Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

UPC: 883929152575

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: Based extremely loosely on the Stephen Vincent Benet story Sobbin' Women," Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the best MGM musicals of the 1950s. Most of the story takes place on an Oregon ranch, maintained by Adam Pontabee (Howard Keel) and his six brothers, played by Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall, Mark Platt, Matt Mattox, and Jacques d'Amboise (it is no coincidence that five of those six boys are played by professional dancers). When Adam brings home his new bride Milly (Jane Powell), she is appalled at the brothers' slovenliness and sets about turning these unwashed louts into immaculate gentlemen. During the boisterous barn-raising scene, the brothers get into a scuffle with a group of townsmen over the affection of six comely lasses: Virginia Gibson, Julie Newmeyer (later Newmar), Ruth Kilmonis (later Ruth Lee), Nancy Kilgas, Betty Carr, and Norma Doggett (yep, most of the girls are dancers, too). Yearning to become husbands like their big brother, they ask Adam for advice. Alas, he has been reading a book about the abduction of the Sabine Women (or, as he puts it, the Sobbin' Women); and, in order to claim their gals, Adam explains, the boys must kidnap them--which they do, after blocking off all avenues of escape. Vowing to remain on their best behavior, the boys make no untoward advances towards their reluctant female guests--not even during one of the coldest winters on record. Comes the spring thaw, the angry townsfolk come charging up the mountain, demanding the return of the stolen girls (who, by this time, have "tamed" their men). A happy ending is ultimately had by all in this delightful if politically incorrect concoction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Musical

Awards: Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Color Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Musical Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review

Features: cc
Commentary by director Stanley Donen
Donen musicals trailer gallery

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/08/2011

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 102 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
1. Credits [1:41]
2. Wife Shopping [2:21]
3. Bless Yore Beautiful Hide [2:30]
4. Determined to Marry [4:36]
5. Echo Pass Elation [2:01]
6. Wonderful Wonderful Day [3:20]
7. Brothers From A to G [3:58]
8. Slopping the Hogs [2:25]
9. Milly's Terms [2:21]
10. When You're in Love [3:21]
11. Brothers Bare All [3:09]
12. Trouble in Town [1:52]
13. Goin' Co'tin [5:04]
14. Mannerly Men [2:11]
15. Bernraising Dance [6:34]
16. Barnraising Brawl [5:24]
17. Wounded [1:22]
18. Lonesome Polecat [2:47]
19. Sobbin' Women [5:17]
20. Creative Kidnapping [4:20]
21. Pursuit and Avalanche [2:56]
22. Can't Abide [3:46]
23. Poor Little Dears [3:51]
24. Cat Fight [3:14]
25. June Bride [2:33]
26. Spring, Spring, Spring [4:04]
27. Brotherly Baby Watch [2:37]
28. Open Pass, Open Heart [3:30]
29. Search and Rescue [3:20]
30. Shotgun Weddings [3:13]
31. Cast List [1:10]

Craig Butler

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the screen's most exuberant musicals -- no small feat considering that the stolid Howard Keel plays the male lead. Fortunately, Keel is looser and livelier here than in many of his roles. Whether it's the part or director Stanley Donen, he seems inspired to have fun, whether cockily blustering through the town looking for a bride or sulking after a good reprimanding. He's well matched by Jane Powell, who achieves a fine blend of perkiness and motherliness. Both leads sound great, with Keel's rich baritone bursting forth in "Bless Yore Beautiful Hide" and Powell's soprano trilling nicely in "Wonderful, Wonderful Day." What makes the film, however, is the dancing. Michael Kidd's choreography is among the most athletic and exciting on film. The barn-raising sequence in particular is a rousing classic, with leaps, turns, and log rolls that leave the audience thrilled. Special mention must also be made of the lovely, gentle "Lonesome Polecat" ballet, in which minimal movement is used for maximum impact. The screenplay is solid and well-constructed, although contemporary audiences may find aspects of the story dated. Donen, already respected for such earlier musicals as Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, would go on to direct It's Always Fair Weather and Funny Face. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: I. Stanford Jolley  Actor 
Anna Q. Nilsson  Actor 
Russell Saunders  Actor 
George Robotham  Actor 
Lois Hall  Actor 
Phil Rich  Actor 
Jarma Lewis  Actor 
Ruta Lee  Actor 
Terry Wilson  Actor 
Larry Blake  Actor 
Walter Beaver  Actor 
Tim Graham  Actor 
Sheila James  Actor 
Saul Chaplin  Composer (Music Score) 
Jack Cummings  Producer 
Stanley Donen  Director 
Frances Goodrich  Screenwriter 
Albert Hackett  Screenwriter 
Dorothy Kingsley  Screenwriter 
Howard Keel  Actor 
Jeff Richards  Actor 
Russ Tamblyn  Actor 
Tommy Rall  Actor 
Marc Platt  Actor 
Jane Powell  Actor 
Howard Petrie  Actor 
Matt Mattox  Actor 
Julie Newmar  Actor 
Jacques D'Amboise  Actor 
Nancy Kilgas  Actor 
Betty Carr  Actor 
Virginia Gibson  Actor 
Ian Wolfe  Actor 
Earl Barton  Actor 
Dante DiPaolo  Actor 
Kelly Brown  Actor 
Matt Moore  Actor 
Dick Rich  Actor 
Marjorie Wood  Actor 
Russell Simpson  Actor 

Country: USA