In this musical comedy, Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) is the oldest of seven brothers. When he brings home his new bride Milly (Jane Powell), she insists on improving their manners and appearance, and they decide that they would like to find brides of their own.
I’m not really sure why I enjoyed this film so much, but I did enjoy it. Most of the songs are not particularly memorable (except for Bless Your Beautiful Hide, which I was singing to myself for ages after the film had finished), and a lot of the characters are never really developed – apart from Adam and youngest brother Gideon, the others were pretty much interchangeable. And in addition to that, the character of Adam is petulant and petty at times. But for all that, I did like the film. The barn-raising dance (shown in the above video link) is a real joy, full of energy and colour, and I also liked the Lonely Polecat number, where the six younger brothers are lamenting their lack of female companionship.
Jane Powell looks beautiful, and her character was great – you do need to suspend your disbelief somewhat, as she agrees to marry Adam after just one brief meeting – and her shock at realising that she is sharing her new home with six unruly men apart from her husband was very funny.
This is not the best example of the musical genre, but it is an hour and a half of fun and laughter, and if you are a fan of musicals, I would recommend it.
Year of release: 1954
Director: Stanley Donen
Producer: Jack Cummings
Writers: Stephen Vincent Benet (story ‘The Sobbin’ Women’), Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Dorothy Kingsley
Main cast: Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Russ Tamblyn, Jeff Richards, Tommy Rall, Marc Platt, Matt Mattox, Jacques D’Amboise
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Click here for my review of the 2013/2014 stage production of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.
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