring role, but her first for MGM); a
lavishly appointed and tune-filled extravaganza. So too was Howard Keel then
considered something of a valiant successor to MGM’s Nelson Eddy (it was
briefly hoped he and the studio’s resident soprano, Kathryn Grayson – with whom
he had co-starred in MGM’s monumentally successful remake of Showboat 1951 (and would appear
opposite again in Kiss Me Kate,
1953) – would resurrect the screen operetta for another cycle a la the likes of
retired sweethearts, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy). Alas, Keel came to
MGM in its waning years; a towering, raven-haired baritone with arrogant charm.
Although he would carve his own niche during this brief tenure, it would not be
opposite Grayson, but as a leading man bounced from musical to musical with
intermittent successes. Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers affords each of these ensconced musical stars their genuine
opportunity to shine; Powell as the determined frontier woman, devoted to
bringing couth to the ill-bred Pontipee brothers; Keel, as Adam (her husband
and eldest of the brood), ensuring the manly vein of brute self-importance
endures, despite the feminizing characteristics of a woman’s touch.
Stanley Donen
stockpiled the rest of his cast with accomplished dancers; New York City
ballet’s Jacques d'Amboise as Ephraim Pontipee, Broadway’s Tommy Rall as Frank,
and MGM contract dancers, Marc Platt, Matt Mattox and Russ Tamblyn as Daniel,
Caleb and Gideon respectively. The one exception here was MGM contract player,
Jeff Richards as Benjamin; undeniably being groomed as the square-jawed hunk du
jour, but decidedly born with two left feet. Look carefully and you will notice
how Donen – aware of Richards’ short-comings – is always cleverly camouflaging
the obvious, setting Richards’ apart from the action or relying on his innate
athleticism to perform simpler dance steps while the other’s fill in the gaps
with more terpsichorean grace and finesse. Richards would, in fact, have a
following as a prominent player in MGM’s B-noir/detective thrillers from the
mid-1940’s to the late 50’s. He even managed to acquit himself rather nicely of
‘Rock n’ Roll Tumbleweed’, a rare
bright spot in the otherwise turgidly scripted 1956 remake of The Women, entitled The Opposite Sex. But his star would
never fully mature and by 1957 he was relegated to television work in anthology
series and sadly, soon thereafter to fade entirely from public view.
To complement as
well as offset all this male machismo, Donen handpicked his ‘brides’ from MGM’s formidable roster of
female talent; pin-up Julie Newmar as Dorcas, Nancy Kilgas as Alice, Betty Carr
(Sarah), Virginia Gibson (Liza), Ruta Lee (Ruth) and Norma Doggett (Martha).
Interestingly, while their male counterparts had prosperous careers either in
movies or elsewhere, these ladies’ tenures were fairly brief and
undistinguished apart from their appearances herein. In hindsight, their
autonomy serves, rewritten by alumni Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich and
Dorothy Kingsley, as despite their ‘lead’ billing in the title, it is ‘the brothers’ who are the real/reel
focus of this story. Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers is very much an ensemble piece with Keel and Powell steering
at the helm. Yet, Donen’s behind-the-scenes contributions equally ensure none
of the cast is overlooked, particularly during the rambunctious musical
sequences.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is filled to its
rafters with spunk, heart and energy, nowhere more exuberantly on display than
in The Barn Raising Ballet. For
nearly six minutes we are spellbound in the dark by an utterly vigorous display
of masculine ego run amok; a competition dance between the athletic Pontipees
and their more courtly and cultured brethren from the nearby town; both sides
vying for the affections of a limited pool of eligible maidens. The dance is
designed as a showcase for the various stylistic differences between the
Pontipee men; as in the juxtaposition of Jacques d'Amboise’s lithe pirouettes next
to Russ Tamblyn’s earthy tumbler acrobatics, herein augmented with a heightened
sense of danger as Tamblyn balances on a set of wooden horses with a real axe
in hand. Gene de Paul’s hearty score (with an unaccredited assist from Adolph
Deutsch, magnificently arranged by Conrad Salinger) is homespun, yet kinetic;
the piston-pumping bell kicks, leaps and bounds, boisterously punctuated by the
music.
