Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

• Year: 1954
• Released: 06 Aug 1954
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 7 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047472/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seven_brides_for_seven_brothers
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Approved
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
• Runtime: 102 min
• Writer: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Dorothy Kingsley
• Director: Stanley Donen
• Cast: Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards
• Keywords: musical, sibling relationship, 19th century, wedding, brother,

	7.3/10
	75/100
	89% – Critics
	87% – Audience

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Storyline

In 1850, in the Oregon Territory, the provincial farmer Adam Pontipee comes to the town to trade supplies and find a wife. When he meets the strong hard worker Milly working in a bar, he proposes her. Milly has a crush on Adam and marries him, expecting to have her own place with her husband. However, when they arrive in the distant farm, she learns that Adam is the eldest of seven unsophisticated and rude brothers. Milly educates the brothers, teaching them hygiene, good manners, and how to win somebody’s heart. In the annual town picnic, Milly, Adam, and his six brothers go to the party and each of his brothers falls in love with a girl. However, they have to return to the loneliness of their farm. In the winter, Adam reads Plutarch and tells his brothers about “The Rape of the Sabine Women”, when the Roman men abducted wives for themselves from the Sabine families. He travels with his brothers to the town and they kidnap their beloved girls. When they cross a gorge, they provoke a snow avalanche and block the narrow passage. However, Milly keeps the girls in the house and sends Adam and his brothers to the barn. But until the spring, when the passage will be open again, many things happen in the farm with Milly, Adam, his brothers, and their “brides”.

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Movie Reviews

Now remember kids, the lessons you learn in this film COULD get you arrested!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” as did the folks back in 1954, if you think about it, the plot is really, really creepy! And, if you behave like the Pontipee Brothers, you’ll no doubt end up in prison!! So kids, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

The film begins with Millie (Jane Powell) marrying Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) very shortly after meeting this gruff man from the wilderness. However, her joy doesn’t last very long once he takes her home! She learns that she now has not only her husband to care for but his six roughneck brothers. The men have no manners and are far from ideal brothers-in-law, but Millie makes it her job to civilize them. Although there are a few hiccups (such as their behavior at a barn raising), she appears to have done an excellent job. HOWEVER, when Adam talks with his brothers about their wanting wives as well, he gives them the worst possible advice. He tells them the famous story of the Sabine women–and based on this story, the brothers decide that the best way to get these new brides is to kidnap them!!! Again, I reiterate….DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS!!! How will it all turn out? Well, I’ll give you a hint–it does NOT result in the men being sentenced to federal prison!! And, the way the kidnap victims respond should NOT encourage you to try this sort of stuff yourself!!!

This is probably the best example of a film with a horrible plot that STILL manages to be terrifically entertaining. Much of this is because the songs are excellent–and often very funny and toe-tapping. Also, the dance numbers are pretty amazing–in a manly sort of way, of course! My advice is to watch the film but try not to see it with a rabid feminist (like my oldest daughter). She and they probably WON’T appreciate the creepy plot…and I guess I can’t blame them. But, it IS a fun little film!

By the way, the ‘Sobbin Women’ song and much of the plot to the film are based on the Roman story (most likely apocryphal) of the abduction of the Sabine women. However, according to Livy (a long-dead Roman historian) it was really an abduction–where the Roman men needed brides and stole them from the Sabines. However, it was not a rape–though later writers and artists referred to it as a sort of gang rape–calling many statues and paintings “The Rape of the Sabine Women”! Instead, according to this historian, the women eventually agreed to marry the men and were not sexually assaulted. Also, Marc Platt (‘Daniel’) is turning 100 later this year!

Wonderful, fresh and enormously satisfying musical

I love musicals, and I heard a lot about Seven Brides for Seven Brothers saying it was wonderful and everything. So of course I expressed interest. When I saw it was directed by Stanley Donen, who directed two of my favourite films Singin’ in the Rain and Charade, I expressed an even bigger interest. Then after seeing Howard Keel, who I love, was involved my interest was even bigger than that.

After finally seeing it, I have to say I loved it. Sure the story is nothing extraordinary and a shade politically incorrect, but that is so minor compared to how good this was. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is wonderful, and is for me one of the freshest and most enormously satisfying musicals ever, not to mention heart warming and exciting. The early CinemaScope is absolutely exquisite as are the beautifully stylised interiors. Those aren’t the only things that make the film beautiful to watch. The scenery and costumes are lovely and colourful as well.

The score and songs are absolutely outstanding, especially the magnificent central Barn dance, that is further advantaged by the brilliant choreography. The screenplay is funny and witty with a touch of cuteness, and the direction from Donen is efficient. The performances are delightful, especially from Jane Powell and Howard Keel. Jane Powell is beautiful, and acts, sings and dances a dream. Keel though is even better, I can never get enough of his lovely voice and charming screen presence, and while his role could have easily been boorish Keel makes something special from it. It was also a delight to see Russ Tamblyn again.

Overall, this film is wonderful with great performances, music and choreography especially. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Bless This Beautiful Film

In his memoirs Howard Keel said he had a rollicking good time making Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and the results certainly do show. If there is a more boisterous musical out there, I haven’t found it.

Keel is Adam Pontipee, eldest brother of seven who own a farm way out in a valley that is usually snowed in during wintertime. That fact becomes of singular importance later on in the film. Living with six other brothers in what could be described as bachelor quarters can be mighty stressful. Not to mention certain other needs aren’t being met.

So Keel up and decides to get himself a wife and he goes to the nearest town to find one. Amazingly enough he does when Jane Powell decides that with once glance, he’s indeed the one.

On the Pontipee Farm she’s not only wife to Keel, but a den mother to the other brothers. She’s lucky she didn’t run into that family of inbreds that Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea rescued Mariette Hartley from in Ride the High Country, they would have expected a lot more.

Those six other brothers see what benefits from married life Keel is enjoying with Powell and decide to take matters into their own hands with a little help from Keel in that Sobbin’ Women number. Powell brought up Plutarch’s Lives and Keel read about those Sabine women and encourages the Pontipees to be good Romans. At least that’s what Plutarch said.

When you think of it Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has one of the silliest plots on record. I mean we are talking about kidnapping and possible rape. But the score is great and the singing and dancing can’t be beat. Gene DePaul and Johnny Mercer wrote the music and lyrics for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the following year they would collaborate on Lil Abner on Broadway which would eventually come to Hollywood.

Curiously enough three songs entitled When You’re In Love came out at the same time. The one in this version that Keel and Powell both sing, one that Bing Crosby sang in the television musical High Tor and one that Mario Lanza did on one of his albums. For that matter there’s an even older song sung by Russ Columbo in Wake Up and Dream from the Thirties. This one however is the best.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers hasn’t aged a bit from its first showing in 1954. It’s one of those eternal films that will be enjoyed a millenia from now. At least that’s what me and Plutarch say.