The film is particularly known for the unusual choreography by Michael Kidd, which makes dance numbers out of such mundane frontier pursuits as chopping wood and (most famously) raising a barn*.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers came third in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the UK's "Number One Essential Musicals". [2]
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers came eighth in the top 10 MGM musicals in the book Top 10 of Film by Russell Ash.
In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
In 2006 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ranked #21 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.
Adam, the eldest of seven brothers, goes to town to get a wife. He convinces Milly to marry him that same day. They return to his backwoods home. Only then does she discover he has six brothers -- all living in his cabin. Milly sets out to reform the uncouth siblings, who are anxious to get wives of their own. Then, after reading about the Roman capture of the Sabine women, Adam develops an inspired solution to his brothers' loneliness . . . kidnap the women they want!
There is nothing particularly complex about the film's plot, but I DO find interesting the relationship with the ancient Roman text The Sabine (pronounced 'Sobbing') Women; which is one of the worst puns of all time, btw. The film is undeniably a musical masterpiece, Saul Chaplin is also renowned for his work on West Side Story and The Sound of Music just to name a couple. The story has been re-produced in virtually every major language, has been re-done to fit every format from theater to television, and is a staple in high school and college musicals. And, as with most musicals from this age, the comedic element contributes greatly to the film's overall worth.
"Bless Yore Beautiful Hide" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyrYBXuz5YY This catchy little number opens the movie. I laugh EVERY TIME I watch Adam say Good Morning to a local townswoman, only to then pass her by when he sees she has a daughter.
"Goin' Courtin" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgB5coJxqbA I couldn't talk about this film without including a number from it's female star, Jane Powell. 'The Sweet Little Song Bird', as she was/is affectionately known, is one of the reasons I first became interested in Classical Film/Musicals. And I think that all men can benefit from Jane's 'courting' advice.
Barn Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCdiWxzw0RU This is the dance sequence that really cements this film as one of the greatest musicals ever. And, prior to the inception of Turner Classic Movies, this scene, nor any other in the film, was available in it's original "full-screen" version. The shot is often compared to the Ben Hur "chariot race" sequence b/c of it's extreme WIDTH (for lack of a better term in my limited film vocab), TOO wide, in fact, to transport to anything other than the Big Screen in those days.
