Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) User Reviews (188)

Mercer's Lonesome Polecat - wow

[onepotato2 · 7/10 · 7 July 2007]

I enjoyed this in as much as I don't get my morality from Hollywood movies, apparently as some of these P.C. reviewers indicate. The movie is very enjoyable but this review is simply about one song. I knew what were commonly held to be the high points of this movie (Barn Dance etc.) but was pleasantly surprised, moved even, to stumble across "Lonesome Polecat" as both a mournful beautiful Johnny Merecer song, AND as a slowly-orchestrated, atypical production number.

The 6 unmarried brothers are doing winter chores when their efforts become half-hearted & listless. Mercer hands them a trifle with a mournful melody, slight lyrics and haunting chorus consisting mostly of an extended "whooo-ooo-oooooo-oo." And Michael Kidd generated a 'dance' out of slow moves in which barely any work is done, and a bang is incorporated every 4 bars.

I was about to fast forward through it when even the sped-up image revealed synchronized axe movements and that the actors were using real axes. I backed up again, watched it and have been watching it for about the last hour.

Although the scene is constructed out of convention and a phony interior mountainscape, it doesn't matter. It's as beautiful a moment I've ever seen in a musical, and so rare to have slowed the tempo down as much as they do. The orchestration is quite minimal, but a horn swells at a few moments.

This one has grown on me over time

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 10 July 2018]

Revisiting this film, I was immediately pulled in by Howard Keel's opening song Bless Your Beautiful Hide. Audacious even in it's day, there's a tenderness in Mercer's lyrics that makes it somewhat forgivable-remember suspending your reality for a musical? Handsome Howard Keel's virility doesn't hurt. Instead of recoiling over the idea of "finding a wife" I just rolled with it as a silly plot idea. Once I had put myself in the same fantasy mode as when watching a Busby Berkeley musical, I started enjoying it.

I really paid attention to the musical numbers, most notably the Barn Dance & Lonesome Polecat. Amazing. Not too many dances in movies were designed to actually TELL a story, showing what the characters were feeling so eloquently. The Barn Dance scene is the best example I've ever seen of this. The dancing styles of townies vs mountaineers, the girl's being hoisted up in the air, the colors, the acrobatics all contribute to a very coherent "story" in dance.

Lonesome Polecat is also just extraordinary. It has a low base line of something like 3/4 but the lyrics are sung in some odd time signature like 5/9. (help me here music experts) The choreography too, is just excellent- the men really stand out as athletic, as is typical in many cultures such as Indian & Hawaiian dances.

I was again struck by how awful crazy the story line is, but how easily it's vindicated by Keel's character explaining how tough life is for mountain settlers. And Janie Powell was so perfect as the sweet young pretty girl who makes lemonade out of a bunch of sour lemons. The entire story is really about how she orchestrates a success out of her bad situation. I like that she's physically tiny but controls the fate of everyone in the story, not with weak conniving but with strong confident guidance.

At first you think this is a terribly sexist story, but it's truly a pioneering and feminist story.

Colorful, Lively, and Well-Choreographed; a Happy Experience

[silverscreen888 · 8/10 · 13 June 2005]

It would be difficult, I suspect not to like, "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers". This film boasts an attractive frontier setting, famously excellent dance numbers choreographed by Michael Kidd, powerful Howard Keel as the head of the Pontifee clan and Jane Powell as the lovely girl who is swept off her feet by his charms. Of course when she finds out that he has six brothers, all scruffy backwoodsmen in need of manners and wives, trouble ensues. But all turns out well, with a little help from a lesson in Roman history, hard work, and the willingness of six other local girls to be (finally) swept off their feet. Howard Petrie, Ian Wolfe and such lovelies as Ruta Lee, Julie Newmar and Virginia Gibson contribute to the fun as the girls; the brothers include Russ Tamblyn, non-dancer Jeff Richards and some of the best dancers on the planet. The movie also presents some famous songs including, "Wonderful Day", "I'm a Lonesome Polecat", "June Bride" and, "When You're in Love" as well as "Goin' Courtin'", among others. Well-remembered scenes include the hilarious barn raising, the town dance, the sleigh pursuit and avalanche and the "Spring, Spring, Spring" vocal climax. Forget the acting, which is sometimes a bit potty; the director and the music add to a clearly-defined script a rare sense of frontier life, where taking risks for happiness and facing the precariousness of things where life is less than settled become necessary. Very few films have followed the lead of "Seven Brides" as a frontier or western musical; and none has been as well received nor appreciated. What a pity, its fans say, it was not given an outdoor setting instead of backlot scenery--and an "A" budget...It has a few flaws; but for five decades it has been one of the happiest musical films ever made; and that is quite an enduring achievement.

