Out of the many film genres that have existed over the course of cinematic history, there is one genre that is generally understood to be uniquely American: theWestern. Because it is so heavily associated with the history and geography of the United States, it is hard to imagine a Western being influenced by any media outside the country. Yet that is precisely the case for John Sturges' 1960 Western epicThe Magnificent Seven, which centers on seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from bandits. The film is a remake ofSeven Samurai(1954), the legendary 200-minute epic masterpiece by Japanese filmmaking pioneer Akira Kurosawa.
Although most remakes of classic films have historically been met with scorn and dismissal,The Magnificent Sevenhas defied that trend. Not only did it earn positive reviews from critics, but it has left a legacy that rivals even that ofSeven Samurai, inspiring multiple sequels, a TV series, and even its own remake in 2016, not to mention being referenced countless times in popular culture. Furthermore, it was named one of the10 greatest Westerns of all timeby the American Film Institute (AFI). While it features a star-studded cast, heart-pounding gunfights, and picturesque scenery like many Westerns released during this time period, the reasons why it stands the test of time 65 years later go far deeper than that. Let’s talk about whyThe Magnificent Sevenis more than justa cash-grab remake of a Japanese classic.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ Has the Same Premise but Different Details
AlthoughThe MagnificentSevencontains the same overall narrative beats asSeven Samurai,its displacement of the story from 16th-century Japan to the US and Mexico in the 19th century gives the American remake a completely different geographical and historical context. For instance, whileSeven Samuraitakes place on a domestic scale (Japanese samurai protecting Japanese villagers),The Magnificent Seventakes place on an international one (American gunslingers protecting Mexican villagers). This cross-border setting imbues the eponymous team’s mission with an extra layer of pathos. They are not just protecting people in a lower socioeconomic class than themselves, but also people of a different nationality and ethnicity.
In fact, the film introduces two of its titular heroes by showing that they do not share the racial and ethnic bigotries of many of their fellow Americans. When three of the villagers cross the border into a small American town in search of weapons with which to protect themselves from the bandits, they arrive during a conversation in which a traveling salesman tries to persuade the town’s undertaker to bury a deceased Native American man. But the undertaker refuses because the cemetery only holds white corpses and fears that the townsfolk might become violent if the cemetery were desegregated.
Itinerant gunslingers Chris Adams (Yul Brynner) andVin Tanner (Steve McQueen)decide to transport the man’s body to the cemetery themselves. Despite being threatened at gunpoint at the cemetery’s entrance, Chris and Vin remain undeterred and enter the cemetery after a brief skirmish. This incident prompts the villagers to seek out Chris for advice, ultimately hiring him as one of their protectors.
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This scene functions not only as an explicit denunciation of the racism against Native Americans that is otherwise common in Classic Hollywood Westerns, but it also functions as a subtle critique of the segregationist Jim Crow policies that were being enforced throughout the US in 1960. Furthermore, the film’s humanized portrayal of Mexican people and their culture feels especially relevant in our current political climate, which is characterized by the demonization and marginalization of people from Mexico and other Latin American nations. It’s worth noting that the villagers in the film can only obtain protection from the bandits because they can freely cross the US-Mexico border, a highly contentious and militarized region today.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ Features a Legendary Score by a Legendary Composer
Aside from its different setting, one of the most important elements ofThe Magnificent Seventhat isn’t borrowed fromSeven Samuraiis its score, which was composed by Elmer Bernstein.The AFIranked Bernstein’s score as the eighth most iconic film score of all time, and it’s not hard to see (or hear) why. The score, particularly the main theme, is equally romantic and thrilling, making the septet’s mission to protect a single small village feel as important as saving the whole world.
The bombastic strings and soaring horns that play over the opening credits provide an especially stark contrast to the opening credits ofSeven Samurai, which feature an ominously rhythmic drumbeat. Even the ending, which is otherwise identical in both movies, feels more uplifting inThe Magnificent Seventhan inSeven Samurai,simply due to Bernstein’s theme.
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This difference in tone during the opening credits encapsulates howThe Magnificent Sevenis much more sentimental thanSeven Samurai.To that point,Seven Samuraidedicates most of its screentime to the battles themselves and thus feels more action-packed, despite its immense length. On the other hand,The Magnificent Sevenfocuses more on the buildup and downtime between the battles, which are much more brief and less frequent than those inSeven Samurai.
This is not necessarily a criticism. Rather, this slower-paced approach allowsthe Western remakemore time to show the characters bonding with the people of the village. For instance, one of the gunmen, Bernardo (Charles Bronson), reluctantly befriends a group of boys from the village who look up to him more than their own fathers, much to Bernardo’s chagrin. Subplots like this might seem superfluous and boring. Still, they have the cumulative effect of making the seven’s mission to defeat the bandits all the more important, while fleshing out the villagers as complex and heroic characters in their own right, rather than just helpless victims.
‘The Magnificent Seven’ Is a Rare Classic Remake
The Magnificent Seven
Like any good remake,The Magnificent Sevenis more than just “the original but with different actors.” Instead, it carries only the most essential elements fromSeven Samurai, while making justenough changes to feel originaland specific to the time and place it was made. Its cast, score, emotional power, and social critique allow it to step out of the shadow of its source material and become a bona fide classic in its own right.
The Magnificent Sevenis available to stream onPluto TV,Tubi, andMGM+.
