Revisiting 'Seven Brides’: A Musical of Its Time, for Our Time
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- • Seven Brides for Seven...
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Hey there! Just talked about 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' and I'm curious... who else has a soft spot for this classic? 🎭 I'd love to hear your favorite moments or songs. Also, I'm always on the hunt for new musical gems to dive into. Got a musical you're obsessed with? Drop a suggestion and it might be the star of our next chat! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you and bless your beautiful hyde! 🌟
OMG you know what is just a JOY to watch is THE HARVEY GIRLS!!!! the choreography! Judy Garland! Virginia Obrian!!!!!!!!!!!!! Angela Clayton! That would definitely be a long form video for you to make. So much to talk about plus it’s real history of the Harvey girls.
@@brooke3312 OMG I totally forgot this! Doesn’t it have the guy who played Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz as well??? 😮
@@CareOffBook yes I think so! So much to take apart there for a video I don’t think I’ve even seen one video on the Harvey girls on TH-cam. Oh and I love the scene it’s a great big world with the three girls dancing in the moonlight about not being married yet type of thing now they are Harvey girls
@@brooke3312 This will be an upcoming Monday Musical! Give me time! 💖
THANK YOU for doing this! You clearly see the depth of the screenplay, not surprisingly written by Hackett and Goodrich, the duo who also wrote the basic script of "It's a Wonderful Life", another masterpiece of emotional, multi-leveled story telling. And despite "7 Brides"' reputation as some sort of neanderthal relic, it's an unexpectedly warm and wise tale of the rough, rugged pioneer life in the wilderness of 1850's Oregon. And, as you say, the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT in the "7 Brides" screenplay is a wonder to behold.
1.) Adam makes it clear how important a strong, sturdy wife is, and how difficult it is to find one (sorry, ladies).
2.) During their wagon ride, Millie reveals her idealistic dreams of wedded life, and watch how Adam is JUST ABOUT to tell her of the situation at the farm, when Millie bursts into song ("Wonderful Day"); so, he tried.
3.) Millie is crushed when she realizes her actual role as a frontier wife..but instead of collapsing, she accepts her fate, rolls up her sleeves, and starts to work (again..sorry, ladies)
4.) Adam and Millie have a deep and somewhat painful talk on their wedding night.
5.) Millie's plan to get the brothers cleaned up, married, and OUT of the house gradually begins to change. They all pile on the wagon to accompany her to town, where the petite Millie JUST misses getting slugged by big Jeff Richards in the street brawl, after which she shames the big guy like a child.
6.) The bond between Millie and the guys grows, as she teaches them how to court a girl through dancing, then sets them up at the big barn raising. "And remember...no fighting."
7.) Check that great moment when the resourceful Millie intercepts Frank (Tommy Rall) JUST AS he's about to attack the town guys,thus preventing an all-out brawl by demonstrating how DANCING will impress the girls. WHAT A SCENE!
And so it goes, with the destruction of the barn, and the brothers' heavy-hearted isolation from their girls due to the L-O-N-G winter in the mountains (and their mystical, ritualistic "Axe Dance" in the snow). Then when Benjamin tells Millie he's leaving, she tells Adam of her hopes and dreams for an extended family life with the brothers: families, babies, get-togethers, holidays, etc..... I get misty-eyed every time, because that's what America USED to feel like when this film was made (I was there). And to think she was originally repulsed by these guys and wanted to marry them off ASAP; now THAT's growth...emotional, even spiritual. Sure, Adam and the boys are WAY too impulsive in their abduction of the ladies but, as Adam says, it was Millie's (and Plutarch's) story of the "Sobbin' (Sabine) Women that gave them the idea.
After that, it's Millie's courage, no-nonsense conviction, strength, and love that "elevate" Adam and his brothers to a higher emotional and spiritual plane. Yet so many short-sighted people turn "7 Brides" off in disgust, due to their phony claims of "misogynism". And even though we all witness the surface signs of it, it takes a sensitive, level-headed viewer such as yourself to grasp the depth and humanity .. and the emotional GROWTH of the film, from one beautifully-written scene to the next.
Again, thanks for your insightful commentary on a truly great film.
