SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS [1954 / 2018] [Two Disc Special Edition] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] One of the Big Screen’s Most Entertaining, Liveliest, Leaping, and Sassiest Happiest Musicals ever!
Things are different for the Pontipee men now that big brother Adam Pontipee [Howard Keel] fetched a bride and brought her to their cabin. Indeed, the unwed brothers are so inspired they raid the town and carry off brides of their own!
Like a favourite flannel shirt, everything fits right in this rugged whoop-for-joy directed by Stanley Donen, choreographed by Michael Kidd and featuring an exhilarating Gene DePaul and Johnny Mercer score that won an Academy Award. Jane Powell and Howard Keel star and supported by a cast of buckskinned dancers and petti coated danseuses. And what steppin’! The barn raising sequence alone – back flipping, plank-leaping athleticism – leaves a daylong smile. “Bless Yore Beautiful Hide,” all you brides and brothers!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1955 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture for Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin. Nomination: Best Picture for Jack Cummings. Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay for Albert Hackett, Dorothy Kingsley and Frances Goodrich. Nomination: Best Cinematography, Color for George J. Folsey. Nomination: Best Film Editing for Ralph E. Winters. 1955 Golden Globes: Win: Most Promising Male Newcomer for Jeff Richards. 1955 BAFTA Awards: Nomination: Best Film from any Source. 1955 Directors Guild of America: Nomination: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Stanley Donen. 1955 Writers Guild of America: Win: Best Written American Musical for Albert Hackett, Dorothy Kingsley and Frances Goodrich
FILM FACT No.2: To perform the dance numbers and action sequences, choreographer Michael Kidd wanted dancers to portray all six of Adam Pontipee's brothers. Kidd said that he "had to find a way to have these backwoods men dance without looking ridiculous. I had to base it all around activities you would accept from such people – it couldn't look like ballet. And it could only have been done by superbly trained dancers." However, he was able to integrate into the cast two non-dancer M-G-M contract players who were assigned to the film, Jeff Richards, who performed just the simpler dance numbers, and Russ Tamblyn, using him in the dance numbers by exploiting his talents as a gymnast and tumbler. The other four brothers were portrayed by professional dancers – Matt Mattox, Marc Platt, Tommy Rall, and Jacques d'Amboise. All four balanced on a beam together during their barn-raising dance. The wood-chopping scene in “Lonesome Polecat” was filmed in a single take. Choreographer Michael Kidd originally turned down the film, recalling in 1997: "Here are these slobs living off in the woods. They have no schooling, they are uncouth, there's manure on the floor, the cows come in and out – and they're gonna get up and dance? We'd be laughed out of the house." Lyricist Johnny Mercer said that the musical numbers were written at Michael Kidd's behest, as an example "of how a songwriter sometimes has to take his cue from his collaborators." For example, Michael Kidd explained to Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul his conception of the "Lonesome Polecat" number, the lament of the brothers for the women, and the two worked out the music and lyrics.
Cast: Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall, Marc Platt, Matt Mattox, Jacques d'Amboise, Jane Powell, Julie Newmar, Nancy Kilgas, Betty Carr, Virginia Gibson, Ruta Kilmonis, Norma Doggett, Ian Wolfe, Howard Petrie, Earl Barton, Dante DiPaolo, Kelly Brown, Matt Moore, Dick Rich, Marjorie Wood, Russell Simpson, Annable (Little Heifer) (uncredited), Gary Armstrong (uncredited), Ann Baker (uncredited), Walter Beaver (uncredited), Larry J. Blake (uncredited), Paul Bradley (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), George Bruggeman (uncredited), Gene Coogan (uncredited), John Daheim (uncredited), Billy Dix (uncredited), Millie Doff (uncredited), Michelle Ducasse (uncredited), Helen Eby-Rock (uncredited), Tim Graham (uncredited), Carol Grel (uncredited), Duane Grey (uncredited), Geraldine Hall (uncredited), Lois Hall (uncredited), Elizabeth Holmes (uncredited), Jimmie Horan (uncredited), Charles Horvath (uncredited), John Indrisano (uncredited), I. Stanford Jolley (uncredited), Jack Kenny (uncredited), Sheila James Kuehl (uncredited), Bill Lee (uncredited), Jarma Lewis (uncredited), Anna Q. Nilsson (uncredited), Betty Noyes (uncredited), Phil Rich (uncredited), Robert Robinson (uncredited), Ruth Robinson (uncredited), George Robotham (uncredited), Gene Roth (uncredited), Russell Saunders (uncredited), Hal Taggart (uncredited), Dale Van Sickel (uncredited), Margaret Wells (uncredited), Terry Wilson (uncredited), Bud Wolfe (uncredited) and Sheb Wooley (uncredited)
Director: Stanley Donen
Producer: Jack Cummings
Screenplay: Albert Hackett (screenplay), Dorothy Kingsley (screenplay), Frances Goodrich (screenplay) and Stephen Vincent Benet (story "The Sobbin' Women")
Composers: Adolph Deutsch (Musical Direction), Conrad Salinger (uncredited), Gene de Paul (Music), Johnny Mercer (Lyrics) and Saul Chaplin (Musical Supervision)
Cinematography: George J. Folsey, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Color by ANSCO)
Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1 (CinemaScope) and 1.78:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 102 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ is an American musical film, released in 1954, that is noted for its lively dance numbers. It was one of the first musicals to capitalize on the new wide-screen process of CinemaScope.
