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The Magnificent Seven

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The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that [embody] the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier ." Generally set in the American frontier between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, the genre also includes many examples of stories set in locations outside the frontier – including Northern Mexico , the Northwestern United States , Alaska , and Western Canada – as well as stories that take place before 1849 and after 1890. Western films comprise part of the larger Western genre , which encompasses literature, music, television, and plastic arts.

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102-526: The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges . The screenplay, credited to William Roberts , is a remake – in an Old West -style – of Akira Kurosawa 's 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai (itself initially released in the United States as The Magnificent Seven ). The ensemble cast includes Yul Brynner , Steve McQueen , Charles Bronson , Robert Vaughn , Brad Dexter , James Coburn , and Horst Buchholz as

204-460: A blacklisted scriptwriter , to produce the first draft "faithfully" adapted from the original script written by Shinobu Hashimoto , Hideo Oguni and Akira Kurosawa ; when Mirisch and Brynner took over the production, they brought on Walter Newman , whose version "is largely what's onscreen." When Newman was unavailable to be onsite during the film's principal photography in Mexico, William Roberts

306-417: A 1999 interview on Private Screenings with Robert Osborne , Quinn said the contract was for only $ 300 per week. After a short time performing on the stage, Quinn launched his film career performing character roles in the 1936 films The Plainsman (as a Cheyenne Indian after Custer's defeat with Gary Cooper), Parole (in which he made his debut), and The Milky Way , his first motion picture, although he

408-654: A Catholic church and even contemplated becoming a priest, but at the age of 11, he joined the Pentecostals at the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel , which was founded and led by the evangelical preacher Aimee Semple McPherson . For a time, Quinn played in the church's band and was an apprentice preacher with the evangelist. "I have known most of the great actresses of my time, and not one of them could touch her," Quinn once said of

510-585: A Heavyweight . The success of Zorba the Greek in 1964 resulted in another Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Other films included The 25th Hour , The Magus , Guns for San Sebastian , and The Shoes of the Fisherman . In 1969, he starred in The Secret of Santa Vittoria with Anna Magnani ; each was nominated for a Golden Globe Award . In 1970 Quinn starred as a liberal sociology professor in

612-529: A brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 film, television and stage roles between 1936 and 2002. He was a two-time Academy Award winner, and was also nominated for five Golden Globe Awards , two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award . Quinn was born in Chihuahua City , Mexico, and was raised in El Paso, Texas and East Los Angeles . After stints as a boxer and an architect, he made his film debut in

714-545: A cappella version of the theme. The Mick Jones 1980s band Big Audio Dynamite covered the song as "Keep off the Grass" (although this cover was not officially released). In 1995, the KLF also did a drum and bass cover of the main title as " The Magnificent "; it was released under the group alias One World Orchestra on the charity compilation The Help Album . In 1992, the main theme of The Magnificent Seven came into use on

816-454: A departure from the 1985 original (a sci-fi) and the 1989 sequel (an action adventure), Part III has been regarded by others as a fitting end to the series. At the turn of the 21st century, Westerns have once again seen an ongoing revival in popularity. Largely influenced by the recapturing of Americana mythology , appreciation for the vaquero folklore within Mexican culture and

918-454: A form of postoperative speech therapy, which led to an acting career that spanned over six decades. Apart from art classes taken in Chicago during the 1950s, Quinn never attended art school; nonetheless, taking advantage of books, museums, and amassing a sizable collection, he managed to give himself an effective education in the language of modern art. By the early 1980s, his work had caught

1020-558: A group of seven gunfighters hired to protect a small village in Mexico from a group of marauding bandits led by Eli Wallach . The film was released by United Artists on October 12, 1960, becoming both a critical and commercial success and has been appraised as one of the greatest films of the Western genre. It spawned three sequels, a television series that aired from 1998 to 2000, and a 2016 film remake . Elmer Bernstein 's film score

1122-589: A mythic vision of the plains and deserts of the American West, embodied most memorably in Monument Valley, with its buttes and mesas that tower above the men on horseback, whether they be settlers, soldiers, or Native Americans". Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn , was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by

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1224-493: A quarter of studio output. The advent of color and widescreen during this era opened up new possibilities for directors to portray the vastness of the American landscape. This era also produced the genre's most iconic figures, including John Wayne and Randolph Scott , who developed personae that they maintained across most of their films. Director John Ford is often considered one of the genre's greatest filmmakers. With

1326-704: A section of the Disneyland Railroad at Disneyland Paris . Portions of the theme play as the train exits the Grand Canyon diorama tunnel behind Phantom Manor , enters Frontierland , and travels along the bank of the Rivers of the Far West . The "Main Title" was used as an intro tune on many nights of Bruce Springsteen 's 2012 Wrecking Ball Tour . The theme was played as the E Street Band entered