Wow, what a movie, fantastic score and choreography

[terry-265 · 6 November 2004]

If you like musicals don't look beyond this one. MGM goofed when it slashed the movie's budget and gave it away to Brigadoon in 1953 but it doesn't matter for the simply stunning songs and choreography shine through. As good as Brigadoon was, it is outclassed by this, for me, the greatest musical of them all.

Howard Keel stars with Jane Powell but for me I cannot look beyond the awesome dancing talent of Matt Mattox as Caleb. Check out the 'polecat scene' and bookmark it on your DVD. It doesn't get any better than this. Thank you Matt, you were great!

Terry

Seems to be rather timeless.

[triple8 · 7/10 · 5 April 2004]

Ok-will admit I'm to young to have seen this movie when it first came out-wasn't even born yet! But a friend of mine(who has GREAT taste) pursueded me to watch it one night. She thought, knowing I'm a big fan of musicals that I would like this.

I must confess I fought her on it-mainly because I, being the generation xer I am, prefer, generally more modern musicals. But I gave in and did watch it and am glad I did. This musical was very enjoyable! Despite the somewhat traditional feel to it, there's a quality that's very appealing and you really get into it. I liked it more then I thought I would.

Now, that still doesn't mean that this is my favorite musical but it is a pretty darn good one and appears to have a somewhat timeless quality to-the characters are sometimes zany and full of fun, the story is a clever one and it is the rare moment when your bored. That was good enough for me and I wouldn't be adverse to a second viewing.

I think this musical transcends the age factor and can appeal to people of all ages and that's a plus. I did enjoy this though my faves still run along the line of "Chicago" but this is a wonderfully inviting musical that anyone(as long as they like musicals) can enjoy.

Quality will always tell

[sharkey197 · 10/10 · 21 July 2005]

Well, I wanted to show a musical to my critical viewing class but knew it would be difficult since the boys were the most unlikely candidates for liking musicals that I'd ever seen. I chose this because of the outstanding dance sequence and because the DVD had such an excellent "making of" which I showed first. It was wonderful to realize at the end of things that they totally got into it, even confessing that they were predisposed against it when I made my intentions known. They found the action funny, the dancing riveting and found lots to comment on in the growth of the relationship between Adam and Millie. One of my reluctant students even confessed to me that he'd found himself singing "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" in the shower one morning! This is a wonderful film for teens today and has the ability to draw them in. While they are totally aware of the sound stage sets and how "stagey" it looks, they also realize why it was filmed that way and manage to get past it. I showed this film only weeks after Howard Keel had died and was so glad that he had done the documentary, which is outstanding because all of the original cast were available to comment. It was charming to see them and how well they had aged.

Bless this movie's beautiful hide!

[cricketbat · 7/10 · 28 December 2018]

There's a part of me that worries about what modern, cynical audiences would think of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, but then the other, saner part of me tells that first part to shut up and just enjoy this musical for what it is: ridiculous and innocent entertainment. With memorable songs, impressive choreography and bright colors, it's no wonder this film is beloved by so many. Bless this movie's beautiful hide!

Irresistible with its vitality and freshness...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 9/10 · 28 July 2002]

A former Broadway dancer and choreographer, Donen's initial encounter with MGM was as choreographer on a number of musicals, including 'Cover Girl,' 'Anchors Aweigh,' and 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game.'

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' tells the story of the seven Pontipee brothers, who are living a rough lonely existence on their farm in Oregon... It is also the story of a rugged young farmer, in 1850, who rides into town to trade for some supplies, and pick himself up a comely bride...

