Word About Biehn

As an avid fan of Michael's, I always eagerly anticipate his future projects. However, when it was announced that he would be starring in a TV version of The Magnificent Seven, I had mixed feelings about it. My fear was that the new series would pale by comparison to the popular film that inspired it. As it turned out, however, the M7 series was very well done and a credit to its predecessor. And it was an excellent vehicle for Michael. Tall, lean, and ruggedly handsome, he fits well the image of the mythic western hero.

The original 1960 motion picture co-stars Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen and itself is based on The Seven Samurai. A straightforward story about seven men hired to save a poor Mexican village from bandits, it is primarily an action yarn with vignettes introducing each of the seven. Though some of its characters definitely engage the viewers' emotions, the movie spends little time on character study. Still, it makes exciting entertainment and has become a near-classic.

By comparison, "Ghosts of the Confederacy," the pilot episode of The Magnificent Seven series, follows a storyline very similar to the film's. Seven men get together to aid a small Indian village beset by Confederate raiders, who apparently can't come to grips with the fact that the Civil War has been long over. The episodes follow from that, with the same Seven hiring on to protect a wild and woolly western town from the "bad element" and getting involved with a problem of the week.

In contrast to its predecessor, however, the series made commendable efforts to flesh out its protagonists. By embellishing traits, backgrounds and dispositions and sometimes switching them to different characters, the series significantly altered its Seven from the movie's originals. And the changes worked. The mixing and matching strengthened the characters over all and provided them with distinctive histories, motivations and personalities. As an ensemble cast that clicked very well together, Michael and his fellow actors were all first-rate, and their characters showed growth from episode to episode.

Michael played gunslinger Chris Larabee, the leader of the group and a character based on Yul Brynner's role in the film. However, Michael didn't try to copy Mr. Brynner at all. While Yul's Chris is stoic and laid back, Michael gave his Chris a much darker character. Haunted by his past and capable of great violence, Michael's Chris is a controlled but tightly wound individual, a dangerous man who has known terrible tragedy in his life and has been shattered by it. But he is also a sympathetic hero, a man of integrity, who is courageous, loyal, and lost. In the persona of Chris Larabee, Michael had the opportunity not only to interpret a role but to a great extent to create it. The series format provided him with both the opportunity and the time to delve into Chris, to reveal his motives and to lay bare his soul, and his portrayal of Chris's complexity and torment was impressive. Chris is my favorite of Michael's characters. Without doubt, it stands as one of his finest roles. And, of course, no one plays a suffering hero more affectingly than Michael!

The Magnificent Seven series ran for two half-seasons on the CBS network. It attracted a small and devoted following but was never able to generate a large enough audience to satisfy CBS. Canceled after its first half-season run (1998), it was given another chance after a concerted campaign by its loyal fans to save it. It reappeared in January, 1999, with new episodes but again failed in the ratings game and was canceled by CBS before all the episodes had even been shown. Fans again went to work but were unable to sway the network. Eventually, The Nashville Network (TNN) picked up the existing episodes and ran them, along with the four episodes never shown on CBS.

As a production, the series was of excellent quality. Shot on location, it had a gritty, realistic look. Though the scripts were usually above average, the absence of a writers' "bible" led to some maddening continuity problems. Nonetheless, The Magnificent Seven stands as a superior television western that had the potential to become a classic, if only CBS had stayed with it longer to give it the opportunity to find and build its audience. Alas, that did not happen, and after one pilot and 21 series episodes, it was gone, its promise left unfulfilled.

SOME MAGNIFICENT EPISODES
Though the quality of M7's episodes is over all very good, there are six that I'll mention in particular, one because of its transitional place in the series and the others because of their focus on Chris Larabee and their significant contribution to the illumination of his character and background. All are among the series' most dramatic and involving stories and reveal Michael's ability to create, explore, and build a character when given the opportunity.
One Day Out West This first of the hour-long episodes serves as a transition between the pilot telefilm and the series itself. Picking up where "Ghosts Of The Confederacy" leaves off, "One Day Out West" begins with The Seven returning to town and being thrust into the middle of a murder committed by the nephew of a powerful rancher, who has no scruples about defying the law in defense of his kin. His grip on the town and intimidation of its citizens prompts Circuit Judge Travis to call on The Seven for help. The episode introduces Robert Vaughn as Judge Travis and offers a hint of new romance between Chris and Mary Travis, the judge's widowed daughter-in-law.
Witness Entering the series and Chris's life is Mary's young son, Billy, who has been traumatized by witnessing his father's murder a year earlier. With Billy's return to town, the killers resurface to threaten him, and The Seven become his protectors. "Witness" is an absorbing story that gives us a further glimpse into Chris's tragic past and introduces a father-son relationship between Chris and the young boy. Billy's plight arouses the gunfighter's sympathy and kindness, and the mutual fondness that grows between the two of them ultimately leads each to risk his life for the other.
Nemesis When a jailed man professes to know who killed Chris's family, The Seven set out on a quest to find the murderer. More than any other episode, "Nemesis" exposes the depth of Chris's anguish over the loss of his family and the near irrationality to which he's driven by the prospect of vengeance against whoever is responsible. It is also noteworthy for its flashback scene of Chris's contented life with his wife and son. "Nemesis" is powerful both as story and character study.
Inmate 78 Railroaded into a prison labor camp on a trumped up charge, Chris suffers brutal treatment at the direction of the sadistic warden and discovers that the underlying purpose of the camp's operation has nothing to do with the punishment of wrongdoers. By placing Chris in horrific circumstances, I78 serves to test his character, disclose additional elements of his violent past, and demonstrate the bond between him and his six friends. In "Inmate 78," Chris is shown as hero and victim, a man whose determination and strength of spirit win the respect even of those who in the beginning are most hostile to him.
Vendetta Chris's past returns in the person of Hank Connelly, his father-in-law, who is on the run after shooting a man he says killed his daughter. Initially reluctant to become involved with the man who never accepted him, Chris agrees to help Hank elude his victim's family, who are seeking retribution. Besides making a statement about the destructive effects of hatred and revenge, "Vendetta" delves deeper into Chris's relationship with his late wife Sarah and offers insight into his long-standing friendship with Buck. During a poignant moment beside a nighttime campfire, Chris reminisces with Buck about Sarah and his son Adam, disclosing that his memories of them are fading and resolving not to let himself forget.
Obsession This climactic episode begins with Chris suffering through the anniversary of his family's murder; it ends with the revelation of who was behind that terrible act. Highly dramatic, "Obsession" shows Chris at his most vulnerable, assailed by memories he cannot bear, and desperately reaching out for new love and a new life. Instead, he finds madness and betrayal and a renewed commitment to his mission of vengeance.

Kay

For detailed information about the making of M7, episode summaries, and lots of pics from the series,
visit All Biehn's Magnificent Seven pages.

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