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Home » Culture and Criticism

Poppy-Fields Movie Couch Of Fame: The Magnificent Seven

Submitted by on May 13, 2014 – 9:02 PM7 Comments
Photo: UA

Photo: UA

The Poppy-Fields Movie Couch Of Fame is kicking it old-school this time around with a nominee from reader Jan: The Magnificent Seven.

I’ve never seen this one either (I KNOW), so Jan will now take the floor. Jan?

Hi Sars,

I fear I may be showing my age here, but I’d like to nominate The Magnificent Seven for PFM. I cannot pass up an opportunity to see this film on TV, despite owning two versions of it on DVD.

Eli Wallach has got to be one of the best Western villians anywhere.

It has all of the classic Western bits and characters and I think it does justice to Kurosawa’s original. Add to that the catchy music, and you’ve got the perfect escape on a cold, rainy weekend afternoon.

I hope you’ll consider this nomination.

  • lengthy? 128 minutes
  • familiar/frequent? at least annually
  • classic/award-winner? Classic remake of The Seven Samurai, nominated for an Oscar (music).
  • “Greetings, Professor Falken” (big payoff/long-shot victory a la WarGames)? Bad Guy’s final quote: “You came back — for a place like this. Why? A man like you. Why?”
  • “Wanna have a catch?” (Pavlovian tear-jerk)? Probably not, maybe the last scene with Charles Bronson.
  • quote-fest? “If God didn’t want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep.” “Generosity…that was my first mistake.” “We deal in lead, friend.” “Now how do you like that. I want him buried, you want him buried and if he could sit up and talk, he’d second the motion. Now that’s as unanimous as you can get.” “Nobody throws me my own guns and says run. Nobody.”
  • caper-ish or -adjacent camaraderie? Seven down-on-their-luck gunfighters join together to protect a small Mexican village from marauders…bonding ensues and the young hotshot learns a valuable lesson and finds love.
  • “forget you, melon farmer” (you own it, but will still watch bowdlerized TV verzh) [yep; see above — Ed.]

Thank you for your kind attention,
Jan

Thanks, Jan. This one gets semi-regular play on IFC and the like and is a conventional classic, scoring what sounds like a solid 7. The real question is, is Jan the only one who gets sucked into this one on a weekend afternoon? Or does it get a cushion?

Readers: Discuss; let’s see if it gets in.

Jan: Congrats, you’re the proud owner of a shirt from the TN store; thanks so much for submitting.

Update: Its adherents are few but convincing; it’s in there.

The Poppy-Fields Movie Couch Of Fame is here. To nominate your own PFM, email bunting at tomatonation dot com with a rundown of the criteria and your argument for why it deserves a cushion. If I use your entry, free loot shall be thine.

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7 Comments »

  • Bill D. says:

    I love the Magnificent Seven. I own the Magnificent Seven on both DVD and Blu-ray. The Magnificent Seven has one of the best casts of the era, and a fantastic soundtrack. But I wouldn’t call it a poppy-field movie. It does not meet one of my most important poppy-field criteria, which is that I can turn it on at any point and sit down and watch it from there. It’s one of those movies that I have to start from the beginning and really luxuriate in its greatness.

  • Rlnpirate says:

    First, I have a sister named Jan and this review could have been written by her. If so, HI Jan. If not, Hi Jan.
    Either way, I vote yes for M7. Although I can’t really quote from it like other movies, I just LOVE the score so much.
    This movie doesn’t run as often as some, but when I see it. I usually get sucked in. Bonus: my 2 yr old grandson, love the horses.

  • Jack says:

    I have used Steve McQueen’s response to the Bad Guy’s final quote whenever someone asks me why I did something stupid in college.

  • nsfinch says:

    This one definitely counts! I actually can turn in on from the middle, but I respect Bill D. for his more careful viewings. Forget Charles Bronson, though, this is the movie that made me fall in love with Yul Brenner. The theme song of this movie alone makes my heart happy. I think I’m gonna put my headphones on in my cubicle and listen to that right now…

  • Rlnpirate says:

    And not that you care, but this nomination WAS made by my sis.
    I read TM before I check my emails. So when I did actually open my email there she was, all excited about her tshirt. heeeheee.

  • TinaS says:

    This is a great movie! My brother was obsessed with it when we were little, so I’ve seen it many times, but still watch it whenever it’s on. I love Steve McQueen, but the whole cast is really incredible.

  • M. Giant says:

    Also in favor. No Mag7, no [upside-down exclamation point]Three Amigos!

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