In town, Adam finds just what he's looking for—'Pretty and trim, but not too slim. Heavenly eyes and just the right size. Simple and sweet and sassy as can be.' Adam meets the young spirited Milly working at a local inn... He is instantly attracted by her good looks and her cooking... For her part, Milly likes her tall, and self-assured man... Also his directness, and the sound of his good house in the wilderness... After a whirlwind courtship, the two agree to wed...

Millie chirps an engaging 'Wonderful, Wonderful Day' as she welcomes what she expects will be a perfect new life... But when she arrives at the ranch, all her dreams about love and marriage and such, are shattered... She discovers that her new husband has not been entirely truthful... Instead of an idyllic honeymoon cottage just for two, she finds he really wants 'a cook, a washerwoman, a hired girl,' for his small army of six sensitive brothers living in one filthy cabin...

After the shock, Milly immediately sets out to transform the young rowdy men into the region's most eligible bachelors, with an eye to marrying them off as quickly as possible...

Milly's good cooking and stubborn nature inspire the rambunctious young men that they cannot expect to attract wives if they dress and behave the way they do... They have to learn some social graces... At the perfect opportunity, the boys put Milly's teaching to good use, meeting the town girls whose glances express an obvious interest...

Unfortunately, the women are spoken for..

Adam could hardly believe it how his little wife tamed his backwoods brothers... He suggests to the wild and grieving 'Romeos,' reduced to what he can only describe as "a bunch of mamma's boys," forget gentle methods of love, and kidnap the unwilling gals they want, following the actions of the Roman with the Sabine women...

Howard Keel is at his commanding best... He develops an unorthodox solution to his brothers loneliness, much to the chagrin of the town fathers and their romantic rivals... With a voice singularly warm and precise, he rises magnificently to the occasion, singing a firmness 'Bless Your Beautiful Hide,' while he appraises the qualities of womanhood in general...

In her probably best screen performance, Jane Powell had the required amount of grit and spunk that was needed to lay the woman who could tame seven backwoodsmen... She sets about to refine her unkempt brothers-in-law giving them the manners and habits they need to court and to win their own sweethearts... Her clear, high, spring-water voice is just right for the songs, seemingly meant to be heard in the open with the mountains and meadows to echo it...

Unquestionably, the highlight of the motion picture is justly the 'Barn-raising' sequence... It begins as a 'challenge' dance—a truly breathtaking display of acrobatic leaps and ballet steps, in which the brothers compete for the girls with the more 'refined' men of the town, and it ends inevitably in a noisy, undignified fight as the men actually try to raise the four sides of the wooden barn...

The collective presence of the six brothers is simply dynamic... All the players move rhythmically with grace and ease... Russ Tamblyn jumps both forward and backward over an ax held in his hands... Stanley Donen again displays his visual originality and creates a new style of musical, irresistible with its vitality and freshness, lovely to look at and hear...

What do I need manners for? I already got me a wife.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 3 February 2008]

This charming musical not only took home an Oscar for Best Music, but gathered up a bushel basket full of nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, and lost Best Picture to On the Waterfront - No shame in that loss!

There wasn't a whole lot of story here, not surprising as it was based upon a short story by Stephen Vincent Benet; but there sure was some excellent musical numbers, and amazing dance routines.

It is a funny story and good enough that they actually made a Broadway musical out of a movie. This is definitely an ensemble performance, and the story is good even 50 years later.

It still holds up today!

[MovieAddict2016 · 9/10 · 3 November 2005]

Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) lives with his six brothers in a cabin in a remote area of the woods. He goes to town one day and convinces a girl named Milly (Jane Powell) to marry him. They return to the cabin, where she suddenly realizes he has six brothers.

Milly tries to teach them some manners after her initial shock, but they are not entirely keen to change their ways. They are, however, anxious to get wives of their own.

After Adam reads about Roman capturing of Sabine women, he hatches a plan for his brothers - kidnap whoever they want to marry and bring them back to the cabin.