It’s easy to see
why Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
ran away with the lion’s share of ticket sales, leaving the more costly and
highbrow Brigadoon in the proverbial
dust. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
moves with an effortless agility from one scene to the next; taking full
advantage of the Cinemascope frame. Donen’s direction is heartfelt, yet
purposeful – a balancing act resulting in a peerless stream of musical
consciousness. While Brigadoon’s
drama is infrequently interrupted by its musical vignettes (or is it the other
way around?), Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers evolves a kinetic energy between its musical sequences and the
deceptively featherweight narrative that strings them together. There is a
suppleness to the transitions, the audience entertained by the totality of the
piece rather than its parts. And the backdrops, while regrettably always obviously
fake, nevertheless work in service of the overall artifice of the story. One
can choose to regret and lament MGM’s narrow-mindedness in disallowing Donen
and his company the ability to work in more naturalistic settings (the one
painfully unforgivable moment occurring as Jane Powell trills the sublime ‘Wonderful, Wonderful Day’ as a wayward
sparrow, mistaking the paper mache and canvas for the real deal, inadvertently
bounces off the painted mountain backdrop in a shell-shocked flutter of wings)
or simply embrace the overt theatricality as part and parcel of the movie’s
visual ‘charm’.
What really
sells Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
are its’ performances: Howard Keel and Jane Powell, exactly what the doctor
ordered – timelessly appealing as the mismatched husband and wife who discover
their differences do not really amount to a hill of beans…“when you’re in love…really in love.” At one point, Keel’s Adam
summarizes this kernel of wisdom thus: “Ma
used to say love is like the measles…you only get it once!” Audiences have
been falling in love with Seven Brides
for Seven Brothers ever since. The irony, of course, is that no one
associated with the project, or anyone in MGM’s front offices for that matter,
really knew what a treasure they had on their hands; the unexpected surge of
revenue generated by the movie surprising even Stanley Donen, who warmly
regarded this movie as just one of many in the queue for this particular year.
Like it or not – and most directors do not – audiences are the final judges of
their art, and in 1954 they thought otherwise, or rather, better of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Ironically, despite the film’s enforced claustrophobia, one recalls most
everything about the picture as being light and breezy, its folksy atmosphere
augmented by Saul Chaplin and Johnny Mercer’s wonderful songs.
After the
opening credits (following a scruffy backwoodsman’s horse-drawn carriage
through the wilderness under the main titles) the Albert Hackett, Francis
Goodrich and Dorothy Kingsley screenplay begins in a small town in Oregon. Adam
Pontipee (Howard Keel), the eldest of a rough and tumble brood of furriers has
come in search of a few supplies for his ranch. Oh yes… and a wife. The local
shopkeeper, Mr. Bixby (Russell Simpson) and his wife (Marjorie Wood) are
decidedly against Adam’s fairly straight forward and unromantic approach to
finding female companionship. But Millie (Jane Powell), a cook in the local
restaurant, has dreamt of just such a morning when she might endeavor to keep
house for only one man. Regrettably, Millie’s dreams of domesticity are
shattered when, upon returning to Adam’s cabin in the mountains, she quickly
discovers she has been adopted as a matron for his six brothers who are unkempt
and lacking in the social graces. Disappointed by her turn of events and own
naiveté, Millie elects to make the best of her situation, keeping Adam at bay
as she sets about transforming his brothers into duded-up prospective suitors
for some of the town’s most eligible maidens. After all, marrying them off
would certainly clear out the cabin in a hurry. A bath, shave and haircut later
and voila: these timber men are looking downright handsome and ripe for the
picking. Alas, their etiquette could use more than a smattering of Emily Post.
Here too, Millie proves a godsend, taming the savages with hints on how to go
courtin’ and sparkin’ – parlor jargon, guaranteed to win any lady’s heart.
