In 1850, in the Oregon Territory, Adam was the eldest of seven brothers who went to town to find 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. She promptly begins teaching the brothers proper behaviour, and most importantly, how to court a woman. The six brothers go to a party where each of the brothers falls in love with a girl and from there, their new teachings come into play. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is such a charming film. It is bright, colourful and has great musical numbers with large beautiful sets and landscapes. I adore the western genre especially when it comes to all the older films. Westerns were very popular during the 1930s-1960s, which has given us so many amazing gun-slinging action that makes you want to be a cowboy. This film, however, isn't like most westerns with its quick draw guns fight showdowns and is a bit of a breath of fresh air with a more light-hearted, happy mood kind of film with dancing, sing-along songs and colourful, bright outfits. I adore the music for many reasons. I like how there are songs for each kind of mood with there being upbeat happy songs, tender and reflective songs, calm and romantic, this film has them all. What makes them each so good is the singers who do some magnificent vocal work which, undoubtedly, is the reason for their enjoyment. Another highlight is witnessing the many seasons change throughout the film which leads to new songs, challenges and key plot points. Both the weather and season we see are presented magnificently, from the winter snow to bright sunny spring, they manage to make them all look so alive and real. Each of the seven brothers are equally my favourite individuals in the film as they work very efficiently together, have each other's backs no matter what and partake in plenty of banter. They even manage to frequently get into fights, which leads me promptly to my favourite scene. The barn-raising scene is arguably the finest part of this movie in which loads of town members (in groups of four) have to help build a barn as quickly as they can. The first to finish their side wins a prize cow; however, when the other members start abusing the brothers they fight back and it turns into an all-out brawl. It is so much fun with great stunts and set pieces. The music is so invigorating in this sequence that has some hilarious scenes mixed with dangerous feats, especially with some of them fighting on wooden beams atop the building. Things are just as dangerous later when the whole structure starts falling and breaking around them during the fight. The choreography in this film is simply incredibly done with some amazing dancing and stunts that are very impressive to watch, again accompanied by some very energetic music. These awe-inspiring stunts must have taken so much time to perfect and the end result is nothing short of fantastic. The dancing is just as impressive whilst matching the stunts in being just as fast passed and energetic. Despite taking a somewhat shaky start to their marriage, the romance between Adam and Milly develops throughout the course of the film to the point where, by the end, they truly love one another. To solidify her contentedness, the film ends with Milly's dream coming true of all the brothers getting happily married so they can set up homes nearby. Seeing all of her hard work to sort out the brothers by helping them with their manners and learning to dance, all worked out was a really great payoff, especially with them all living merrily at the end. Overall this is a feel-good movie with lots to offer from beautiful bright sets, costumes and musical dance numbers. I saw this many times growing up thanks to my mother's love for it and it is a film I return to again and again.
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