| Special Features: |
DISC ONE: 4K UHD
- Commentary by Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling - this feature-length commentary track originally appeared on the first of a two-disc "Collectors Edition" in 2006. Because Sony also was involved in that release along with MGM, I'm surmising that there was a licensing issue in getting it ported over to MGM's box set and individual release in 2010/11. Frayling begins by discussing the musical structure of Elmer Bernstein's score. He covers each of the major cast principals, placing The Magnificent Seven in the wider context of their careers. Frayling gives special recognition to John Sturges's directorial talents, which he claims are largely unrecognized. Frayling also talks about other Westerns and how this film compares to them. In English, not subtitled.
- Commentary by James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Producer Walter Mirisch, and Assistant Director Robert Relyea - this feature-length track was originally recorded for MGM's "Special Edition" DVD in 2001. Mirisch, Relyea, Wallach, and Coburn all appear to have been recorded together. You can distinctly hear each voice come out of either the left or right front speaker. The participants come prepared with several stories about Sturges. All speak in English, not subtitled.
DISC TWO: Blu-ray
- Commentary by Film Historian Sir Christopher Frayling - Same track as Disc One. See details above.
- Commentary by James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Producer Walter Mirisch, and Assistant Director Robert Relyea - Same track as Disc One. See details above.
- Sir Christopher Frayling on The Magnificent Seven (20:22, upconverted to 1080p) - this interview/video essay with Frayling was initially produced by Sony for MGM's 2006 "Collector's Edition" DVD. Like the commentary track with the film historian, this also was left off the BDs MGM released around the globe in 2010/11. Frayling discusses how influential The Magnificent Seven was on other films in the Western genre and its locus in Western film culture during the late 1950s/early 1960s. He points out how underrated John Sturges was as a director, his efficiency as an action filmmaker, and his knack for casting actors in the right roles. Frayling also talks about how Eli Wallach changed perceptions of the bandido, the strengths and weaknesses of Yul Brynner's acting in the picture, some alternative views of Steve McQueen's on-screen persona, Horst Buchholz and his love interest in the film, and the movie's other supporting actors. Additionally, Frayling describes the role William Roberts's comedic dialogue plays. In English, not subtitled.
- Guns For Hire: The Making of The Magnificent Seven (46:55, upconverted to 1080p) - this is as much an appreciation of Sturges's classic Western than it is a making-of doc. This retrospective program produced by MGM Home Entertainment in 2000 features interviews with actors James Coburn, Horst Buchholz, Eli Wallach, Robert Vaughn, Rosenda Monteros, John Alonzo, and Brad Dexter. At least two different interviews with Yul Brynner are excerpted, with footage shown in 1.33:1. We also hear from several of the movie's crew members: associate producer Lou Morheim, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, executive producer Walter Mirisch, and composer Elmer Bernstein. Also contributing remarks are Doris Kleiner, former wife of Yul Brynner, and Neile Adams, former wife of Steve McQueen who was on location in Mexico during filming. This doc has quiet a bit of information on what went on during pre-production. For example, Brynner and Martin Ritt were each attached to direct. Anthony Quinn also was tapped to star at one point. The program explains the myriad changes the script underwent by three writers. The other parts of the doc are devoted to the movie's legacy. We hear from actor Chazz Palminteri as well as directors John Carpenter and Lawrence Kasdan. All interviewees speak in English except for Monteros, whose Spanish is dubbed into English by Maria Palacios de Erickson. The doc isn't subtitled.
- Elmer Bernstein and The Magnificent Seven (14:49, 480i) - Film music historian Jon Burlingame critiques a number of cues that Bernstein composed, which are titled and scored during the scenes for which they were written for. Burlingame does a fine job of identifying the main themes and secondary themes as well as explaining the context in which they reappear throughout the score. In English, not subtitled.
- The Linen Book: Lost Images from The Magnificent Seven (14:49, 480i) - Maggie Adams, head of MGM Home Entertainment's photo archive, describes the discovery of a vintage linen book that documented the production of The Magnificent Seven. Assistant Director Robert Relyea and co-star Eli Wallach examine several of the photos and share their memories of the shoot. Wallach had an especially good memory as he tells detailed anecdotes about his collaborators. In English, not subtitled.
- Original Theatrical Trailers (5:52, upconverted to 1080p) - two trailers for The Magnificent Seven, each presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The first is a vintage trailer that hasn't been restored. The second looks like it was packaged for one of the film's re-releases and has been mostly restored. The voice-over has a more "modern" sound to it and may have been recorded years after the original theatrical release.
- Still Gallery (4:09, 1080p) - a slide show comprising forty-eight distinct images from The Magnificent Seven's shoot and ad campaign. These contain some stills of different posters printed in newspapers and the trades. A majority of the stills are publicity snapshots (all in black and white) of the actors who form the Magnificent Seven as well as some of Eli Wallach. There are also several photos of the actors eating during breaks and playing cards together. This is the same collection of images as the "Production Stills" gallery on the R1 MGM "Special Edition" and the MGM BDs. Two galleries missing which appeared on the 2006 CE are "Portrait Art" and "Classic Production Art."
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