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Features: DVD
Things are different for the Pontipee men now that big brother Adam's fetched a bride and brought her to their cabin. The biscuits are buttery fresh, the cabin's as spotless as a dog's dinner plate and there's a heap of new learning about how to be fine backwoods gentlemen. Indeed, the unmarried brothers are so inspired they raid the town and carry off brides of their own! Like a favorite flannel shirt, everything fits right in this rugged whoop-for-joy directed by Stanley Donen, choreographed by Michael Kidd and featuring an exhilarating Gene dePaul/Johnny Mercer score that won an Academy Award. Jane Powell and Howard Keel star, supported by a cast of buckskinned dancers and petticoated danseuses. And what steppin'! The barnraising sequence alone--back-flipping, plank-leaping athleticism--leaves a daylong smile. Bless Yore Beautiful Hide, all you brides and brothers!
"A rollicking musical! Perfectly integrates song, dance and story!" Leonard Maltin
Editor's Note
In the Oregon Territory, mountain man Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel, acting and singing with gusto) comes to town to sell his crops and woo a woman to be his wife, succeeding with spirited Milly (Jane Powell), who is tired of feeding and waiting on so many men at the local inn. Her dreams of keeping house for just one man are shattered when she discovers that Adam shares his pigsty cabin with six brawling brothers. Milly's good cooking and stubborn nature whip the young men into shape and inspire them to seek women of their own. But after a disastrous barn raising during which the brothers snare the attention of the town girls only to be taunted into fighting with the town men, Adam suggests his brothers forget gentle methods of love and follow the actions of the Roman with the Sabine ("Sobbin'") women. The kidnapping of their six sweethearts spurs Milly to throw the men out of the house, but enforced proximity caused by winter and the brothers' good intentions just might help love bloom again.
Plot Summary
Manly Adam and dainty but stubborn Milly find love in the Oregon Territory, prompting yearnings in Adam's six brothers for their own women. Milly teaches the brothers manners and introduces them to the town girls, but a fight with the local men inspires the brothers to stop wooing and start kidnapping. Stuck all winter by an avalanche with Milly and the seven brothers, the abducted girls' thoughts turn to weddings as spring approaches. Filled with lively dancing, comic songs, and the heartache of love, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS is a delightful and fun musical from director Stanley Donen.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Interactive Menus | | Making Of Documentary | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner Music |
| Release Date: 3/15/2005 |
| Running Time: 102 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1954 | | Catalog ID: 65065 | | UPC: 00012569506527 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1955) |  | Saul Chaplin, Adolph Deutsch, Winner, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture | | | George J. Folsey, Nominee, Best Cinematography, Color | | | Ralph E. Winters, Nominee, Best Film Editing | | | Jack Cummings, Nominee, Best Picture | | | Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Dorothy Kingsley, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...[A] rambunctious paean to the Oregon prairies of the 1850s..." 06/01/2001 p.62Entertainment Weekly
"[With a] magnificent barn-raising dance..." 10/15/2004 p.59 Sight and Sound
"Energy, humour and Coplandesque scoring mark Donen's celebrated musical..." 07/01/2005 p.86 At-A-Glance Film Reviews 10 of 10
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers has an endearing way of turning its fluff "musical" plot into the plight of real people striving to fulfill their basic yet treasured dreams in a world that doesn't know what to do with them. With its characters so easy to relate to, we thus enjoy the film's excellent musical score and sense of humor all the more. Don't miss this great American classic.
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