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A Mexican village beset by bandits looks to defend itself with seven hired gunmen in John Sturges's canny Hollywood remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." The Blu-ray release features decent picture and sound quality and all the extras from the 2001 DVD special edition.
The Magnificent Seven
Release Date: Available now
Studio: MGM Studios / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Packaging/Materials: Single-disc Blu-ray "ECO-BOX"
Year: 1960
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2:08:06
MSRP: $19.99
THE FEATURE
EXTRAS
Video
1080p high definition 2.35:1
Standard and high definition
Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: English 2.0, Spanish 5.1
Stereo
Subtitles
English SDH, Spanish, French
English
The Feature: 4.5/5
A Mexican village beset by bandits looks to defend itself with seven hired gunmen in John Sturges's canny Hollywood remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." With the likes of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Robert Vaughn, and Eli Wallach, the film could have buckled under the weight of its cast ego and star power, but Sturges harnessed the collective strength of its actors and created one of cinema's great westerns. The film's clever dialogue, rousing action sequences and poignant moral about the importance of home holds up to this day. The power of composer Elmer Bernstein's film score also can't be overstated, with its iconic Aaron Copland-influenced orchestration and themes. Though Hollywood remakes of international films usually produce eye rolling among casual and serious moviegoers alike, successes like "The Magnificent Seven" show how a derivative work can ultimately stand on its own and even side-by-side with its source of inspiration.
Video Quality: 4/5
Accurately framed at 2.35:1 and presented in 1080p with the AVC codec, the film image is often quite breathtaking with its panoramic framing and deep focus, but some may find the ever-present edge haloing and occasional source flaws distracting. Indeed, fine detail in even the widest of shots would be the transfer's best feature if not for the rather noticeable ringing in the film's medium close ups. Black levels and contrast are generally well rendered, though one too many shots look a little too opened up or flat compared to the punchier ones around them. Color is more consistent, however, the earthy palette in the Mexican desert looking rich and nicely saturated.
Audio Quality: 4/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is crisp, detailed and intelligible, though the surround mix never goes beyond a few directional gun shot effects. The front-dominant mix is effective, however, and presents Bernstein's award-winning film score with great detail and dynamic range.
Special Features: 4/5
The extras include all the items from the 2001 DVD special edition and offer an interesting look behind-the-scenes and analysis of the film's legacy.
Commentary with James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Assistant Director Robert Relyea, and Producer Walter Mirisch: The group has good camaraderie and offer a number of entertaining anecdotes around working together and with Sturges.
Guns for Hire: The Making of the Magnificent Seven (46:54, SD): 2001 documentary chronicles the film's optioning, development and filming in the sometimes competitive, male-dominated atmosphere. The piece also spends some time on the Academy Award-winning score by Elmer Bernstein and highlights from the script by William Roberts, Walter Bernstein and Walter Newman.
Elmer Bernstein and the Magnificent Seven (14:48, SD): Goes into further detail about the score's themes, characteristics and influences, with expert commentary from film music historian Jon Burlingame. Produced in 2001.
The Linen Book: Lost Images from the Magnificent Seven (14:47, SD): Archival photographs serve as a starting point for some choice memories from Eli Wallach and Assistant Director Robert Relyea. Produced in 2001.
Theatrical Trailers
Still Gallery (4:05): Includes over 50 archival photographs, poster art and publicity materials, sized for high definition resolution.
Recap
The Feature: 4.5/5
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Special Features: 4/5
Overall Score (not an average): 4/5
MGM Studios turns in a decent presentation for one of the great westerns of cinema. With the inclusion of all the extras from the 2001 DVD special edition, the Blu-ray makes for a worthwhile upgrade from DVD...given the right price point. And despite its less than perfect technical qualities, it's still the clear choice for those adding the movie to their collections for the first time.
The Magnificent Seven
Release Date: Available now
Studio: MGM Studios / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Packaging/Materials: Single-disc Blu-ray "ECO-BOX"
Year: 1960
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2:08:06
MSRP: $19.99
THE FEATURE
EXTRAS
Video
1080p high definition 2.35:1
Standard and high definition
Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: English 2.0, Spanish 5.1
Stereo
Subtitles
English SDH, Spanish, French
English
The Feature: 4.5/5
A Mexican village beset by bandits looks to defend itself with seven hired gunmen in John Sturges's canny Hollywood remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." With the likes of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Robert Vaughn, and Eli Wallach, the film could have buckled under the weight of its cast ego and star power, but Sturges harnessed the collective strength of its actors and created one of cinema's great westerns. The film's clever dialogue, rousing action sequences and poignant moral about the importance of home holds up to this day. The power of composer Elmer Bernstein's film score also can't be overstated, with its iconic Aaron Copland-influenced orchestration and themes. Though Hollywood remakes of international films usually produce eye rolling among casual and serious moviegoers alike, successes like "The Magnificent Seven" show how a derivative work can ultimately stand on its own and even side-by-side with its source of inspiration.
Video Quality: 4/5
Accurately framed at 2.35:1 and presented in 1080p with the AVC codec, the film image is often quite breathtaking with its panoramic framing and deep focus, but some may find the ever-present edge haloing and occasional source flaws distracting. Indeed, fine detail in even the widest of shots would be the transfer's best feature if not for the rather noticeable ringing in the film's medium close ups. Black levels and contrast are generally well rendered, though one too many shots look a little too opened up or flat compared to the punchier ones around them. Color is more consistent, however, the earthy palette in the Mexican desert looking rich and nicely saturated.
Audio Quality: 4/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is crisp, detailed and intelligible, though the surround mix never goes beyond a few directional gun shot effects. The front-dominant mix is effective, however, and presents Bernstein's award-winning film score with great detail and dynamic range.
Special Features: 4/5
The extras include all the items from the 2001 DVD special edition and offer an interesting look behind-the-scenes and analysis of the film's legacy.
Commentary with James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Assistant Director Robert Relyea, and Producer Walter Mirisch: The group has good camaraderie and offer a number of entertaining anecdotes around working together and with Sturges.
Guns for Hire: The Making of the Magnificent Seven (46:54, SD): 2001 documentary chronicles the film's optioning, development and filming in the sometimes competitive, male-dominated atmosphere. The piece also spends some time on the Academy Award-winning score by Elmer Bernstein and highlights from the script by William Roberts, Walter Bernstein and Walter Newman.
Elmer Bernstein and the Magnificent Seven (14:48, SD): Goes into further detail about the score's themes, characteristics and influences, with expert commentary from film music historian Jon Burlingame. Produced in 2001.
The Linen Book: Lost Images from the Magnificent Seven (14:47, SD): Archival photographs serve as a starting point for some choice memories from Eli Wallach and Assistant Director Robert Relyea. Produced in 2001.
Theatrical Trailers
Trailer A (2:46, HD)
Trailer B (3:03, HD)
Still Gallery (4:05): Includes over 50 archival photographs, poster art and publicity materials, sized for high definition resolution.
Recap
The Feature: 4.5/5
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Special Features: 4/5
Overall Score (not an average): 4/5
MGM Studios turns in a decent presentation for one of the great westerns of cinema. With the inclusion of all the extras from the 2001 DVD special edition, the Blu-ray makes for a worthwhile upgrade from DVD...given the right price point. And despite its less than perfect technical qualities, it's still the clear choice for those adding the movie to their collections for the first time.
