- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (film)
Infobox Film | name = Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
caption = original film poster
director =Stanley Donen
producer =Jack Cummings
writer =Stephen Vincent Benét (short story)Albert Hackett Frances Goodrich Dorothy Kingsley
starring =Howard Keel Jane Powell
Jeff RichardsMatt Mattox
Marc PlattJacques d'Amboise Tommy Rall Russ Tamblyn Julie Newmar Ruta Lee Norma Doggett Virginia Gibson Betty Carr Nancy Kilgas Ian Wolfe Marjorie Wood
Russell SimpsonHoward Petrie
music =Gene de Paul Saul Chaplin
cinematography =
editing =Ralph E. Winters
distributor =Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released =July 22 , 1954 (USA )
runtime = 102 min.
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0047472"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is a
musical film released in 1954. It was directed byStanley Donen , with music bySaul Chaplin andGene de Paul , and lyrics byJohnny Mercer . The script (byAlbert Hackett ,Frances Goodrich , andDorothy Kingsley ) is based on the short story "The Sobbin' Women", byStephen Vincent Benét , which was based in turn on theAncient Roman legend ofThe Rape of the Sabine Women . The film was a 1954 Oscar nominee for Best Picture.The film is particularly known for the unusual choreography by
Michael Kidd , which makes dance numbers out of such mundanefrontier pursuits as chopping wood and (most famously) raising a barn.Plot summary
The film's story is about a backwoodsman named Adam Pontipee and his new bride Milly, who marries him after knowing him for only a few hours. On returning with him to his cabin in the mountains, Milly is surprised to learn that Adam is one of seven
lumberjack brothers living in the same cabin. The brothers have been named alphabetically from the Bible: Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephriam, Frank (short for Frankincense, the Bible supposedly having no names beginning with F- due to Hebrew using "Ph" instead, as in Phineas -- however, Felix, Festus and Fortunatus are all mentioned in the Bible), and Gideon. All of the brothers have red hair and are well over six feet tall; except Gideon who is younger and shorter than his brothers.Milly teaches Adam's rowdy, ill-behaved younger brothers manners and social
mores , including how to dance. At first, the brothers have a hard time changing from their "mountain man" ways, but eventually they come to see that the only way they will get a girl of their own is if they do things Milly's way. They are able to test their new manners at abarn-raising , where they meet six girls they like -- Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice -- and, fortunately, the girls like the brothers too. However, the girls already have suitors who jealously taunt the brothers into fighting during the barn-raising, and, although the brothers do not start the fight, they are banished from the town by the townspeople because of it.Winter arrives, and the six younger brothers mope for their girls. Adam reads his brothers the story of "Sobbin' Women" (a
pun on the Sabine Women) and tells them that they should stop moping around and go get their girls (seebride kidnapping ). The brothers do so, and then cause an avalanche so that they can't be followed by the townspeople. The girls are upset at being kidnapped, and Milly is furious at Adam. She consigns the brothers to the barn while the girls are living in the house. Adam, somewhat put out by Milly's reaction, leaves for the family's cabin to live out the winter by himself.Months pass, and eventually it is spring. The girls have now fallen in love with the brothers, who are now allowed to court the girls. Milly gives birth to a daughter, Hannah (picking up the Biblical-alphabetical pattern). Gideon rides to the cabin to inform Adam about his daughter's arrival and asks Adam to come home, but Adam refuses to do so, saying that he would return home when the pass was open once more to traffic.
Adam, who has had time to think about his baby daughter, returns home in the spring. As a newly responsible father, he has become aware of how worried the townspeople would be about what has happened to the girls. Adam intends that the girls be taken back to their homes in the town by his brothers, but his brothers don't want to do so. The girls don't want to return to their homes, either — they all want to stay at the farm with their new suitors. When Milly discovers that the girls are not in the house, she mentions this to Adam, and he tells his brothers to go after the girls and bring them back.
Meanwhile, the townspeople arrive, with the intention of taking vengeance against the brothers for the kidnappings. Upon finding the brothers trying to force the girls to return, the fathers get the wrong impression and charge to their daughters' rescue. Then Alice's father, who is a preacher, hears a baby cry in the distance, and worries that the baby might belong to one of the girls. The fighting is sorted out, with the fathers rounding up the brothers and announcing that they intend to hang them. When Alice's father asks the girls whose baby it is, they all decide, simultaneously, to claim the baby as their own even though the baby is Milly's. This misinformation gives the girls and the brothers their greatest wish- the townspeople insist that all six couples marry immediately in a
shotgun wedding .Production
On the 2004 DVD commentary, Stanley Donen states that the film was originally shot in two versions, one widescreen and another in normal ratio, because MGM were concerned not all theatres had the capability to screen it. Despite the fact that it cost more than the widescreen version to make, he says, the other version was never used. However both versions are available on the 2004 DVD release. [http://www.whv.co.kr/library/library_view.asp?cate=03&idx=503&keyword=7%C0%CE%C0%C7+%BD%C5%BA%CE&order=r&pgSize=8] .