I love this movie and could care less if it’s considered “problematic”. It’s a classic with timeless songs and choreography. Milly is a great example of a well written and beautifully executed character. The brothers and the brides are all so entertaining to watch and rout for. Adam has a fantastic character arc that shows real change and how the movie discourages his gruff and domineering nature. Instead turning him into a real leader who can balance gentleness and strength.
Hey @supernerd1643 Absolutely, the charm of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' is truly timeless! 🎶 Milly is such an iconic character - her strength and grace are unmatched. Thanks for sharing your love for the movie! I’m glad I’m not alone.
Hello! This is the first time watching your channel and I loved to take on this beautiful movie. I adore musicals, specially from the golden era of Hollywood. However, I must add to your data: gorgeous Dorcas was a very your and incredibly beautiful Julie Newmar AKA Catwoman 1966 - 1967. I will continue watching your videos now that I know you are a "woman of taste".
I’m excited to share more about Golden Era Musicals on here! So I hope you enjoy!
E was for Ephraim. “There were no F names in the Bible so Ma named him Frankincense because he smelled so sweet.”
I’ve been watching his movie since o was 10 yrs old and I’m 47 now 😝 !!! I know every song every scene and still watch it on a regular till this day . ❤
omg something else I've literally never heard of, ahah. looks like quite the musical with some very unique songs and plot moments, haha! your summaries and thoughts are gold. looking forward to more!
OMG! I think I might like this more than Music Man!
Honestly, growing up, & even into today in my 40's, I never saw this movie as "problematic". I saw it for what it is: a fun, upbeat, highly entertaining, multi-talented, energetic movie & love story. Sure, it's crazy the brothers did what they did, but being trapped up there for 7-8 months, the girls eventually fell in love w/ the brothers. I wish they showed more brothers/brides action onscreen, but what's shown is from the women being cooped up in the room to singing & holding hands w/ the brothers. You don't really see the "in-between" of the winter months, just from the women's POV & I think a lot of people see that as them still being "trapped" by the brothers, so how could they all of a sudden want to stay w/ them & marry them by the end? But it's just shown off-screen, all of the falling in love. I like your take on the character development & like you said, people who see it as "problematic" aren't focused on the characters developing, but just the "problems". Plus, how could anyone not love this movie if even for just the 6.5 minutes barn dancing sequence? To me, one of the greatest choreographed and dance sequences of all-time! Anyway, that's enough of my rambling! Thanks for your thoughts & I'm glad I'm not alone in my unwavering love of this movie musical! 😄
I love this musical because Milly has a lot of endurance taking on so much but she stops at being used and being treated poorly. And Adam has to learn a hard lesson.
AGREED!
If it was remade today, they'd probably race swap and push for extreme feminism, and one or more of the brothers/brides would probably be gay...
Please note that I'm not saying that I am for or against it (I personally don't mind changes nor exact copies; and if someone doesn't like changes: that's a valid response as well and also the original work still exists for them)
I'm just stating what we might expect of remakes these days.
I love it so much it is a feast for the eyes and ears. BTW it was put on stage, but years after the movie was made. It became a vehicle for Debbie Boone.😊
Did it translate well on stage?
@PerformancePerspective it was pretty good, they had some great dancers, but without the moving camera it wasn't quite the same.
I wish they would open this musical
On Broadway! Sorry for commenting so much! 😂 and yes my family always loved this movie and quoted it like crazy like “I used to ape ya…but now I’m ashamed of ya!” And the 🪵 🪓 scene lol loved it so much!
I appreciate your comments! I wonder if it works on stage, but they can’t recreate the magical barn scene in the movie. Plus, Adam’s VOICE!!! OMG so bold and gorgeous.
It did tour as a show on stage with Debbie Boone.😊
I’m at the beginning of the video so I don’t know if you’re gonna mention it but there were two films at the time being produced and it had to be decided which one would be shot as a normal film outside and which one would take the cheaper route being on a sound stage…they ended up giving Seven brides for seven brothers the cheap version because they thought it wouldn’t do as well…were they wrong! Turned out the live action one flopped and seven brides for seven brothers was a box office hit!
I didn’t know that!!! I would love to know what movie was the competition. They must’ve seen ‘The Barn Dance’ and knew there was no chance to beat that!