1428-453: A song, " The Magnificent Seven ", the third single from their fourth album, Sandinista! , which references the title of the 1960 film. The 1980 science fiction film Battle Beyond the Stars was a remake of The Magnificent Seven set in space. A group of mercenaries, including ones played by George Peppard (as a character known only as "Space Cowboy") and Robert Vaughn (playing essentially

1530-524: A week as a producer and 5% of the net profits. Anthony Quinn was lined up to star with Brynner as director but later Martin Ritt was appointed as director with Brynner starring. Brynner approached producer Walter Mirisch with the idea of remaking Kurosawa's famous samurai film. However, once Mirisch had acquired the rights and finalized a deal with United Artists , Brynner was sued for breach of contract by Quinn, who claimed that he and Brynner had developed

1632-456: A young man, Quinn boxed professionally to earn money, then studied art and architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright at the designer's Arizona residence and his Wisconsin studio, Taliesin . The two men became friends. When Quinn mentioned that he was drawn to acting, Wright encouraged him. Quinn said he had been offered $ 800 per week by a film studio and did not know what to do. Wright replied, "Take it, you'll never make that much with me." During

1734-480: Is a rip-roaring rootin' tootin' western with lots of bite and tang and old-fashioned abandon. The last third is downhill, a long and cluttered anti-climax in which The Magnificent Seven grow slightly too magnificent for comfort." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post called the film "rough, tough, funny and splashy most of the way. There's a serious dip the final third, but Keith's newcomer offers shrewd, vastly enjoyable performances." Harrison's Reports praised

1836-589: Is considered a seminal figure of Latin-American representation in the media of the United States. Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca was born April 21, 1915, in Chihuahua, Mexico , during the Mexican Revolution to Manuela "Nellie" (née Oaxaca) and Francisco "Frank" Quinn. Frank Quinn was born to an Irish immigrant father from County Cork and a Mexican mother. Frank reportedly rode with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa , then later moved to

1938-466: Is often erroneously cited as the first Western, though George N. Fenin and William K. Everson point out that the "Edison company had played with Western material for several years prior to The Great Train Robbery ". Nonetheless, they concur that Porter's film "set the pattern—of crime, pursuit, and retribution—for the Western film as a genre". The film's popularity opened the door for Anderson to become

2040-552: Is the Wind (1958) and Zorba the Greek (1964). His other notable films included La Strada (1954), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Guns for San Sebastian (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Across 110th Street (1972), The Message (1976), Lion of the Desert (1980), Jungle Fever (1991) and Seven Servants (1996). He also starred in

2142-796: The Cecil B. DeMille Western The Plainsman in 1936. Initially typecast as a “heavy” and playing other minor parts as well, he was gradually cast in more substantial parts, including co-starring roles in Blood and Sand (1941) and The Ox-Bow Incident (1943). He won his first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor , for his portrayal of Eufemio Zapata in Viva Zapata! (1952), becoming the first Mexican-born performer to win an Academy Award. He received his second Oscar in 1957 for Lust for Life . He would be nominated for Best Actor twice, for his roles in Wild

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2244-476: The Grand Canyon , Yosemite , and the giant redwoods , due in part to exhibitors' inability to switch over to widescreen during the Great Depression . After the renewed commercial successes of the Western in the late 1930s, their popularity continued to rise until the 1950s, when the number of Western films produced outnumbered all other genres combined. The period from 1940 to 1960 has been called

2346-760: The Soviet Union (where Brynner was originally from), the film sold 67   million tickets, becoming the highest-grossing Hollywood film ever in the Soviet Union (where it was among only a handful of Hollywood films to become blockbusters there). In South Korea, it sold 80,870 tickets in Seoul City , and it was also successful in Japan. This adds up to a total of at least 89,118,696 tickets sold in overseas territories. Contemporary reviews were mixed to positive. Howard Thompson of The New York Times called

2448-837: The Spanish-Speaking People's Congress . He assisted in fundraising efforts for the legal defense of Mexican-American youth in the racially charged Sleepy Lagoon murder trial in 1942. While in Paris, several other prominent Americans and he composed a petition endorsing the 1963 March on Washington ; the petition, which was reprinted in several high-profile publications, was intended to rally support among Americans living abroad, according to Elliott Miller , writing in CounterPunch . In 1969, Quinn visited with Native American student activists occupying Alcatraz Island in protest, promising to offer assistance. In 1970, Quinn

2550-515: The Wild West shows that began in the 1870s. These shows, which included stage plays and outdoor exhibitions, culminated in Buffalo Bill's Wild West , a touring performance that ran from 1883 to 1913. Wild West shows, which were intended for urban audiences, established many of the elements that came to define Western films, such as the blending of fact and fiction and the romanticization of

2652-529: The blaxploitation film Across 110th Street . He played NYPD Captain Frank Martelli, who along with Kotto, was investigating a robbery-homicide of Italian and Black gangsters in Harlem, New York City. He played the old racist, violent captain, against Kotto's modern, educated, enlightened lieutenant. In 1976, Quinn starred in the movie Mohammad, Messenger of God (also known as The Message ), about