"Seven Bridges for Seven Brothers" is, today, somewhat of a classic; Stanley Donen adapts the screenplay by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich and Dorothy Kingsley; their combined efforts are superb.

I have grown up on this film and was surprised at the fact that, after having seen it very recently, it continues to hold up as well as it did when I was younger. I recommend it to everyone of all ages - it's funny, charming, sweet-natured and very enjoyable.

Surprising

[matthewjrau · 7/10 · 9 November 2020]

The movie does feel a little bit corny. But at the end of the day I found it surprisingly delightful. I will save vis-à-vis the ending that had it not been shot in a froufrou musical sort of way it would've been a little bit creepy. However except the movie for what it is a fun musical from the 50s and don't look at it with critical 2020 political eyes and overall I had a good time.

Real Men Can Sing AND Dance

[jriordon · 10/10 · 31 August 2005]

As an experienced woodsman compounded by being a fan of great music, it is so refreshing to see a perfect musical centered around men behaving like men. So many shows have slim little dandies spinning around and leaping to and fro and the only way you can tell them from a 13 year old girl is their shorter haircuts. I truly enjoyed seeing someone masculine (gay or straight doesn't matter) move in a skilled manner, and disprove the stereotypes of "White Men Can't Dance." Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has the great Howard Keel (the John Wayne of Musicals), supported by a cast of 6 men (some actors, some dancers and some acrobats) and the outcome is nothing short of spectacular. Michael Kidd's choreography is fantastic, demonstrating grace and strength, yet remaining believable in the fact that the skills could be something done by woodsmen. Mercers music, especially "Bless Your Beautiful" and "Lonesome Polecat" is simply awesome and are in my head for days every time I watch it. The cinema-scope and vibrant colors are unbelievably crisp. I watched this with my 2 year old daughter, and aside from her dragging me up to dance with her during the big production numbers, she sat in her chair and watched the ENTIRE 2 hour movie. A two year old that watches an entire 2 hour movie with her dad, you say!?! Do I need anymore proof of the perfection of this movie!? Bless Howard Keel, as he must be smiling down on me whenever I collapse back into my seat, exhausted from dancing with my little girl...who also slept very, very well that night.

MGM's boy meets girl musical times seven

[didi-5 · 7/10 · 18 December 2004]

Stanley Donen's snappy musical was one of the greats of the MGM musicals, when the genre was beginning to lose momentum after dominating film for nearly three decades. Taking inspiration from Stephen Vincent Benet's story 'The Sobbin' Women', this (very sexist!) film follows Adam and his brothers as they search in the nearby town for women to bring back as wives and homemakers.

Early on, Adam (the gloriously voiced Howard Keel) finds Milly, 'the girl fer me' and without letting on there's six other grown-up brothers at home, persuades her into a quick marriage. The rest of the film concerns the other brothers wooing and finally kidnapping their intended girls - just at the time their barn gets snowed in for the spring- and the way the girls' revulsion and war turns into love and devotion by the time the snow thaws.

There's lots of great dance sequences, notably the one in which the brothers outdo the local lads in acrobatic leaps and dives. The songs are mostly memorable and fun, from 'Bless Your Beautiful Hide' to 'Those Sobbin' Women'.

The other brothers apart from Keel are Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall, Marc Platt, Matt Mattox, and ballet dancer Jacques d'Amboise - all for some inexplicable reason redheads! Alongside snub-nosed Jane Powell as Milly, the other girls are Julie Newmar, Nancy Kilgas, Betty Carr, Virginia Gibson, Ruta Kilmonis, and Norma Doggett. As they are pretty girls, and this is a 1950s musical, we get a song while they're all in their underwear (just like 'Out Of My Dreams' in Oklahoma!), and otherwise they are as winsome as any other flotsam in musicals.

'Seven Brides ...' looks great and has to be up there with the cream of the crop of MGM musicals.

Stupid Male Characters & Dialog

[ccthemovieman-1 · 2/10 · 14 May 2007]

Most people have their favorite eras for musicals. Some like all or none, regardless of the type of music and dancing. For me, I really enjoyed the 1930s and 1940s which featured tap dancers and great duos, beginning with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I preface my review with those marks because it the '50s that made me first start losing interest in musicals. The tap dancing disappeared and some of the female singing stars, such as Jane Powell in this movie, wee almost operatic with their soprano voices. I just don't like it, nor most of the songs in this musical.

