Elmer Bernstein's The Magnificent Seven: A Film Score Guide by Mariana Whitmer (review)

The culminating volume of the Film Score Guide series, Elmer Bernstein's "The Magnificent Seven," by Mariana Whitmer, explores one of Bernstein's most celebrated film scores. Using historical, cultural, and musical lenses, Whitmer reveals there is much more to John Sturges's well-loved 1960 Western than the classic battle of good versus evil. Indeed, Whitmer provides the reader with an understanding of the score's role in the film, its impact on the Western genre, and its influence on the American audience's understanding of national identity. Presented in a concise and accessible writing style, Whitmer's close study of the score, narrative, and surrounding historical context of The Magnificent Seven will make an engaging text for students studying film music and is a captivating read for music and film scholars alike.

Chapter 1, "Elmer Bernstein and 'Authentic American Music,'" begins with Bernstein's early years. Given the scarce information on Bernstein's biography, this valuable section helps fill in the gaps, providing details about both his background and training. Whitmer reveals the early influences on Bernstein's compositional style: the music of American composer Aaron Copland; Bernstein's studies with Israel Citkowitz, Roger Sessions, and Stefan Wolpe; and his longtime fascination with American folk music. Filled with direct quotations from Bernstein, who saw American music as "part of [his] musical heritage" (p. 4) and credited Aaron Copland for having "created … a sensibility based upon American folk music" (p. 3), chapter 1 highlights the many formative people and experiences that helped shape Bernstein's career and compositional style.

As Whitmer explains, however, it was Bernstein's first film scores in the Western genre, as well as his early work in television, where he fully established his own "Americana" sound. In chapter 2, "Bernstein's Westerns," Whitmer investigates the movies Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952), Drango (1957), The Tin Star (1957), and Saddle the Wind (1958), as well as the television series Riverboat (1959–60). She traces Bernstein's stylistic development from one consisting primarily of industry convention, filled with "modal sonorities for the Indians [and] triplet rhythms for galloping horses" (p. 17), to the more recognizably Bernstein "Americana," as discussed in chapter 5. With Bernstein scholarship in its early stages, chapter 2, in addition to providing background for Whitmer's close analysis of The Magnificent Seven, also delivers necessary insight into the composer's early career as he developed his now-familiar Western sound.

On reaching chapter 3, "The Critical/Historical Context of The Magnificent Seven," the reader better understands how the film fits within an increasingly globalized society. The Magnificent Seven was adapted from the popular Japanese film Seven Samurai (1954) by director Akira Kurosawa. Whitmer offers a behind-the-scenes look at the adaptation process, the challenges and benefits of filming in Mexico, battles with the production code, and the postproduction process. Such a background provides essential information regarding the film's place within early 1960s American culture. Whitmer carefully maps out the film's commentary on the United States' shifting relationships with other countries, which critics, too, had noticed. As one reviewer observed, Sturges "eloquently gets across the themes that man must take a strong stand against evil" (p. 54). Indeed, one of the most compelling moments within this rich chapter is Whitmer's discussion of The Magnificent Seven's critical reception both inside and outside of the United States. Noting the significant disparity between its popularity overseas and the general lack of interest in America, Whitmer explains how The Magnificent Seven fell into the category of "the new 'adult' Western, which was perceived to be too introspective and philosophical, while lacking in action" (p. 52).

Despite disinterest from the critics, however, nearly everyone celebrated Bernstein's music. Drawing connections to Jerome Moross's score for The Big Country (1958) and the strength and force of Aaron Copland's music generally...