2754-402: The "Golden Age of the Western". It is epitomized by the work of several prominent directors including: There have been several instances of resurgence for the Western genre. According to Netflix , the popularity of the genre is due to its malleability: "As America has evolved, so too have Westerns." During the 1960s and 1970s, Spaghetti Westerns from Italy became popular worldwide; this

2856-545: The 1930s. By the late 1930s, the Western film was widely regarded as a "pulp" genre in Hollywood, but its popularity was dramatically revived in 1939 by major studio productions such as Dodge City starring Errol Flynn , Jesse James with Tyrone Power , Union Pacific with Joel McCrea , Destry Rides Again featuring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich , and especially John Ford's landmark Western adventure Stagecoach starring John Wayne , which became one of

2958-669: The 1990s, Quinn had two children with his secretary Katherine Benvin; daughter Antonia Patricia Rose Quinn (born July 23, 1993) and son Ryan Nicholas Quinn (born July 5, 1996). His marriage with Addolori finally ended in divorce in August 1997. He then married Benvin in December 1997 and remained married to her until his death. Quinn, who experienced discrimination growing up in Los Angeles, participated in various civil-rights and social causes. He provided funding for Latino advocacy group

3060-539: The 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 ; in the 2005 film The Ringer ; in the 2015 film Hardcore Henry ; as entrance music for the British band James , as well as episodes of The Simpsons that had a " Western " theme (mainly in the episode titled " Dude, Where's My Ranch? "). The opening horn riff in Arthur Conley 's 1967 hit " Sweet Soul Music " is borrowed from the theme. Canadian band Kon Kan use

3162-529: The American West that [embody] the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier ". The term "Western", used to describe a narrative film genre, appears to have originated with a July 1912 article in Motion Picture World magazine. Most of the characteristics of Western films were part of 19th-century popular Western fiction , and were firmly in place before film became a popular art form. Film critic Philip French has said that

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3264-601: The Broadway plays A Streetcar Named Desire (replacing Marlon Brando ), Becket (earning a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play ), and Zorba (reprising his film role). Aside from his acting career, Quinn was also a civil rights activist, an avid painter , and the author of several autobiographical books. In 1987, he was presented with the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award . Through both his artistic endeavors and activism, he

3366-470: The East Los Angeles neighborhood of City Terrace and became an assistant cameraman at a movie studio. In Quinn's autobiography, The Original Sin: A Self-portrait by Anthony Quinn , he denied being the son of an "Irish adventurer" and attributed that tale to Hollywood publicists. Quinn later said he was not accepted in Mexico because of his surname. When he was six years old, Quinn attended

3468-648: The French-language film The Hunchback of Notre Dame . Even after his return to the United States, Quinn continued to appear periodically in European films. His frequent portrayal of Italian characters and appearance in Italian films led to the popular misconception that he was, in fact, Italian. The following year, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his part in George Cukor 's Wild Is

3570-713: The Hun , with Sophia Loren , in Attila . In 1953, he turned in one of his best performances as a dim-witted, thuggish, and volatile strongman in Federico Fellini 's Oscar-winning La Strada (1954), opposite Giulietta Masina . Quinn won his second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of painter Paul Gauguin in Vincente Minnelli 's Lust for Life (1956), alongside Kirk Douglas, who portrayed Vincent van Gogh . Quinn also starred as Quasimodo in

3672-567: The Native Americans as dishonorable villains, the later and more culturally neutral Westerns gave Native Americans a more sympathetic treatment. Other recurring themes of Westerns include treks (e.g. The Big Trail ) or perilous journeys (e.g. Stagecoach ) or groups of bandits terrorizing small towns such as in The Magnificent Seven . The Western goes beyond simply a cinematic genre, and extends into defining

3774-733: The Old West with a terrific cast of Hollywood stars—and without losing any of the story's thematic richness." It is the second most shown film in U.S. television history, behind only The Wizard of Oz . The film is also ranked No. 79 on the AFI's list of American cinema's 100 most-thrilling films . Three sequels were eventually made: Return of the Seven (1966), Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), and The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972). Yul Brynner returned as Chris Adams for Return of

3876-596: The Old West – they included Annie Oakley (shooting) and members of the Sioux (dancing). Western films were enormously popular in the silent-film era (1894–1927). The earliest known Western narrative film is the British short Kidnapping by Indians , made by Mitchell and Kenyon in Blackburn , England, in 1899. The Great Train Robbery (1903, based on the earlier British film A Daring Daylight Burglary ), Edwin S. Porter 's film starring Broncho Billy Anderson ,

3978-544: The Oscar and Golden Globe for best picture, and Quinn received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor alongside co-star Peter O'Toole . He also played the title role in the 1961 film Barabbas , based on a novel by Pär Lagerkvist . In 1962, he returned to Broadway, playing the role of Caesario Grimaldi in the Tony Award-nominated Tchin-Tchin , and had the lead role in the film Requiem for

