My Favorite American Remake of a Foreign Film: 'The Magnificent Seven'

One of the most memorable films from my childhood was the western film "The Magnificent Seven." Even though I never saw the film when it was released I vividly recall the famous theme song. It was used at a time when television showed cigarette commercials. The brand of cigarettes was Marlboro and they always played this incredible piece of music that was as grand as the Wild West. It wasn't until decades later did I realize that American western film was actually a remake of a Japanese samurai classic. During the 1990s I finally rented the videos for both films and saw them for the first time. They are both outstanding and it remains my favorite American remake of a foreign film.

The Original Foreign Film - "Seven Samurai"

When I lived in Chicago there was a month-long cultural event of films, Kabuki, and other performing arts from Japan. This was my introduction to Akira Kurosawa films. I only saw a few, but "Seven Samurai" was not one of them. I never realized how popular this famed Japanese director was and still is. Basically the premise of the story is about a farming village that is always attacked at harvest time for their entire crops by bandits.

Sick and tired of this abuse they go to the village elder who suggests they hire samurais. The problem with that is the village had no money to pay for their services and they're quite expensive. Despondent, they go to town and ask one samurai after another who turns them down. Finally one agrees to help them. He is a ronin or masterless samurai. In exchange for his services they will feed him and his crew.

One by one six independent samurais are rounded up. The seventh one claims he is a samurai, but isn't. He was a farmer's son and empathizes with the village's plight. Together the villagers and samurais plan an attack strategy for the returning bandits.

An American Remake - "The Magnificent Seven"

While the original Japanese film was released in 1954 an American remake came along in 1960 following closely to the original. For "The Magnificent Seven" it takes place in Mexico near the U.S. border during the Wild, Wild West. One particular village is continuously pillaged by Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang. The Mexican villagers decide to take matters into their own hands by going into town to purchase guns. They come upon Chris Adams, played by Yul Brynner, who suggests it would be cheaper to hire gunslingers than buy individual guns. At first they persuade Chris to be their gunslinger, but he declines.

After a while he decides to help them. Chris then recruits his friends portrayed by the actors Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Bucholz. Most of these gunslingers are either on the lam from the law or owe money to someone, while others are just looking for gold or needing the money. Together the gunfighters and villagers learn about combat strategies and prepare for when the Calvera gang will ride again. It is impressive how close this storyline actually is from the original, even though they are from very different countries, cultures and time periods.

Legacies of Both Films

Back in 2002 I was visiting some of my friends in Japan while living elsewhere in Asia. When I went to a Japanese department store I saw a bunch of current DVDs on display. One of them was "The Magnificent Seven." I told my friend it is an American remake of "Seven Samurai." She definitely knew that. Apparently this film is still popular in Japan. The opening theme and musical score of this remake movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Score. Elmer Bernstein was the composer of it. Later on the music would be sold to Marlboro cigarettes to use for their many television commercials. Yul Brynner was so impressed with Kurosawa's film he envisioned it as a western. He then persuaded a movie producer to acquire the rights from Japan's Toho Studios. The rest they say is history.

SOURCES:

The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein, YouTube.com

Seven Samurai (1954), Yahoo! Movies

The Magnificent Seven (1960), Yahoo! Movies

TCM-Turner Classic Movies - The Magnificent Seven, TCM.com