The Making of The Magnificent Seven : Behind the Scenes of the Pivotal Western

The story behind The Magnificent Seven could have been a movie in itself. It had everything--actors'' strike, writers'' strike, Mexican government interference and a row between the screenwriters that left one removing his name from the credits, all under the lingering gloom of post-McCarthy era Hollywood. A flop on release, it later became a box office hit.

This book tells the behind-the-scenes story: how Yul Brynner became the biggest independent producer in Hollywood; why John Sturges was not the first choice after Brynner surrendered the director''s chair; why Sturges quit; the truth about the Mirisch Company (producers); the details of the film''s botched release and unlikely redemption; the creation of Elmer Bernstein''s classic score; and how internecine fighting prevented the making of the television series in 1963.

Myths about Steve McQueen, his feud with Brynner and the scene-stealing antics of the cast are debunked. A close examination of the various screenplay drafts and the writers'' source material--Akira Kurosawa''s Seven Samurai--shows who wrote what. Extensive analysis of Sturges'' directorial work is provided.