4080-542: The Oscar for Best Actor to Gary Cooper in High Noon . Quinn holds the distinction of being the first Mexican-American to win an Academy Award. In the late 1950s, Quinn traveled to Rome, where he collaborated with several renowned Italian filmmakers and established himself as a star of world cinema . He worked with Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti in the Kirk Douglas film Ulysses , and starred as Attila

4182-664: The Pyrenees, while pursued by Nazis. It also starred James Mason and Malcolm McDowell . In 1983, he reprised his role as Zorba for 362 performances in a successful musical version, called Zorba , opposite fellow film co-star Lila Kedrova , reprising her role as Madame Hortense. Quinn performed in the musical both on Broadway and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC . In 1990, he starred in The Old Man and

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4284-629: The Sea , a television movie based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway . Quinn's film career slowed during the 1990s, but he nonetheless continued to work steadily, appearing in Revenge (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Only the Lonely (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and Seven Servants (1996). In 1994, Quinn played the role of Zeus in five television movies focusing on

4386-481: The Seven , but was replaced in the sequels by George Kennedy and Lee Van Cleef . He was the only member of the cast to return for any of the sequels. None were as successful as the original film. The film also inspired a television series, The Magnificent Seven , which ran from 1998 to 2000. Robert Vaughn was a recurring guest star, a judge who hires the seven to protect the town in which his widowed daughter-in-law and his grandson live. In 1981, The Clash released

4488-755: The US Southwest , interest in the Western lifestyle 's music and clothing , along with popular videos games series such as Red Dead . Screenwriter and scholar Eric R. Williams identifies Western films as one of eleven super-genres in his screenwriters' taxonomy , claiming that all feature length narrative films can be classified by these super-genres. The other ten super-genres are action , crime , fantasy , horror , romance , science fiction , slice of life , sports , thriller , and war . Western films often depict conflicts with Native Americans . While early Eurocentric Westerns frequently portray

4590-601: The Western is "a commercial formula with rules as fixed and immutable as the Kabuki Theater." Western films commonly feature protagonists such as sheriffs, cowboys, gunslingers, and bounty hunters, who are often depicted as seminomadic wanderers who wear Stetson hats, bandannas , spurs, and buckskins , use revolvers or rifles as everyday tools of survival and as a means to settle disputes using "frontier justice". Protagonists ride between dusty towns and cattle ranches on their trusty steeds. Film Westerns derive from

4692-582: The Wind . Quinn starred in the film The Savage Innocents (1959) as Inuk, an Eskimo who finds himself caught between two clashing cultures. He teamed with Kirk Douglas once again in the Western Last Train from Gun Hill (1959). He appeared on Broadway to great acclaim in Becket , as King Henry II to Laurence Olivier 's Thomas Becket in 1960. Quinn's performance earned him a Tony Award nomination for best leading actor and Becket received

4794-426: The adopted daughter of Cecil B. DeMille ; they wed in 1937. The couple had five children: Christopher (1938–1941), Christina (born December 1, 1941), Catalina (born November 21, 1942), Duncan (born August 4, 1945), and Valentina (born December 26, 1952). Their first child, Christopher, aged two, drowned in the lily pond of next-door neighbor W. C. Fields . During his marriage to DeMille, Quinn had an affair with

4896-535: The advice of his agent, McQueen, an experienced race car driver, staged a car accident and claimed that he could not work on his series because he had suffered a whiplash injury and had to wear a neck brace. During the interval required for his "recuperation", he was free to appear in The Magnificent Seven . James Coburn was a great fan of the Japanese film Seven Samurai , having seen it 15 times, and

4998-433: The award for best play. An erroneous story arose in later years that during the run, Quinn and Olivier switched roles and Quinn played Becket to Olivier's King. In fact, Quinn left the production for a film, never having played Becket, and director Peter Glenville suggested a road tour with Olivier as Henry. Olivier happily agreed and Arthur Kennedy took on the role of Becket for the tour and brief return to Broadway. As

5100-418: The biggest hits of the year. Released through United Artists, Stagecoach made John Wayne a mainstream screen star in the wake of a decade of headlining B Westerns. Wayne had been introduced to the screen 10 years earlier as the leading man in director Raoul Walsh 's spectacular widescreen The Big Trail , which failed at the box office in spite of being shot on location across the American West, including

5202-419: The boys he befriended call their parents cowards. Chico declares that he hates the villagers; when Chris points out he grew up as a farmer as well, Chico angrily responds that it is men like Calvera and Chris who made the villagers what they are. The gang escorts the seven gunmen from the village and returns their weapons. The seven debate their next move. All agree to return and fight, except Harry, who believes

