TRW194 'The Magnificent Seven’

Seven individual gunfighters featuring seven iconic actors of the 1960s in all-action poses.

‘The Magnificent Seven’ is quite simply one of the greatest ‘Westerns’ ever made, it’s also one of the most important.  Not because it led to three sequels, a TV series and a cinematic remake in 2016 but because it set the standard for other adventurous and influential western films that followed it in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
These included, among others ‘The Professionals’ and ‘The Wild Bunch’.
These two movies alongwith ‘The Magnificent Seven’ focused on an ensemble cast rather than a typical lone hero or a single lawman going up against a gang of outlaws.
The Magnificent Seven(1960) were not traditional good guys but a mixed group of anti heroes bound together to go up against an adversary who was both cruel and ruthless.
Based on an original Japanese film, ‘The Seven Samurai’, director John Sturges, a well-established ‘Western’ film maker helmed the movie.  Among the great titles Sturges had already made included ‘Bad Day At Black Rock’ (1955) and ‘Gunfight At The Ok Corral’ (1957).
In January 1960, the director began assembling his talented cast led by Yul Brynner, followed by emerging star Steve McQueen and the TV actor, Robert Vaughn who in turn also suggested a young James Coburn.  Sturges himself added Charles Bronson who had appeared in two of his previous movies.
Yet another experienced TV actor, Brad Dexter was added to the cast alongside a popular young German actor, Horst Bucholz playing the youngest gunfighter of ‘The Seven’.
Filming took place in Cuernavaca, Mexico and virtually all of the supporting players were Mexican except for the Bandit Chief ‘Calvera’ played by the celebrated American character actor, Eli Wallach.
On location in Mexico, one large main set of a small farming village, church and main square were built.In nearby Durango another major set was constructed of the town on the Tex / Mex border where ‘The Seven’ were originally hired to help defend the Mexican peasants against the local banditos.
I remember seeing this great movie when it first came out around 1960 or maybe 1961 by the time it reached Scotland.At the age of 12 this film had everything I liked in an action flick… lots of gunfights, plenty of ‘goodies ‘n’ baddies’ a great stirring movie music them by Elmer Bernstein and… NO SLOPPY KISSING or LOVE SCENES!
Since that time I have viewed this magnificent movie many, many times and enjoyed it more and more with each viewing.
This unique Seven-Figure Boxed Set is my (and K&C’s) tribute in 1:30 scale miniature to one of the finest and most enjoyable ‘Westerns’ ever made and a very worthy addition to King & Country’s ‘THE REAL WEST’ series.