I might have endured it better, too, if all the male characters in here weren't so stupid. That was just plain insulting and not humorous, just dumb. I could put up with some of Astaire's stupid characters just to see his or Ginger's dancing but there was no one in here to compensate for this insipid dialog.

Spectacular dancing and great music..Keel and Powell never did anything better!

[Doylenf · 13 April 2001]

A permanent place in the history of film musicals is obviously the fate of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' the minute Howard Keel begins to sing 'Bless Your Beautiful Hide'. His robust romantic presence and voice are perfectly suited to blend with Jane Powell's sweet soprano--the Nelson and Jeanette of the '50s era. Jane is as perky as can be as the girl who impulsively marries him only to find that she's expected to keep house for him and his seven handsome brothers. (Echos of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' here and a touch of political incorrectness). But all that can be forgiven, for what follows is the most outrageously entertaining musical treat from the MGM factory--singin' and dancin' like you've never seen before! The exuberant acrobatic dancing of the brothers is a special highlight--particularly during the barnraising sequence. And their wistful rendering of the carefully staged 'Lonesome Polecat' is another high point. Powell and Keel get to warble some enchanting tunes and both are totally charming and professional in their roles. Keel probably never had a better role--except perhaps 'Showboat' or 'Annie Get Your Gun', handsome, macho and utterly believable. By all means reward yourself with this gem--either in regular format or widescreen, it's certainly one of the greatest MGM musicals of the '50s. Perhaps, as others have noted, the only drawbacks are some of the obviously painted mountain backgrounds--but this never destroys the overall charm of the film. The songs are splendid and the dances are as zestful as any you're ever likely to see.

Wholesome film

[Kingslaay · 7/10 · 22 April 2019]

A true classic and very wholesome musical to enjoy. This is a film to sit back and enjoy, a true classic that is easy to follow and enjoy. Good performances from the cast. Despite being made in the 1950s, this is still a gem to enjoy

One of the truly durable musicals

[petrov-4 · 10/10 · 8 November 2004]

Howard Keel died yesterday bringing a lifetime of energetic and fun films to a close. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was one of those films. It had catchy memorable tunes with strong hooks that stay in the brain for days. It took full advantage of brilliant color, fabulous choreography, and even managed to have that one thing that too many musicals eschew... a plot... complete with character arcs. Adam Pontipee is the eldest of seven brothers who decides that living in a squalor with six other scroungy bachelors and horrible cooking has gone on long enough. When Milly agrees to marry him on the day they meet, everyone's in for a shock.

Adam finds that a wife is more than a cooking and cleaning slave and that his actions can effect others far more than he ever thought. Milly learns that expectations and dreams don't always work out the way you hope, but they can still work out. The six brothers learn that there's more to life than chopping wood, that Adam isn't always right and that you can't just take what you want. And six young women (the brides) discover that there are more choices than the ones people put in front of you.

The movie asks some hard questions and doesn't answer all of them. Initially the brides are all quite take with the brothers, until the bachelors in town chase them back into the mountains. When the bachelors decide to kidnap the brides we have to ask ourselves how such an act could work out well. Before we heap indignities on the writers, we should also ask whether the townsfolk should be allowed to chase off anyone who might contend for the affections of the girls they have their eyes on. That's one of the finest points of this movie. These aren't matters of black and white. This is a story of humanity and of men and women. But mostly, this is a fine musical and part of Howard Keel's enduring legacy.

Snow White and the Seven Brothers

[dimplet · 7/10 · 20 February 2012]

What do you get when you cross Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Oklahoma!?

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Like Snow White, Milly finds herself in a remote cabin with seven unkempt, ill-mannered bachelors, finds herself cleaning and cooking for them, and has to coerce them into washing and learning table manners, among other social skills.