In the 1850s lumberjack Adam Pontipee [Howard Keel] lives with his six brothers in a remote cabin in the Oregon woods. Intent on finding someone to do the housekeeping, he marries boarding-house cook Milly [Jane Powell]. Once at the cabin, Milly begins civilizing the uncouth Pontipees. They go to town for a barn-raising dance and meet some local women but get into a brawl. The Pontipees miss the women they met at the dance, so Adam Pontipee tells his brothers that, like the Romans did with the Sabine women, they should carry them off. The abducted women are taken back to the brothers’ cabin, and the culture clash that follows provides the basis for laughs and extravagant musical numbers.
Whether you've seen it 20 times or avoided it like the plague, ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ is a must-have Blu-ray disc and is one of M-G-M's last and best musicals waits to thrill and excite again like never before. This Oscar-winning musical comedy is a brilliant explosion of colour and energy, with the dance scenes acknowledged as some of the genre's very best. The light-hearted, old-fashioned plot has a rough-edged farmer coming to realise that he needs a wife, but it's only once the vows have been made that he tells his bride about the six brothers he expects her to look after as well. Furious, she sets about civilising the unruly brood.
Jane Powell and Howard Keel the stars of the film, while they’ve done their fair share of dancing, they’re more known for their operatic voices, and in the film ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ they spend most of their time singing in the film’s musical numbers. Jane Powell does get to dance in a couple of scenes though, including a short appearance in the seven minute barn-raising dance sequence. While the film is about seven brothers, the barn-raising dance sequence only features six of them. But if you look closely, you’ll notice only five of them are actively dancing throughout it, and four of those actors were cast in the film for their extensive dance training. Before I get into the dance itself, some background information on the film’s key players.
The ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ film was based on the short story “The Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benét, which in turn was inspired by the abduction of the Sabine women as narrated in Plutarch’s Life of Romulus. Many of the actors were trained dancers, for whom the legendary Michael Kidd supplied energetic choreography, particularly in the barn-raising sequence. The film was unusual in that it was not based on a prior Broadway musical. Howard Keel and Russ Tamblyn excel among the brothers, while Julie Newmeyer as one of the abducted women got a career boost, changed her name to Julie Newmar, and went on to play Catwoman in the Batman TV series.
The production was negatively regarded as a B-movie by M-G-M executives and along with a slashed budget, forced the disappointed director Stanley Donen to use painted backdrops. Key cast and crew also contribute on the ingenuity, tricks, and weeks of rehearsal that created a film that blew M-G-M's expected big budget hit film ‘Brigadoon’ right out of the water.
Of interest to press and consumers alike is that two versions of the film exist, one in CinemaScope and the other in traditional widescreen, due to the fact that in 1953, Cinemascope was brand new. M-G-M was concerned that if it was a fad they would have an unusable film in the long-run, so for protection they shot the film twice. Two different takes of each shot with different staging was filmed which reflect the different frame size of traditional widescreen (which is less wide and more rectangular) and CinemaScope. By the time the film was released, CinemaScope had proven a huge success and the alternate version has rarely been seen making this its home video premiere.