Pressed and
polished, the Pontipees arrive for a barn-raising at Pete Perkins’ (Howard
Petrie) ranch; the epitome of masculine chic and instantly catching the eye of
the town’s many maidens. The grand prize for the barn-raising is a calf named
Annabelle. Millie tells Adam she could really use Annabelle on the farm; thus,
he forms a team made up of his brothers to raise the roof in record time. Alas,
the Pontipees are up against the town’s jealous sports who are not about to
offer up their womenfolk, do not play fair, and, aim to win. Having been told
by Millie the only way to truly impress a woman is through kindness, the
brothers allow the town’s men to take advantage of them, before having quite
enough physical abuse and trading in their decency for a fair exchange of
fists. Naturally, the more rugged Pontipees win this fight. But they lose the
battle when the girls rush to nurse their locally wounded back to health – or,
at least, consciousness.
Back at the
farm, Millie patches up the brothers’ scrapes and cuts, applying witch-hazel to
their open wounds and split lips. But nothing, it seems, will help ease their
minds from this terrible lapse in judgment. How will they ever get wives now?
Why, by force – of course; Adam relaying Plutark’s story of the Sabine women
being conquered by the Romans in ye old Biblical times. What Adam fails to
comprehend is how kidnapping will ever lead to romance in the present day. Time
passes. The snow comes. Undaunted, Adam takes his brothers into town in the
dead of night. One by one, each brother captures and makes off with the girl he
met at the barn-raising; the town’s Reverend Elcott (Ian Wolfe) quickly forming
a posse to make chase. At the pass, Adam deliberately sets off an avalanche;
the heavy snow creating a natural barrier the townsfolk cannot bypass. The
Pontipees have won! Or have they? For upon returning to the cabin, Millie is
appalled by their raucous behavior. Have they learned nothing? Apparently not.
Angry with Adam, Millie exiles the lot to the barn. They can sleep with the
other animals. Millie also takes in the girls in; converting the brother’s
attic quarters into a sort of all-girl’s dormitory. Again, time passes. The girls, who were
tear-stained upon their arrival have since begun to fantasize about the men who
previously slept in these beds; also, as to what life would be like if they
were the wives of their chosen Pontipee brother; daydreams expedited when
Millie confesses she is with Adam’s child and will give birth in the Spring. In
the meantime, Adam, knowing nothing of his wife’s pregnancy, goes to one of his
other cabins high in the mountains to wait out the winter alone.
When Gideon
arrives to inform Adam, he has a newborn daughter, only to be chastised by Adam
with some uncalled for glib comments about Millie’s fidelity, the two brothers
get into a brief skirmish. With the snows melting, the pass becomes clear and
the town’s folk prepare to storm the Pontipee ranch to reclaim their offspring.
The plan is also to lynch the Pontipees – a bit of frontier justice thwarted
upon the town’s men’s arrival at the ranch.
Hearing the cry of Millie’s baby coming from the house, every man in the
rescue party assumes the worst; that one or more of their daughters has been
deflowered out of wedlock. When Rev. Elcott asks the girls to be truthful and
reveal whose child it is, each – in order to save their beloved from the
hangman’s noose – claims the baby for their own. Hence, Rev. Elcott is forced
to perform a mass shotgun wedding ceremony in the presence of the rescue party
– to legitimize the child’s birthright. The Pontipee brothers are at last men
and the women they have chosen have managed an even more impressive coup - to
make them all legit.
Buoyed by
Michael Kidd’s pas d’action choreography; Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers remains a delectable dish of buck-skinned bodies;
their torsos, arms and legs caught in an effervescent swirl of athleticism. The
score, while quaintly melodic, really does not yield to the ever-lasting pop
tune ilk; the Barn-Raising Ballet
probably the most instantly recognizable piece of music and easily one of the
greatest celebrations of dance ever committed to celluloid. The movie endures,
partly because it bucks the anticipated traditions of the Hollywood musical;
also, because its pieces fit so neatly together. Here is a musical that
effortlessly moves from dialogue to song to dance, then back to dialogue with barely
a hiccup. Despite its reputation for being an ensemble piece, curiously, the
least utilized in the cast is Howard Keel, who avoids ever having to partake of
a single dance routine. He sings but two of the film’s most forgettable songs,
then quietly steps aside for the real story to get underway. Jane Powell is, of
course, at the peak of her powers; having physically matured to a point where
her always miraculous singing pipes seem to genuinely belong within their
proper tabernacle.
