Specifications
This movie was released in 1954. It stars Howard Keel and Jane
Powell, and six other brothers and wives.
Status
I have a VHS tape of this movie, and the review is based on the
tape.
Significance
This movie is a romance. With a quick look this movie might seem
somewhat sexist. That is, men who kidnap women, who willingly give
in. This is not the case, however, since, in fact, the women show
interest in the men before the interest is returned. The men put a
lot of emphasis on their forcing themselves on the woman, but in
fact, they are very respectful of them.
This takes a more practical view of love and marriage than a lot
of people. That is, Adam needs a wife to help with his farm, so he
gets one.
In reality, it is a good musical, with several good songs. It is
also a romance, with some interesting twists.
Review
Adam Pontipee decides he wants a wife, so he goes to town looking
for one. He finds Milly, who is willing to marry him without knowing
him very well.
Milly decides that Adam's six brothers need a social life, too, so
she couches them, and they go to town for a barn raising. The
problem is that all the men in town who are courting the women don't
want the competition. Therefore, they start a fight. (After Milly's
couching, that is hard.)
The result is that the towns people decide they are not going to
allow the Pontipees to court the women. However, they are very much
in love with the women. Since they are not being allowed to court,
they feel very down. Adam notes that the history book they have
talks about the Sabine women being kidnapped by the Romans.
Therefore, he suggests they do the same thing.
Therefore, the Pontipees go to town, and kidnap the women they
want to court, with the intention of marrying them. On the way to
home, there is an avalanche, which makes the road to town impassable
until spring.
Milly doesn't approve, and forces the women to stay in the house,
and the men to live in the barn. She wants Adam to stay in the barn
also, but he decides to go to "the hunting cabin" to spend the
winter instead.
Milly is pregnant, which proves to be important.
Life goes on. The women attack the men (more with snowballs than
seriously). The men go into the house until Milly just tells them
"no more." Meanwhile, the women all want to have excuses to go
to the barn.
Winter is very long that year. (This would have been toward the
end of what is called "the little ice age.") In fact, the baby
is born before the pass is cleared.
In the spring, the men and women get together openly.
Finally, the pass is open, which is indicated by Adam returning
home. He announces that the pass is open. There is a general
apprehension about what will happen. The women don't want to go
home. However, Milly's baby was a girl, and Adam decides that they
really need to take the women back. He has thought about this since
his daughter was born. (If someone kidnapped her ...) He thinks the
only way to really get the women is to take them to their home.
So the guys are trying to find the women, who are hiding because
they don't want to go home. Just than the towns people get to the
Pontipee farm. The Pontipees find the women, and are found by the
towns people at the same time. The towns people decides their going
to hang the brothers. However, early on the preacher heard Milly's
baby, and assumes it's one of the other women's baby.
When the question is asked of the women (after the towns people
announce they will hang the brothers) they all decided to claim the
baby, so the brothers are spared, but forced to go through shotgun
weddings. (Voluntarily, I suspect.)
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