CinemaScope, is a filmmaking process in which a motion picture is projected on a screen, with the width of the image two and a half times its height. The French physicist Henri Chrétien (1879 – 1956) invented the technique in the late 1920s by which a camera, with the addition of a special lens, can “squeeze” a wide picture onto standard 35-millimetre film. Then, by the use of a special projection lens, the image is restored to clarity and expanded onto a wide screen without distorting the proportions. The invention was ignored until the increasing incursion of television into the film-viewing market in the 1940s and ’50s forced the industry to find new means of attracting audiences.
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS MUSIC TRACK LIST
BLESS YORE BEAUTIFUL HIDE (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Howard Keel]
WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL DAY (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Jane Powell]
WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Jane Powell and Howard Keel]
GOIN’ CO’TIN (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Jane Powell]
BARN RAISING DANCE (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul) [Danced by Brothers, Girls, and City Boys]
LONESOME POLECAT (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Matt Mattox [dubbed by Bill Lee (uncredited) and Chorus]
SOBBIN’ WOMEN (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Howard Keel and Brothers]
JUNE BRIDE (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Virginia Gibson and Chorus]
SPRING, SPRING, SPRING (uncredited) (Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer) [Performed by Chorus]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us with one film on the first Blu-ray disc that was shot in the CinemaScope process and was transferred from a 70mm print, this is one fine-looking film. The opening credit sequence seems very grainy and hints of an overall greenish colour tint, but once you get into the film, the rich Color by ANSCO process shines through, and is very clear and totally vibrant, but overall the colours are totally eye-popping. Detail and sharpness are consistently superior. The film's grain is rendered very nicely, and it has given the first Blu-ray disc its very careful unique mastering technical brilliance to give you the impressive digital clean image clean, with no significant dirt or damage to report. So well done Warner Archive Collection.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us with two audio soundtracks that includes 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo. When films as old as this one are re-mixed into 5.1, it tends to be the case that the music score is separated around the speakers, while all effects stick to the centre speaker. As this is a musical, the songs come first and the orchestration makes the most of the surrounds, while Howard Keel's impressive baritone really makes the centre speaker really work, as does when Jane Powell sings her lungs out. What separates this Blu-ray disc from similar efforts has been taken to mix sound effects effectively, and especially listen out for the reverberating echoes in the pass or the mighty thunder with the massive avalanche. This Blu-ray disc is a true audio treat to listen to and is a great deal of fun at the same time and is one of the last of the true great Hollywood Musicals.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Director Stanley Donen: Here Stanley Donen welcomes you to his personal commentary on the film ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS,’ and informs us that viewing this film again, despite what he views is a pan and scan print, he feels viewing this film again touches him greatly, because the orchestration sounds so good, the music is also good, the energy is good, and it a total excitement for Stanley to view this film again, especially after 50 years of being involved with the film, and is really wonderful and Stanley is not surprised he really likes this film a great deal. Stanley comments about all the names you see at the start of the film and praises them a great deal in saying that they were very gifted and talented people, and also gives the greatest praise towards Michael Kidd the Choreographer, who initially was totally against male and female dancers in the acting roles and felt they audience would laugh them off the screen, but of course he was proved 100% wrong in his at the time very narrow attitude. Stanley Donen heard a rumour that Howard Keel on hearing that he was the director, wanted him replaced by a director of his choice and suspects that might be the case, but at the time could not prove this rumour. Stanley Donen informs us that he had a might fight getting this film off the ground, bit of course he eventually got his forthright opinions towards the M-G-M executives and excepted on how he wanted to direct the film. Stanley Donen wanted new music compositions and new lyrics written for the film by the brilliant Johnny Mercer, but the old fashioned producer wanted old style popular country and western songs that were popular at the time, but Stanley Donen really fought his case and won in the end and of course that old fossil producer was proved wrong and