Eschewing the
amenities of courtship, Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers is infused with an invigorating freshness and vitality
rarely seen – its brash free-spiritedness escaping from the two-dimensional
screen and affecting even today’s cynical audiences with its infectious
optimism. Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers in Cinemascope was photographed by the great George Folsey,
regrettably in inferior Ansco Color. Meant to rival Technicolor’s supremacy in
an industry then desperate to keep escalating costs down – and considerably
cheaper than its competition, Ansco also produced a less than impressive color
image, marred by muddy tones and quite unable to reproduce accurate reds. Too
late, it was also discovered Ansco’s shelf life was particularly brief and
susceptible to vinegar syndrome: a general implosion/deterioration of the
yellow layer in its original negative, turning chalky in a very short period of
time. The passage of time, overplay, lack of proper archiving and preservation,
and, a 70mm reissue have all added to the technological woes inherent in any
proper restoration of Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers. All the more reason to celebrate Warner Archive’s (WAC)
costly efforts and newly minted Blu-ray – a quality 2-disc affair that, in a
word, is miraculous beyond most any expectation for resurrecting this classic
to its opening night splendor.
If only the
picture had been shot in AnscoColor, or
CinemaScope or stereophonic sound the
heartaches and head-scratching would have been considerable. Combine all three follies together and…well,
you have an archivist/preservation’s worst nightmare in spades. Best to throw
in the towel and admit defeat – right? Wrong! WAC has risen to the challenge of
preserving Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers with all the voracity for precision and quality we have come to
expect from them. Remember folks, we are working not only with flawed and
fragile elements, but film stocks well beyond the sixty-plus year benchmark –
and not always gingerly cared for throughout their lifetime. To complete this
miracle of restoration, WAC has scoured many film vaults and laid all the
necessary groundwork to ensure consistency, cribbing mostly from an early
interpositive remastered in 4K. Color fidelity on the 2.55:1 ‘scope’ image has
been tweaked from this structurally sound master with inherent shortcomings in
its dupes. Do not let the main titles fool you (more on this in a moment). Once
the main body of the film begins, the image is startlingly bold, with superb
contrast and some gorgeous grain to boot. As per the titles: they have never
looked good. On this Blu-ray they appear overly saturated to the point where
everything just looks very cartoony and slightly orange. Hey, its Ansco – and, at least herein,
forgivable. The DTS 5.1 audio is lovely and exhilarating.
WAC also gives
us the alternate 1.75:1 matte widescreen alternative, processed by Ansco, but
shot in Technicolor. Applying due diligence, this version is housed on a
separate disc with modest color tweaking and an overall clean-up.
Interestingly, the credit sequence on this alternate has more refined with
properly balanced colors. Extras have all been ported over from Warner Home
Video’s previously released 2-disc DVD and include Stanley Donen’s engaging
audio commentary, ‘MGM Jubilee Overture’ – conductor, Johnny Green commanding the studio
orchestra in a short subject, finally remastered in 1080p with a DTS 5.1
soundtrack (and wow, does it sound good!). We also get ‘Sobbin' Women: The Making of
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ – a documentary made in 1994 and
hosted by Howard Keel, plus vintage footage of the picture’s Radio City Music
Hall premiere, and, MGM's 30th Anniversary newsreel. Bottom line: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a
seminal work of art from MGM, the studio that practically defined the
parameters during the golden age of the Hollywood musical. This new to Blu
reincarnation belongs on everyone’s top shelf of ‘must haves’. Very – very - highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
Cinemascope 4.5
Matted
Widescreen 4
EXTRAS
3.5
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