I don't know who was dubbing Jane Powell's voice, but it sounded rather like Adriana Caselotti, who was the voice of Snow White, with a similar strong, high-pitched vibrato. When you combine this with the similarity in the story line, it suggests the singing style was a reference to that seminal animated musical. Disney kept Caselotti from appearing in subsequent movies, but I wonder if this could have been her singing voice, uncredited?

The dancing cowboys, particularly the barn raising scene, are reminiscent of Oklahoma!, which is ironic, since the movie came out a year later, although the stage musical had been on Broadway for years. Oklahoma! was the first Broadway cowboy musical, followed by the first movie cowboy musical, MGM's The Harvey Girls in 1946. Then there was MGM's Annie Get Your Gun in 1950, Warner Bros' Calamity Jane in 1953, and MGM followed that with Seven Brides in 1954.

The music in Seven Brides bears a family resemblance to some of the Calamity Jane numbers, particularly with Whip Crack Away vs. Bless Your Beautiful Hide. It's as though there was a brief sub-genre of what a cowboy song should sound like. Fortunately, the music and lyrics in Seven Brides are pretty good, and fit the storyline well.

This movie is very 50s, and was above average for its time. The story line is still entertaining, though it feels a bit dated. But what stands out is the cowboy barn-raising dance scene. It is an extraordinary combination of dancing and gymnastics, especially on the part of Russ Tamblyn. Watch closely and you will see he does his own stunts, falls and stuff that others would use a double for. If you watch him in Tom Thumb you will see him perform even more remarkable acrobatics.

Musicals like this, especially MGM musicals are fantasies that take you into an imaginary world, not unlike Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You need to pass through that imaginary door and get into the spirit of things to enjoy them. So leave your 21st century sensibilities and political correctness behind for two hours and have a good time.

All Singin', All Dancin', All Fighting, All Lovin' Musical

[Bob-45 · 10/10 · 2 February 2005]

How can "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" be such a wonderful musical? While the songs are lovely, they are mostly forgettable. The characters of the six brides and five of the brothers are almost hopelessly underwritten. Credit director Stanley Donen, choreographer Michael Kidd, cinematographer George Folsey, and a perfect cast led by Howard Keel and Jane Powell for creating one of the all time great musicals and an unforgettable motion picture experience even 50 years after its release. "Brides" has never been surpassed for ensemble performance, and that includes "West Side Story". This is largely due to Michael Kidd's choreography and the Donen/Folsey scene composition. Kidd exploited the best elements of each character's dance style (one brother is a ballet star; another, an acrobat) and created the most bravura ballroom/freestyle dance number in motion picture history, the barn dance sequence which formally introduces the "brides" to the "brothers". Kidd's work would have been in vain, however, had not Donen and Folsey so skillfully composed the scene. "Brides" is the best example of scene composition of any wide screen musical I've ever seen; every frame is filled with something visually interesting. Donen frequently, but subtly uses Jane Powell's tiny stature for comic effect by surrounding her with the tall brothers in submissive poses. Powell is clearly always in control, but her size and generally cheery temperament prevent her from ever seeming a bully. Donen also carefully chose to dress the brothers in bright, distinctly colored shirts, which enables the audience to clearly distinguish the characters during key scenes.

The movie also has a subtle feminist slant. Powell is clearly younger than her husband, Howard Keel, but she is also clearly a more mature and dominant character. For the time, "Brides" was also daring in its depiction of "good" women looking forward to enjoying sex. Prior to one song/dance number, bride Julie Newmarr poses on a bed in a position clearly representing "missionary position" sex, legs up and astride an imaginary lover's back.

Though the brides don't get as much screen time or individuality as the brothers, each looks as if she would be a great partner. Both the brides and the brothers get a satisfactory showcasing as couples in the last song, "Spring, Spring, Spring".

I'll leave others to explain the plot. I would like to mention that Donen had an uphill battle with the studio while making "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". The studio had so little faith, they continually cut "Brides" budget to put more money into the lumbering "Brigadoon." Sets and even cast members were loaned out to other movies. Brothers Russ Tamblyn an Jeff Richards, as well as part of the set can be seen in "Many Rivers to Cross." Instead of Technicolor, the studio used Ansco color. Thus, "Brides" looks about as good as "Wizard of Oz," but no where near as good as "Harvey Girls" or "Meet Me in St. Louis." That's quite an achievement being the best photographed, best choreographed and best ensemble acted musical of the last 50 years. I think it's also the most entertaining. I give "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" a "10."