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5304-607: The campus unrest drama R. P. M. , opposite Ann-Margret , and as a Smoky Mountains backwoodsman in A Walk in the Spring Rain , Ingrid Bergman 's first American film in 20 years. In 1971, after the success of a TV movie named The City , where Quinn played Mayor Thomas Jefferson Alcala, he starred in the television series, The Man and the City . Quinn's subsequent television appearances were sporadic, including Jesus of Nazareth . In 1972, he co-starred with Yaphet Kotto in

5406-461: The concept together and had worked out many of the film's details before the two had a falling-out. Quinn ultimately lost his claim because there was nothing in writing. The film's title comes from the initial American localized title of Seven Samurai , which was initially released under the title The Magnificent Seven in the United States in 1955. Script credit was a subject of contention. Associate producer Morheim commissioned Walter Bernstein ,

5508-676: The decade ended, Quinn allowed his age to show and began his transformation into a major character actor. His physique filled out, his hair grayed, and his once smooth, swarthy face weathered and became more rugged. He played a Greek resistance fighter in The Guns of Navarone (1961), an aging boxer in Requiem for a Heavyweight , and the Bedouin shaikh Auda abu Tayi in Lawrence of Arabia (both 1962). Lawrence of Arabia would go on to win

5610-445: The dirt out of place when he passed by. When newspapers started reporting about a rivalry, Brynner issued a press statement saying, "I never feud with actors. I feud with studios." The film's score is by Elmer Bernstein , with orchestrations by Leo Shuken and Jack Hayes . Along with the readily recognized main theme and effective support of the story line, the score also contains allusions to twentieth-century symphonic works, such as

5712-474: The effort is futile and suicidal. The gunmen infiltrate the village and a gunfight breaks out. Harry, who has had a change of heart, returns in time to save Chris's life but is himself fatally shot. Harry pleads to know what they were fighting for, and Chris lies about hidden gold to let Harry believe he died for a fortune; Harry smiles before dying. Lee finds the nerve to burst into a house where several villagers are being held, shooting their captors and releasing

5814-773: The eyes of various gallery owners and was exhibited internationally, in Mexico City, Los Angeles, New York City, and Paris. His work is now represented in both public and private collections throughout the world. He wrote two memoirs, The Original Sin (1972) and One Man Tango (1997), a number of scripts, and a series of unpublished stories currently in the collection of his archive. Quinn spent his last years in Bristol, Rhode Island . He died of respiratory failure (due to complications from radiation treatment for lung cancer) on June 3, 2001, in Boston , at age 86. Quinn's funeral

5916-407: The film a "pallid, pretentious and overlong reflection of the Japanese original"; according to Thompson, "don't expect anything like the ice-cold suspense, the superb juxtaposition of revealing human vignettes and especially the pile-driver tempo of the first Seven ." According to Variety , "Until the women and children arrive on the scene about two-thirds of the way through, The Magnificent Seven

6018-446: The film as "A superb Western, well acted and crammed full of action, human interest, pathos, suspense, plus some romance and humor." A positive review from Charles Stinson in the Los Angeles Times praised the dialogue as "by turns, virile, rowdily funny and then, abruptly, not always predictably, it is pensive, even gentle. John Sturges' direction is superbly staccato; making a knife-sharp use of pauses and silences, it brings out both

6120-542: The film that he presented John Sturges with a sword, but said: "The American copy is a disappointment. Although entertaining, it is not a version of Seven Samurai." The film has grown greatly in esteem since its release, partly as several of its cast went on to become superstars, and its music score, but also due to the quality of the script. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval score of 89% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The consensus reads, " The Magnificent Seven transplants Seven Samurai into

6222-400: The film. The location filming was in Cuernavaca , Durango , and Tepoztlán and at the Churubusco Studios . The first scenes were the first part of the six gunfighters' journey to the Mexican village prior to Chico being brought into the group. During filming there was considerable tension between Brynner and McQueen, who was displeased at his character having only seven lines of dialogue in

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6324-457: The following year by Rykodisc. ( Varèse Sarabande issued this album in 1996, and reissued it in 2004.) At the 33rd Academy Awards , the score was nominated for Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture , losing to Ernest Gold 's score for Exodus . In 2005, the score for The Magnificent Seven was listed at No. 8 on the American Film Institute 's list of the top 25 American film scores . Bernstein's score has frequently been quoted in

6426-539: The frontier. These early films were originally referred to as "Wild West dramas", the term "Western" came to describe the genre. The use of this shortened term appears to have originated with a July 1912 article in Motion Picture World magazine. The first films that belong to the Western genre are a series of short single reel silents made in 1894 by Edison Studios at their Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey . These featured veterans of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show exhibiting skills acquired by living in

6528-526: The group. Despite the meager pay, Chris finds five willing gunmen. They include Vin Tanner, a gunfighter gone broke from gambling ; Chris' friend Harry Luck, who assumes Chris is hiding a much bigger reward for the work; the Irish Mexican Bernardo O'Reilly, who has fallen on hard times; Britt, an expert in both knife and gun who joins purely for the challenge involved; and the dapper, on-the-run gunman Lee, plagued by nightmares of fallen enemies and so haunted that he has lost his nerve for battle. On their way to