made to look foolish, especially when the film was finally released and was a massive Box Office smash hit with the movie going public, and of course Johnny Mercer was applauded and appreciated for being a brilliant lyricist today compared to in 1954. Stanley Donen also praises the screenwriter in saying they were really wonderful, clever, bright, sharp, funny and really elegant in their construction and dialogue, as well as totally remarkable. Stanley Donen comments that the film he is viewing for this audio commentary is a pan and scan version and also talks about the trial and tribulation on making this film, especially having to make one version in the CinemaScope format and also having to direct the film in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio format, as CinemaScope was brand new at the time and a lot of cinemas were not equipped to show the 2.55:1 aspect ratio film, and having to shoot two films, took an enormous amount of time and effort, which also did not help that M-G-M executives had put a very tight budget on making the film, and the non-anamorphic film put an extra 25% cost on the film , and making the two films was a totally logistic nightmare. Stanley Donen informs us that at the time of directing the CinemaScope version, he was very naïve, because he had never filmed in that format before and was not sure how to get lots of people in the frame and was strictly told not to waste any film while shooting scenes, so again it was really a great deal of trial and error in learning this new way of filming. Stanley Donen talks in great detail about the problem of lip syncing of the actors singing, as at the time they could not do recording of the actors singing live, and also having the orchestra live in the studio while filming at the same time, so of course the actors and the orchestra had to be recorded before any filming started, but again it was a big learning curve for Stanley Donen and of course the results show how a professional job was achieved. Stanley praises all the male dancers, especially the Pontipee brothers who he felt were terrific and especially Jacques d'Amboise and today he teaches young girls and boys to dance. Stanley talks about the concept of filming a Hollywood musical, on all the difficulties it entails, especially trying to make the singer and songs look natural, and not false like a lot of modern film musicals are today, but despite the difficulties of filming the musical numbers in the film, he felt despite the difficulties, eventually all the hard work paid off and made this film a Box Office smash hit. When we finally get to view the famous barn dance number, Stanley Donen informs us that we must view it in the CinemaScope version, whereas the filming of the 1.78:1 aspect ratio version, he had to re-schedule the dance routine number to fit it nicely into the non-anamorphic film version. Stanley Donen also praises the town’s folk men dancers, who he felt also did a good job as the seven brothers and of course this was all down to the brilliant choreographer Michael Kidd who brought out the best in all the dancers, in being very inventive and very athletic, and the barn dance routine took 4 days to shoot. When we get to the winter scenes and the love sick brothers are chopping the wood and singing the “LONESOME POLECAT” song, and of course Stanley Donen really praises the clever Johnny Mercer lyrics and especially inserting some cheeky naughty words. When you get to see the avalanche scene, Stanley Donen informs us that the actual avalanche of the snow was a miniature one to the exact scale of a real avalanche, and was filmed in a studio and the back projected film was actually filmed at Corral Creek Canyon, at Sun Valley, Idaho, and this film has been used in lots of other films. Stanley Donen informs us that the snow used in the film, especially around the Pontipee homestead was made from some kind of plastic and was really horrible to work with. When you get to the scene with the Father’s overlooking the brothers and the girls and the shot gun wedding ceremony, Stanley Donen comments that when the film was screened to the general public, they really loved the film in a massive way, and is still loved in the 21st century, and again Stanley Donen comments that it was of course the biggest musical success for M-G-M and was a bigger success that ‘The Sound Music’ film. As we get to the end of the film and the credits appear on the screen, Stanley Donen informs us that when he lived in London, he was sent one of our English tabloid newspaper and read a certain article about when the VHS video tape of the film was released, this man viewed it every night of his life an eventually his wife left him for cruel behaviour, because it was driving her mad and could not stand another minute enduring this constant viewing of the VHS video tape, and of course that showed you at the time it was a roaring success and at that point the Stanley Doner audio commentary ends. Unfortunately throughout the audio commentary, Stanley Doner seems to keep running out of steam to keep up the interest and momentum, as we experience lots of long silent gaps. But we also get some very amusing moments, when he tries to sing along with some of his favourite songs from the film.