Great musical with some SERIOUS problems

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 23 July 2004]

In the 1850s a man (Howard Keel) who lives with his six brothers out in the middle of nowhere takes a bride (Jane Powell). He expects her to be a maid, housecleaner, cook, etc. She does but makes all seven of the guys dress nicely, eat correctly and have good manners. Soon the six brothers fall in love with some town girls. So Howard tells them go off and kidnap them (!!) They do and the girls fall in love with them (!!!!!)

OK--this film has good things---some absolutely beautiful, if fake, scenery; some pretty good songs; an incredible barnraising sequence (the dancing is unbelievable) and it's shot in bright color and widescreen. BUT...

the film has an annoying boys will be boys attitude and some really upsetting violence (for a musical)--during the barnraising sequence especially. Also there's horrible back projection (especially when Keel takes Powell to his house) and a just astonishing hatred of women. We're supposed to find it amusing that the seven guys KIDNAP the women (after beating their boyfriends senseless) and the women fall in love! Yeah yeah I know it was made in the 1950s but that doesn't excuse it. I had a LOT of problems with that. Still I'm giving it a 7 for the dancing alone.

Better Dance Sequences Have Never Been Filmed

[LeonardKniffel · 10/10 · 27 April 2020]

One of the best of all the1950s MGM musicals, this film is blessed with danceable original score by Gene DePaul and Johnny Mercer and the inspired choreography of Michael Kidd, which move the story along. Enjoying this move is a guilty pleasure for some people because its take on women makes it politically incorrect these days, even though it is set in Oregon in the mid 19th century. Personally, I always thought the take on men was much more insulting (essentially, they are swine without women). The dance numbers have never been outdone, and what makes them so splendid is the vigor and athleticism of the men and women dancers equally. Howard Keel and Jane Powell star, and they have the voices and vigor to carry the movie. Greater dance sequences have never been filmed. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

The Movie that Made it Respectable for Men to Dance

[Gideon24 · 7/10 · 16 April 2015]

The 1954 musical classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is considered one of the crown jewels in the MGM gallery, but will primarily be remembered as the movie musical that brought a new respect to the art of choreography and made it socially acceptable for men to be dancers.

The musical stars Howard Keel as Adam Pontipee, a backswoodman/farmer who runs a farm with his six brothers. One day Adam goes into town for supplies and returns with a wife named Milly (Jane Powell), who he has married basically as a maid, to cook and clean for Adam and his brothers. Initially fearful of what she has gotten herself into, Milly takes up the challenge, starting with cleaning up Adam's brothers, who know nothing about hygiene, etiquette, or courtship rituals, but what these guys really need Milly is unable to provide, but when they decide to go get what they want, encouraged by Adam, this creates a riff between Adam and Milly.

Keel's rich baritone serves the role of Adam well and Powell had the best role of her career as the strong-willed Milly. The brothers are played by Jeff Richards, Tommy Rall, Matt Mattox, Jacques D'Ambroise, Marc Platt, and a very young Russ Tamblyn, but these guys were not hired for this movie for their acting ability, but for their ability as dancers and that is the thing that made this film so special. Michael Kidd's inventive and physically demanding choreography is easily the star of this musical. The barn raising sequence is already iconic and deservedly so. Personally, my favorite musical sequence in the film is a number called "Lonesome Polecat", a dreamy ballad performed by the six brothers, accompanied by a harmonica, a couple of saws, and an ax...minimal but magical. Kidd's demanding choreography brought a new respectability to the art of the dance and that it was acceptable for men to dance and still be considered masculine.

The rest of the Johnny Mercer-Gene De Paul score includes "Bless Your Beautiful Hide", "Wonderful, Wonderful Day", "When You're in Love", and "Courtin".