@@CareOffBook I think I saw that fact in one of the documentaries about the film from like the 90s or something. I’ve never forgotten it. If I find it again I’ll let you know
@@brooke3312oh yes please do!
I believe the movie you are talking about is, surprisingly, Brigadoon. 😊
@@CareOffBook It was "Brigadoon".
It is an absolute CRIME that this video doesn’t have more views! This is one of my favorite films of all time, and definitely in my top 3 most watched, as I wore through two VHS copies of it before I was 8 years old, lol.
As an adult, I’ve often asked myself whether my love for the film now is largely rooted in nostalgia, having grown up with it. But the older I get, the more I appreciate it for the brilliant piece of art that it is - writing, costumes, music, cinematography, choreography, dancing, acting, all of it. Even the sets are gorgeous, despite the minuscule budget they were given!
I couldn’t agree more with your rebuttal to the reductive “it’s misogynistic” argument. To me, the whole point of the story is that people can change and learn to be better.
Of course it’s exaggerated; it’s a musical. But I think it was wayyyy more self-aware, even at its release in the 1950s, than people today give it credit for! It’s meant to be over-the-top and satirical. If the film were actually trying to glorify misogyny, Caleb’s axe-wielding dance solo in Lonesome Polecat would never have happened 😂.
You have these “7 scrummagy backwoodsmen” portrayed by literal professional ballet dancers; the story is clearly meant to challenge and play with gender stereotypes, which is actually super interesting.
The brothers are all caricatures of toxic masculinity at the beginning, and it’s meant to be ridiculous. By the end they’ve all developed into actual well-rounded characters who demonstrate a much healthier, kinder, and more humane form of masculinity, and it’s so much fun to watch that evolution unfold.
I recently saw a stage production of the show at The Muny in St. Louis. I went into it with low expectations, knowing it was never going to live up to the movie in my eyes, but I was pleasantly surprised by their adaptation (with the exception of a weird 2-minute prologue scene with Milly narrating her story as an old woman).
It was pretty faithful to the film, but, interestingly, they changed the wife-napping plot a bit: the brothers find the girls all together in one place (a quilting bee or something of the sort), and they sort of fumble and stumble over themselves in trying to enact their plan, quickly realizing how ridiculous it sounds out loud. The girls give them some grief for it, but after a bit of discussion, the girls decide that winter in the mountains with their backwoods boyfriends sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Since their families will never willingly let them go, they decide to stage their own kidnapping, and go willingly with the brothers.
I would have been fine with the kidnapping scene going unchanged, but I thought the rewrite was well-executed, more palatable to modern audiences, and it didn’t really change the plot, to be honest. As soon as they got to the cabin, Milly scolded the brothers for such a foolish plan and blamed them for talking the girls into going along with it. The brothers were still banished to the barn so the girls could use their beds, and as the winter progressed, the girls all snuck around behind Milly’s back to see them anyway.
In careful, loving hands, I’d love to see this show get a proper Broadway run - and I’d be super interested to see how they handled adapting it for modern audiences.
Thank you for opening up this discussion! Clearly I love gushing about this film any chance I get, and I think more folks today would grow to love it, too, if they approached it with the sort of context you’re providing here.
Oh! Footnote- the Sabine/Sobbin’ Women story comes from Milly’s copy of Plutarch’s Lives, the other book besides the Bible that she tells Adam her father left to her. Not that the Bible doesn’t have some atrocious stories in it too 😅🙃. But I definitely would have remembered learning about that one in Sunday School if it came from the Bible lmao.
Wow, your love for the film really shines through in your message, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. It's like finding a kindred spirit who sees beyond the surface and appreciates the layers of storytelling and character development. I'm right there with you on the transformative power of musicals and their timeless charm. Isn't it wonderful how a fresh stage adaptation can open our eyes to new facets of a story we thought we knew? I'd absolutely adore seeing a Broadway version, and I bet we'd both have a lot to say about it! Thanks a ton for joining in on this discussion - your enthusiasm is the heartbeat of our community here. Here's to many more chats about the classics we cherish!
I love Seven Brides. It cannot be viewed through the Lense of the twenty-first Century and must be viewed as the sweet fairytale it is.
It truly is! I think that’s why I started giggling when I knew the plot was WILD! 🤣 I have so much love for it!