6630-418: The gunmen would rape them. The gunmen begin to bond with the villagers, and Petra pursues Chico. When Bernardo points out that the gunmen are being given the choice food, they share it with the village children. Three of Calvera's men are dispatched to reconnoiter the village; due to a mistake by Chico, the seven are forced to kill all three. Some days later Calvera and his bandits arrive in force. The seven and

6732-405: The humor and melancholy, the humanity as well as the evil inherent in the situation." The Monthly Film Bulletin called the casting of Yul Brynner and Horst Buchholz "curious" and thought Chico's decision to stay put was "the film's most completely unbelievable contrivance," but still thought that "the film manages to be both impressive and likeable." Akira Kurosawa was reportedly so impressed by

6834-483: The latest raid, during which Calvera kills a villager, the village leaders decide to fight back. They send three villagers carrying their few objects of value to try and barter for weapons. In a town just inside the United States, the villagers find Chris , a veteran Cajun gunslinger , and approach him. Chris advises that they instead hire gunfighters to defend the village, as "men are cheaper than guns." At first agreeing only to help them recruit, Chris eventually leads

6936-406: The legendary journeys of Hercules. These were, in order, Hercules and the Amazon Women , Hercules and the Lost Kingdom , Hercules and the Circle of Fire , Hercules in the Underworld , and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur . In 1995, Quinn starred in his last movie in a lead role in the film Seven Servants , by Daryush Shokof. Quinn's first wife was actress Katherine DeMille ,

7038-563: The married actress Evelyn Keyes . In 1965, Quinn and DeMille divorced because of his affair with Italian costume designer Jolanda Addolori (died 2016), whom he married in 1966. They had three children: Francesco Quinn (March 22, 1963 – August 5, 2011), Danny Quinn (born April 16, 1964), and Lorenzo Quinn (born May 7, 1966). In the 1970s, during his marriage to Addolori, Quinn also had two children with Friedel Dunbar, an event producer in Los Angeles: Sean Quinn (born February 7, 1973) and Alexander Anthony Quinn (born December 30, 1976). In

7140-436: The media and popular culture. Starting in 1963, the theme was used in commercials in the U.S. for Marlboro cigarettes for many years. A similar-sounding (but different) tune was used for Victoria Bitter beer in Australia, as was a similar-sounding (but different) tune for the introduction to the National Geographic television show. The theme was included in a scene of the James Bond film Moonraker . Other uses include in

7242-538: The myth of the West in American culture. Early Westerns were mostly filmed in the studio, as in other early Hollywood films, but when location shooting became more common from the 1930s, producers of Westerns used desolate corners of Arizona , California , Colorado , Kansas , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oklahoma , Texas , Utah , or Wyoming . These settings gave filmmakers the ability to depict vast plains, looming mountains, and epic canyons. Productions were also filmed on location at movie ranches . Often,

7344-436: The opening bars of the theme in their single " I Beg Your Pardon ". Celtic Football Club (Glasgow, Scotland) used the theme music whenever Henrik Larsson scored a goal. The 2008 J-pop song " Ōgoe Diamond " by AKB48 also used part of the main theme. The Cheers episode "Diane Chambers Day" (season 4, episode 22) revolves around the bar denizens being invited to watch The Magnificent Seven and ends with them singing an

7446-469: The origin of Islam, as Hamza , a highly respected uncle of Mohammad, the prophet of Islam. In 1981, he starred in Lion of the Desert . Quinn played real-life Bedouin leader Omar Mukhtar , who fought Benito Mussolini 's Italian troops in the deserts of Libya . In 1979, Quinn starred in the film The Passage , as a Basque shepherd during WWII. He was tasked with leading a scientist and his family across

7548-440: The original shooting script. (Sturges had told McQueen that he would "give him the camera".) To compensate, McQueen took numerous opportunities to upstage Brynner and draw attention to himself, including shielding his eyes with his hat, flipping a coin during one of Brynner's speeches, and rattling his shotgun shells. Brynner would often build up a little mound of earth to make himself look as tall as McQueen, only to have McQueen kick

7650-435: The prisoners to join the fight, but is gunned down as he leaves the house. Bernardo, shot protecting the boys he befriended, tells them as he dies to see how bravely their fathers fought. Britt dies after killing many bandits and exposing himself from cover. Chris shoots Calvera, who demands to know why he came back for the village. The remaining bandits flee. After Chico decides to stay with Petra, Chris and Vin bid farewell to

7752-618: The proliferation of television in the 1960s, television Westerns began to supersede film Westerns in popularity. By the end of the decade, studios had mostly ceased to make Westerns. Despite their dwindling popularity during this decade, the 1960s gave rise to the revisionist Western , several examples of which became vital entries in the canon. Since the 1960s, new Western films have only appeared sporadically. Despite their decreased prominence, Western films remain an integral part of American culture and national mythology . The American Film Institute defines Western films as those "set in