Stanley Donen's spirited direction and some really beautiful photography are the finishing touches on one of MGM's most entertaining offerings. The film also inspired two different television series as well as a Broadway musical.

Delightfully Funny and Entertaining

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 15 May 2011]

In 1850, in the Oregon Territory, the provincial farmer Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) comes to the town to trade supplies and find a wife. When he meets the strong hard worker Milly (Jane Powell) working in a bar, he proposes her. Milly has a crush on Adam and marries him, expecting to have her own place with her husband. However, when they arrive in the distant farm, she leans that Adam is the eldest of seven unsophisticated and rude brothers. Milly educates the brothers, teaching them hygiene, good manners and how to win somebody's heart.

In the annual town picnic, Milly, Adam and his six brothers go to the party and each of his brothers fall in love for a girl. However, they have to return to the loneliness of their farm. In the winter, Adam reads Plutarch and tells his brothers about "The Rape of the Sabine Women", when the Roman men had abducted wives for themselves from the Sabine families. He travels with his brothers to the town and they kidnap their beloved girls. When they cross a gorge, they provoke a snow avalanche and block the narrow passage. However, Milly keeps the girls in the house and sends Adam and his brothers to the barn. But until the spring, when the passage will be open again, many things happen in the farm with Milly, Adam, his brothers and their "brides".

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is a delightfully funny and entertaining musical, with a pleasant feel-good story, wonderful performances and awesome choreographies. Stanley Donen directs this unforgettable and awarded family entertaining with the remarkable support of the choreographer Michael Kidd, and the cinematographer George Folsey and a wonderful cast highlighting Jane Powell with a magnificent performance in the role of a strong young woman. All the six brothers are talented dancer and Jacques d'Amboise was the principal dancer of the New York City Ballet. Just as a curiosity, the catwoman Julie Newmar is the bride Dorcas Gailen. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sete Noivas para Sete Irmãos" ("Seven Brides for Seven Brothers")

Brilliantly Choreographed, Exuberant Dancing

[bob-790-196018 · 7/10 · 30 March 2011]

The dance numbers by Adam's six brothers and the women they have chosen are the main reason to watch this movie. They are enormous fun. The barn-raising dance and the "lonesome polecat" number are particularly exciting. These segments of the film really show its originality--the use of music and dance to advance the story as organic parts of the film.

In conventional musicals, the story stops cold while we take a break for a song or a dance sequence, which may or may not serve to interpret the happenings in the story. Not so in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

The "lonesome polecat" dance is really intriguing--slow, hypnotic, and dreamlike, against a stylized background.

Howard Keel and Jane Powell in the lead roles are nice enough. They're given songs that are not very memorable musically but have clever lyrics. But again, the real stars are the dancers.

The real problem with the movie involves the parts of the story where people are not singing or dancing. Some viewers have complained that these parts contain too much stereotypical Americana. I would go further and say that the movie presents a caricature of Americana.

We are meant to laugh at Adam's failure to let his new wife know that he has six brothers and that she will be living in the same house with them, cooking and cleaning for them, washing their clothes, and in general being their servant. Not so funny, in my opinion. Nor is the abduction of the seven "brides" later in the picture. The fact that all of these women readily come to enjoy their abduction is preposterous.

Feminists would certainly take offense at these depictions of women, but you don't have to be a feminist to find the story downright stupid. In the 1950s possibly people might say, "Well, that's how women are, and in any case it's only a movie." But none of the women I know are remotely like that, and thank goodness.

Nevertheless, it's a musical well worth seeing.

I Just Do NOT Get This Movie

[petyank · 5/10 · 20 December 2006]

Since I am a big movie fan and enjoy the occasional musical, I have caught bits of Seven all my life. It never did anything for me. When I heard Robert Osborne speaking so highly of it, I finally made myself sit through most of the whole thing. ?? Normally I don't have feminist reactions to movies, but I actually found the "goodnatured" kidnapping scenes highly offensive. They made abducting women look like fun, and the abducted women came off looking like Kewpie doll dopes, Barbie airheads who deserved to be maltreated. Even though the dancing and singing and choreography was wonderful, I can't remember when I've been so turned off by a movie.