Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

     This was the movie that started it all, the movie that started my love for musicals! When I first saw this movie--ironically at 7 years old--I fell in love with it! One of the most successful musical movie productions ever made, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is based on the short story, "The Sobbin' Women" by Stephen Vincent Benet, which was inspired by the ancient Roman legend, The Rape of the Sabine Woman. Despite the usage of the word 'rape' many scholars believe that the word rape in ancient Rome was also synonymous for kidnapping and there was no actual sexual assault on the women. And thankfully for the musical, kidnapping doesn't come without its severe punishments toward its perpetrators.

    In 1850, Oregon territory, rugged backwoodsman, Adam Pontipee, has come to town to look for a wife. However, woman in the territory at the time are scarce and all the young daughters in town are spoken for. That doesn't deter Adam in his search to bring back a bride. Soon he comes across Milly. A beautiful, but hard working woman, who is not afraid to get her hands dirty or speak her mind. Adam is immediately smitten with her and within an hour of meeting Milly he asks her to marry him.

     Although a level headed woman, Milly takes a leap of faith and accepts Adam's proposal. Not much is known about Milly's past, except she was orphaned at a young age and has been taken care of by the minister and his family. Now Milly sees an opportunity to start a family of her own, in a home of her own. However, Adam's home up in the heavy forested mountains is anything but empty.

     Milly and Adam are greeted by Adam's six younger brothers (somehow he failed to mentioned them when he was talking about marriage). Benjamin, Caleb, Dan, Ephraim, Frank and Gideon, all of them dirty, wild and with no sense of dignity or decorum. Only naturally, Milly is overwhelmed, but in a true western woman spirit, she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. She cooks, cleans and puts Adam in his place regarding their personal relationship. Then she starts on her brothers.

Milly with her brothers, L-R: Ephraim, Frank, Gideon, Dan, Caleb and Benjamin

     Despite their wildness, Milly soon finds her new brothers to be hardworking, clever and fun...and incredibly handsome. All of them are of marriageable age, however, they've hardly ever seen much less talked to a woman. So Milly sets to work cleaning the boys up, teaching them proper social skills, how to talk to people, how to interact with woman and how to dance. At the town barn dance, Milly makes her introduction to society as a married woman, alongside her cleaned up brothers whom she hopes will have an impact on the town.

     And they do. Especially on the six most sought after young women--Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice. While they make the woman swoon, the Pontipee brothers' have the town boys seething with anger. It's not long until war breaks out at the barn dance and all of Milly's hopes for her brothers to have wives of their own are broken. The brother's themselves are disappointed that they let Milly down as well lose their only chances for marriage.

     Adam takes matters in his own hands and using one of Milly's books, "The Sobbin' Women," he gets the same idea as the Romans. 

     Go into town and grab their women. Impossible. Yet, Adam Pontipee is used to getting what he sets to do.

     This movie never fails to have me dancing (well not really) and singing (definitely)after watching it. Aside from the music, the dancing is extraordinary and the famous barn dance scene is considered one the greatest dance sequences in film history. While the story material of women being kidnapped and held against their will is controversial, one might also read the actual short story and know that it was Milly's idea in the first place. This is one of those films where I would love to see a remake of, but also why mess with perfection??