Special Feature: Sobbin' Women: The Making of ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ [2004] [1080i] [1.37:1] [43:25] This behind-the-scenes documentary includes interviews with people who were directly involved with the M-G-M classic musical ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.’ Those interviewed includes actors and actresses who appeared in the film, as well as the film's choreographer, director, and musical arranger. We get to hear that the film cost $2,539,712.08 to make and made almost a further $4,000,000 in profits!. We get a nice selection of clips from the film. We get to view some rare film clips from ‘It’s Always Fair Weather’ [1955] (Unused Musical Number), ‘A Date With Judy’ [1948] and ‘Rich, Young, And Pretty’ [1951]. Hosted by Howard Keel. Contributors include: Stanley Donen [Director], Saul Chaplin [Musical Arranger], Johnny Mercer [Lyrics] (Archive Image), Michael Kidd [Choreographer], Russ Tamblyn [Gideon], Tommy Rall [Frank], Jacques d'Amboise [Ephraim], Jane Powell [Milly], Julie Newmar [Dorcas], Virginia Gibson [Liza] and Ruta Lee [Ruth].
Special Feature: Radio City Music Hall Premiere [1954] [1080i] [1.37:1] [1:54] On 22nd July, 1954 they had the Premiere of the film ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. What you get to view is black-and-white silent footage of guest for the premiere getting onto several horse driven carriages that slowly travelled around New York and eventually pulling up outside Radio City Music Hall. We get a narration by Howard Keel and we also get voice overs from Stanley Donen and Jane Powell who also attended the premiere.
Special Feature: M-G-M's 30th Anniversary Celebration Newsreel [1954] [1080i] [1.37:1] [2:07] Here get to view black-and-white silent footage of the famous contract actors who appear in the M-G-M films and we see a giant 30th Anniversary Birthday Cake with the same amount of candles being light up by some of the starlets and all seem to be enjoying the party celebration and we also get voice overs from Jane Powell and Ann Miller who talk about how they enjoyed working for M-G-M studio.
Special Feature: Vintage Short: M-G-M Jubilee Overture [1954] [1080p] [2.55:1] [9:44] This 1954 short promotional CinemaScope and Technicolor film that celebrates the Thirty Years Of Leadership for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 30th Anniversary Jubilee 1924 – 1954 at the M-G-M Concert Hall where we view Johnny Green conducting The M-G-M Symphony Orchestra performing a medley of eleven well-known all-time great compositions that were used in some of the studio's best-known musicals, that includes “Singin’ In The Rain;” “I Got You Under My Skin;” “Broadway Rhythm;” “The Last Time I Saw Paris;” “Temptation;” “Baby It’s Cold Outside;” “Be My Love;” “The Trolley Song;” “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe;” “The Donkey Serenade” and “Over The Rainbow.” You also get to view it in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Special Feature: Rarely-Screened Alternate Widescreen Version [1954] [1080p] [1.78:1] [102:00] This Alternate "Flat" 1.77:1 widescreen version is the alternate version that Stanley Donen and his crew shot in case CinemaScope was a flash in the pan. The performances are quite similar, although the compositions are often strikingly different, especially during the big barn-raising dance; everything looks much more crowded and less satisfying. Still, the HD upgrade looks good, but I did notice lots of sparkle throughout the film and of course with the CinemaScope version you get much better stunning image presentation, which is the one I prefer 100%. You have to view this alternate version via the second Blu-ray disc and it is good you have two different viewing choices. But with the second Blu-ray disc you only get to view it in 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo and it felt very flat and not as enhanced as the CinemaScope version.
Theatrical Trailer [1954] [1080p] [2.55:1] [4:24] Here we are presented with the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.’ Unfortunately the print we are shown has the colours now and again slightly faded, but otherwise it is a brilliant exciting trailer. At the end they announce that “With The magic Aliveness of Stereophonic Sound!” and it is certainly in 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo.
Finally, ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ has always been a great deal fun, but wait until you experience it on this brilliant Blu-ray disc. Stanley Donen is best remembered today for directing some of the greatest Hollywood movie musicals of all time. Stanley Donen contributed to the choreography on a few of them, as well as a couple of other films he didn’t direct. But for the film ‘SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ it was left to the brilliant choreography Michael Kidd, who really pushed all the actors to bring out the best of their dancing prowess. The film includes some of the most thrillingly energetic dances ever to appear in a film, including the classic barn-raising number and if you like musicals then do not look beyond this one. M-G-M messed things up well and truly when it slashed the film's budget and gave it away to the film ‘Brigadoon’ in 1953, but it doesn't matter for the simply stunning songs and choreography shine throughout the film, and this film is classed as the greatest musical of them all, I will leave that opinion to judge for yourself. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
