Steve McQueen Was a Big Baby While Filming ‘The Magnificent Seven’

The big picture

• The Magnificent Seven
  was a Hollywood remake of Akira Kurosawa
  seven samurai
  and is considered one of the best Western films ever made.
• The film's production was fraught with drama, from legal battles over rights and casting issues to feuds between the stars, particularly Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.
• Despite disappointing box office results in the US,
  The Magnificent Seven
  it won international recognition and cemented its place as a cinematic masterpiece.

Akira KurosawaHis work has influenced cinema for generations. One of his films, September samuraiinspired a wave of remakes, with John Sturges1960 masterpiece, The Magnificent September, being the first Hollywood adaptation. But while the on-screen ensemble boasted legendary talent, off-screen egos clashed, resulting in a feud between the stars. Yul Brynner i Steve McQueen. In accordance with Yul Brynner: A BiographyMcQueen was displeased with the seven lines his character had in the film's script and took a more influential behind-the-scenes role offered by Sturges as a compromise.

He then subtly turned this influence into a means of drawing attention to himself and away from Brynner, who was the star of the film. Ringing off shotgun shells during Brynner's speech and tearing down Brynner's self-constructed high mound were just some of his tactics. Tensions reached a boiling point when Brynner physically confronted McQueen. This feud continued without resolution for years, but it was on set The Magnificent Seven that the feud was made when two stars with massive egos rubbed shoulders.

What is “The Magnificent Seven” about?

The Magnificent Seven, a western remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic seven samurai, follows seven lightning-quick gunslingers hired by desperate village farmers to protect them from the ruthless gang of bandits led by Calvera (Eli Wallach). Yul Brynner plays Chris, the grizzled ringleader, with a stellar ensemble cast that includes Hollywood greats Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburni Horst Buchholz.

The story begins when the farmers, tired of the annual looting of their crops by Calvera, decide to fight back. The peasants send three representatives with valuables to buy weapons. Chris's three witnesses take on a risky job to defend the burial of a Native American against a racist group. Chris advises them to hire gunslingers as it will be cheaper than buying guns. He declines his initial offer, only to accept and lead the formidable seven in the arduous task of protecting the town.

Although many consider the original seven samurai the pinnacle, John Sturges The Magnificent Seven stands out as arguably the best Hollywood version of the film and among the best Westerns ever made. seven samurai inspired many other films, with the 1960 remake spawning sequels such as The return of the seven, which saw the return of original film star Yul Brynner as the only cast member of Sturges' version, Cannons of the Magnificent Seveni The seven magnificent ride!as well as a 2016 remake of Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratti Ethan Hawke, among others. It even spawned a television series of the same name that aired on CBS from 1998 to 2000.

Steve McQueen had a big ego on the set of 'The Magnificent Seven'

During the filming of The Magnificent Seven, director John Sturges dealt with the clashes of competitive personalities, with Steve McQueen at the center. Seconds Yul Brynner: A Biography, unhappy with his seven-line role in the original script, McQueen negotiated more lines and even a powerful position behind the scenes as a compromise. However, his lead Yul Brynner's jealousy fueled childish pranks and attention-seeking tactics. McQueen tossed coins, rattled his shotgun shells, and even turned the camera on himself whenever Brynner was on screen. Unbeknownst to McQueen, Brynner had significant power beyond her acting role. He had been involved in acquiring the rights to the film and was initially considered to direct before taking the lead. However, he never used this power against McQueen, despite the growing banter. The turning point came when McQueen removed mounds of dirt that Brynner had built to increase his height.

In his biography, Steve McQueen: A Biographyauthor Mark Elliott He quotes McQueen as saying, “We didn't get along. Brynner grabbed me in front of everyone, angry about something. He doesn't drive well and doesn't know anything about guns, so maybe he thought I was a threat.” McQueen's co-star Robert Vaughn echoes that sentiment in his 2008 biography. A Lucky Lifestating, “Steve was intensely competitive. It wasn't enough to be successful—he had to be more successful than anyone else.” Another The Magnificent Seven co-star James Coburn also had issues with McQueen on the set of the film.

Despite this, Charles Bronson had a great relationship with Steve McQueen. This positive dynamic extended beyond the set, as their wives were also close friends. During his final days battling cancer, McQueen is said to have called Brynner saying, “You could have made me start the movie when I shook you, but you let me stay and this picture made me , so thank you.” Brynner forgave him and replied, “I am the king, and you are the rebel prince: just as royal and dangerous to cross.”

'The production of The Magnificent Seven had many setbacks

Even before the cameras rolled The Magnificent Seventhe drama galloped off the page and onto the set. Lou Morheim, a Hollywood hopeful, got the remake rights to the film for just $2,500, only to flip them over to Yul Brynner's production company for a tenfold profit. Brynner, imagining himself in the director's chair next to him Anthony Quinn like their leader, set the wagon wheels in motion. But the horses of the Old West took a different direction, arriving with Martin Ritt replacing Brynner behind the camera and Quinn losing control of the reins entirely. A bitter legal battle ensued, with Quinn claiming that he and Brynner had driven the concept together, shaping the details of the film before their partnership stumbled. However, in the absence of a written agreement, Quinn's accusations proved short-lived, paving the way for Brynner to lead the charge as the film's lead.

The script of the film also had its share of drama. Blacklisted writer Walter Bernstein initially wrote the first draft, inspired by seven samurai. But when Brynner's production took over, they entered Walter Newman, whose work forms the majority of what appears on screen. However, Newman was unable to be present for the shoot in Mexico, as well William Roberts While Roberts' initial task was to ensure that the script would pass the censors, he ended up as the sole credited writer after Newman requested that his name be removed.

Another dramatic behind-the-scenes look at The Magnificent Seven was in his casting. McQueen's casting The Magnificent Seven it was anything but simple. According to McQueen's biography, Sturges, who fell in love with the actor after their collaboration Never So Few in 1959, he faced a formidable obstacle in McQueen's rigid contract on the television show Wanted Dead or Alive. Without getting discouraged, McQueen, taking a page from his own thrill-seeking life, staged a daring car crash that had him donning a convincing collar to free himself from the shackles of television. While “recovering,” he galloped off The Magnificent Seven set, proving once again that his commitment to a role could trump any contract.

'The Magnificent Seven' was a box office bomb in the United States

while The Magnificent Seven disappointed at the US box office, its international reception was a glorious stampede. Domestically, the film earned just $2.25 million, but across the Atlantic, it was more successful. Behind the scenes, the making of the film was as dramatic as Akiro Kurosawa's concept, and just like the feuding egos that boiled over on set, the road to this international acclaim was not paved with gold nuggets. From pre-production battles over rights and roles to the birth of a lifelong feud between two Hollywood bigwigs, the making of this cinematic masterpiece was a drama in itself. The Magnificent Seven shows that behind-the-scenes stories can be just as intriguing (if not more so) than those on screen.

The Magnificent Seven is available to watch on Prime Video in the US

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