Cast
Four of the actors who played the younger brothers were
dancers , while another of the younger brothers was played by a championgymnast and the remaining younger brother was played by a former professionalbaseball player.Howard Keel appeared as "Adam", ex-baseball player Jeff Richards as "Benjamin",Matt Mattox as "Caleb", Marc Platt as "Daniel",Jacques d'Amboise as "Ephraim" (on loan from theNew York City Ballet ),Tommy Rall as "Frank", and former gymnastRuss Tamblyn as "Gideon". (Morton Downey Jr. almost had Tamblyn's part as "Gideon" in this musical.) Fact|date=June 2008All of the brides were played by dancers.
Jane Powell appeared as "Milly", Julie Newmar (Newmeyer) as "Dorcas",Ruta Lee as "Ruth",Norma Doggett as "Martha",Virginia Gibson as "Liza",Betty Carr as "Sarah", andNancy Kilgas as "Alice".Among the best
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" came third in a
BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals". [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/paige/essentialvote.shtml]"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" came eighth in the top 10 MGM musicals in the book "Top 10 of Film" by Russell Ash.
In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the
United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."In 2006 "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" ranked #21 on the
American Film Institute 's list of best musicals.tage adaptation
were developed for the stage and enjoyed a lengthy critically and commercially successful national tour.
After fifteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Kasha and choreographed by Jerry Jackson, opened on
July 8 1982 at the Alvin Theatre, where it ran for only five performances. The cast includedDebby Boone , David-James Carroll,Jeff Calhoun , andLara Teeter .Its sole
Tony Award nomination was for Best Original Score.A 1985 West End production proved to be more successful, and a London cast recording was released by First Night Records. A 2002 UK tour starred
Dave Willetts .In 2005, a major revival was staged at the prestigious
Goodspeed Opera House staringJacquelyn Piro Donovan andBurke Moses . Directed by Greg Ganakas with choreography by Patti Colombo, the production earned rave reviews from Variety and theNew York Times . Songs, "Where Were You?","I Married Seven Brothers", and a revised version of "Glad That You Were Born" were added and the book was heavily rewritten. With a realistic approach, rustic orchestrations and a focus on theOregon Trail , the show was quite different from its film predecessor.Plans for a 2005-2006 National Tour of the
Goodspeed Opera House production failed. However, in 2007, and this time under the direction ofScott Schwartz , "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" became a joint production between Houston Theatre Under the Stars,Paper Mill Playhouse , North Shore Music Theatre, and Atlanta Theatre of the Stars. With set design by Tony Award nominee, Anna Louizos, the current version is a hybrid between the literal approach of the Goodspeed production and the slapstick camp of the original film. While reviews were positive, the real attention was given to Patti Colombo's acrobatic, athletic, and inventive choreography.The 2007 revival is expected to be the version that will be licensed by
Music Theatre International for stock and regional use.Television adaptation
From
September 19 1982 toJuly 2 1983 ,CBS broadcasted a weekly television series of the same name, which was loosely-based on the film. The series featured early appearances ofRichard Dean Anderson andRiver Phoenix .Non-English Language Titles
*Finnish: ""Seitsemän veljeksen morsiamet" "(Translation: Brides for Seven Brothers)"
*French: ""Les sept femmes de Barbe-Rousse" "(Translation: The Seven Wives of Red-Beard)"
*German: ""Eine Braut für sieben Brüder" "(Translation: A Bride for Seven Brothers)"
*Hebrew: ""שבע כלות לשבעה אחים"
*Hungarian: ""Hét menyasszony hét fivérnek"
*Italian: ""Sette Spose per Sette Fratelli"
*Japanese: "掠奪された七人の花嫁"" "(Translation: The Seven Pillaged Brides)"
*Polish: ""Siedem Narzeczonych dla Siedmiu Braci"
*Portuguese: "Sete Noivas para Sete Irmãos"
*Romanian: ""Ṣapte Mirese pentru Ṣapte Fraṭi"
*Scots Gaelic: ""Seachd bean na bainnse ri seachd bràthair"
*Spanish: ""Siete Novias para Siete Hermanos"
*Turkish: "Yedi Kardeşe Yedi Gelin""ee also
*
Sabine
* "Satte Pe Satta ", aBollywood remake. This Indian film's plotline also has seven brothers, the elder brother is married long before the others and his wife teaches the six brothers how to socialise and clean themselves up. However, apart from those similarities, the movie deviated significantly from the original Hollywood version.
*Bride_kidnapping#In film External links
*imdb title|0047472
* [http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/oct/15satte.htm "Satte Pe Satta" Movie Review]
* [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=4179 Internet Broadway Database listing]
* [http://www.tuts.com/season06/747_study.pdf Study guide for the stage musical]
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