7854-427: The reference to Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra , second movement, in the tense quiet scene just before the shootout. The original soundtrack was not released at the time until reused and rerecorded by Bernstein for the soundtrack of Return of the Seven . Electric guitar cover versions by Al Caiola in the U.S. and John Barry in the U.K. were successful on the popular charts. A vocal theme not written by Bernstein

7956-598: The same character as in The Magnificent Seven ) defend farmers from space raiders on the planet Akir, home of the Akira (named after Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa ). The Magnificent Seven , a remake of the film with the same title, was released in 2016, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starred Denzel Washington , Chris Pratt , Ethan Hawke , Vincent D'Onofrio , Lee Byung-hun , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Martin Sensmeier and Peter Sarsgaard . On April 14, 2023, it

8058-405: The screen's first Western star; he made several hundred Western film shorts. So popular was the genre that he soon faced competition from Tom Mix and William S. Hart . With the advent of sound in 1927–28, the major Hollywood studios rapidly abandoned Westerns, leaving the genre to smaller studios and producers. These smaller organizations churned out countless low-budget features and serials in

8160-417: The shortened term "Western" came to describe the genre. Although other Western films were made earlier, The Great Train Robbery (1903) is often considered to mark the beginning of the genre. Westerns were a major genre during the silent era (1894–1929) and continued to grow in popularity during the sound era (post–1929). The genre reached its pinnacle between 1945 and 1965 when it comprised roughly

8262-767: The spellbinding McPherson, whom he credited with inspiring Zorba's gesture of the dramatically outstretched hand. Quinn grew up first in El Paso, Texas , and later in East Los Angeles and in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, California . He attended Hammel Street Elementary School, Belvedere Junior High School, Polytechnic High School, and Belmont High School in Los Angeles, with future baseball player and General Hospital star John Beradino , but left before graduating. In June 1987, Tucson High School in Arizona awarded him an honorary high-school diploma. As

8364-508: The stage, adding to the dramatic atmosphere in the stadium. The film opened on October 12, 1960, in a thousand theaters across the South and Southwest of the United States. In the United States and Canada, the film earned $ 2.25 million in theatrical rentals and was a box office disappointment , but proved to be such a smash hit in Europe that it ultimately made a profit. The overseas rental

8466-527: The subject of a 2018 Google Arts & Culture exhibit. His birthplace of Chihuahua, Mexico, has a statue of Quinn doing his famous "Zorba the Greek" dance. An Anthony Quinn Bay and Beach is in Rhodes , Greece, just 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south of the village of Faliraki . Quinn bought the land during the filming of The Guns of Navarone in Rhodes, but it was reclaimed by the Greek government in 1984 due to

8568-650: The swashbuckling adventure The Black Swan . In 1943, he had a role in the Oscar-nominated Western The Ox-Bow Incident . He co-starred in Sinbad the Sailor (1947) with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Maureen O'Hara . By 1947, Quinn had appeared in more than 50 films and had played a variety of characters, including Indians, Mafia dons, Hawaiian chiefs, Filipino freedom fighters, Chinese guerrillas, and Arab sheiks. He returned to

8670-646: The theater, replacing Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway. In 1947, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States . He returned to Hollywood in the early 1950s, and was cast in a series of B-adventures such as Mask of the Avenger (1951). He solidified his position as one of Hollywood's premier actors in Elia Kazan 's Viva Zapata! (1952), opposite Marlon Brando . Quinn's performance as Zapata's brother won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor while Brando lost

8772-414: The vast landscape becomes more than a vivid backdrop; it becomes a character in the film. After the early 1950s, various widescreen formats such as Cinemascope (1953) and VistaVision used the expanded width of the screen to display spectacular western landscapes. John Ford's use of Monument Valley as an expressive landscape in his films from Stagecoach to Cheyenne Autumn (1965), "present us with

8874-489: The village elder. The elder tells them that only the villagers have won, whereas the gunslingers are "like the wind, blowing over the land and passing on." As they pass the graves of their fallen comrades, Chris admits the elder was right. Lou Morheim acquired rights to remake the film in the US for $ 2,500. He later signed a deal with Yul Brynner's production company, who bought the rights from Morheim for $ 10,000 up front plus $ 1,000

8976-420: The village, they are captured by Calvera and his men, who have colluded with some of the villagers to sneak in and take control. Calvera spares the seven's lives, part believing they have been disillusioned by the betrayal, and part fearing reprisals from their friends across the border. Preparing to depart, Chris and Vin admit they have become emotionally attached to the village. Bernardo likewise gets angry when

