The Warner Archive June 5, 2018 Blu-ray restoration of the Oscar-winning (Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1954 MGM musical "Severn Brides for Seven Brothers" provides a reason to go back to the living room again. The sound and picture are so awesome played on a 4K player and watched on a 4K set that they warrant purchasing those devices.
An incredible surprise is getting a bonus disc with the rare Cinemascope (i.e., widescreen) version of "Brides." A special feature explains that MGM has two versions simultaneously filmed to accommodate theaters that lack Cinemascope capability.
"Brides" trivia includes that Leonard Maltin daughter/sidekick Jessie Maltin identifies this film as her all-time favorite. This adoration extends to begging her parents to constantly play the film throughout her childhood.
The most cool thing about this oft-watched movie is picking up something new each time; in this case, it is realizing the full extent of the humor related to the six younger brothers. Much of this hilarity relates to the great skill of the actors in expressing a great deal literally with a glance. The broad scope of this includes mugging without hamming, being lovestruck, using eyes to flip off a sibling, and giving a "dandy" a grin seconds before a sock in the jaw.
The next bit of fun comes courtesy of comparing the film with live-stage versions of the show. A (reviewed) September 2016 staging at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine does the film justice and actually outshines the film in some respects.
The Maine show has third youngest Pontipee brother Caleb surprise (presumably) virgin bride Milly (Jane Powell) by popping out of a tree, rather than appear on the porch as he does in the film. Further, the stage actor who plays Caleb outshines perfectly good film Caleb portrayor Matt Mattox in delivering the memorable "not close, here" line. The trifecta is complete when horseplay during the first breakfast that Milly cooks including much more beefcake than in the film.
The film balances the scales in having Russ Tamblyn of "West (rather than Wet) Side Story" and the sadly underappreciated (reviewed) "Son of a Gunfighter" outshine the stage actor playing adorable youngest brother Gideon in the most memorable scene for this character. Suffice it to say that Tamblyn shows great skill at being catty.
The following YouTube clip of the original theatrical trailer provides a good sense of the film. The '50slicious promotion style is amusing and illustrates the phenomenal difference between that version and the Archive offering.
All of this begins with perfectly cast Howard Keel of the '80s primetime soap "Dallas" riding into his 1850 Oregon Territory town to stock up on supplies for him and his six feral siblings who live in an isolated cabin in the woods. Understanding the Unreal TV joke that the Adam Pontipe with one "e" is the one with no sense of humor requires expert television knowledge.
Adam tests the limits of the scope of offerings at the general store in expressing his need for a titular spouse to do the women's work for him and his brothers. This leads to Keel perfectly nailing the classic song "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" from the film soundtrack. The benefit of multiple viewings this time is fully appreciating the responses of Adam to his candidates for Eve.
This leads to literally love at first sight for orphaned Milly when she spots Adam at the bar and swill where she works. This leads to a variation of her being a waitress at a cocktail bar when she first meets him.
Adam making a successful sales pitch for an incredibly abbreviated courtship leads to him buying the cow without trying to get the milk for free. This leads to the newlyweds heading for their honeymoon cottage literally before the sun sets on their first date.
The rude awakening for Milly comes on finding that she is more Snow White than Sleeping Beauty. The stage and film brothers do equally well in the memorable scene in which they have good reason to believe that Adam has gone where no man (presumably) has gone before.
Milly meeting basic needs in terms of getting the house and the frat boys in order leads to thoughts of finding the remaining six brides. Adam figuring that what is good for the goose is worth a gander leads to the hilarious and rousing "Sobbin' Women" number. This leads to the bros leaving the ho at home and going into town to collect their praying prey. This is another case of the play outshining the movie in ways that include having Looney Tunes music accompany the 19th century version of a booty call.
Milly is far from thoroughly modern on learning that her husband and her in-laws have brought home unexpected company. This leads to a long frigid winter in which Adam takes a powder unaware of having left something in the oven, and the younger boys are left out in the cold.
Spring increases the thawing on all fronts, and "Brides" ends on a hilarious happy note.
Archive does especially well with the copious extras this time. The highlight is the aforementioned 43-minute made-for-cable "making-of" documentary that Keel hosts. His opening narrative is very reminiscent of the (reviewed) "When the Lion Roars" documentary on the history of MGM. The talking heads include Powell, Tamblyn, and many other cast members. The biggest surprise is that Julie Newmar (who provides an interview) is one of the brides. Sadly, her character is not part of the "catty" scene.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Brides" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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