9078-483: The village, they are trailed by the hotheaded Chico, an aspiring gunfighter whose previous attempts to join Chris had been spurned. Impressed by his persistence, Chris allows him into the group. Arriving at the village, they work with the villagers to build fortifications and train them in combat. They note the lack of young women in the village until Chico stumbles upon Petra and discovers the women were hidden in fear that

9180-468: The villagers kill eleven gang members and run the rest out of town. The villagers celebrate, believing Calvera will not return. However, Chico infiltrates Calvera's camp and learns that Calvera will return, as his men are short on food. Some villagers fear reprisals and call for the gunfighters to leave. Even some of the seven waver, but Chris insists that they stay. The seven ride out for a pre-emptive raid on Calvera's camp but find it abandoned. Returning to

9282-606: Was a creative genius." Early in life, Quinn had an interest in painting and drawing. Throughout his teenaged years, he won various art competitions in California and focused his studies at Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles on drafting. Later, Quinn studied briefly under Frank Lloyd Wright through the Taliesin Fellowship — an opportunity created by winning first prize in an architectural design contest. Through Wright's recommendation, Quinn took acting lessons as

9384-712: Was a panelist at the Mexican-American Conference. In 1971, he narrated a documentary film by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , discussing job discrimination faced by Hispanic Americans. He was a supporter of the United Farm Workers organization led by his friend and labor activist Cesar Chavez . Art critic Donald Kuspit explains, "Examining Quinn's many expressions of creativity together—his art, collecting, and acting—we can see that he

9486-625: Was almost three times as much as in the U.S. with a total of $ 7.5 million, giving it worldwide rentals of $ 9.75 million. In Western Europe, the film sold 7.3 million tickets in Italy, 7,037,826 tickets in France, and 7.7   million tickets in the United Kingdom, becoming one of the top 100 highest-grossing films in the United Kingdom and in France . It was also successful in Germany. In

9588-453: Was announced that MGM is rebooting many of its film franchises, including a TV adaptation of The Magnificent Seven . Meyers, Richard (2001). Great Martial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan and More . New York City: Citadel Press . pp.  276 . ISBN   978-0806520261 . Western film Western films derive from the Wild West shows that began in the 1870s. Originally referred to as "Wild West dramas",

9690-481: Was due to the success of Sergio Leone 's storytelling method. Although experiencing waning popularity during the 1980s, the success of films such as Dances with Wolves (1990) and Unforgiven (1992) brought the genre back into the mainstream. Back to the Future Part III (1990) was "a full-blown Western" set in 1885; although the least commercially successful of the trilogy and according to some

9792-792: Was held in the First Baptist Church in America in College Hill, Providence , Rhode Island. His wife asked for the permission of Bristol authorities to bury him in his favorite spot in the backyard of his house, near an old maple tree. They had bought the property in 1995; it had a view of the Narragansett Bay . Permission was granted and he was laid to rest there. On January 5, 1982, the Belvedere County Public Library in East Los Angeles

9894-415: Was hired through the help of co-star and former classmate Robert Vaughn, after the role of the expert knifethrower had been rejected by actors Sterling Hayden and John Ireland . The film was shot by cinematographer Charles Lang in a 35 mm anamorphic format using Panavision lenses . Location shooting began on March 1, 1960, in Mexico, where both the village and the U.S. border town were built for

9996-508: Was hired, in part to make changes required by Mexican censors. When Roberts asked the Writers Guild of America for a co-credit, Newman asked that his name be removed from the credits. Sturges was eager to cast Steve McQueen in the picture, having just worked with him on the 1959 film Never So Few , but McQueen could not get a release from actor/producer Dick Powell , who controlled McQueen's hit TV series Wanted Dead or Alive . On

10098-672: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score and is listed on the American Film Institute 's list of the top 25 American film scores . In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A gang of bandits led by Calvera periodically raids a poor Mexican village for food and supplies. After

10200-660: Was not credited. He played "ethnic" villains in Paramount films such as Dangerous to Know (1938) with Anna May Wong and Road to Morocco with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope , and played a more sympathetic Crazy Horse in They Died with Their Boots On with Errol Flynn . A breakthrough in his career occurred in 1941, when he received an offer to play a matador in the bullfighting-themed Blood and Sand with Tyrone Power and Rita Hayworth . In 1942, Quinn co-starred alongside Power in another critical and financial success,

10302-441: Was renamed in honor of Anthony Quinn. The present library sits on the site of his family's former home. In 1984, artist Eloy Torrez produced a 70-foot-high (21 m) portrait mural of Quinn titled both Anthony Quinn and The Pope of Broadway in Los Angeles. It depicts Quinn in his famous Zorba the Greek role, and it remains one of the largest portrait murals in California. Both the portrait mural and Anthony Quinn himself are

10404-493: Was used in a trailer . In 1994, James Sedares conducted a re-recording of the score performed by The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, which also included a suite from Bernstein's score for The Hallelujah Trail , issued by Koch Records ; Bernstein himself conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a performance released by RCA in 1997, but the original film soundtrack was not released until

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