On Brides and Brothers
Flipping through channels tonight, I came across an old favorite on TCM: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I loved this film growing up and watched it many times with my sisters. We fought over who was going to be which bride, copied the dancing in the “June Bride” sequence, and sang along with the film–while shouting at each other to “stop singing.”
I still love this film. Part of that is, of course, the nostalgia. A larger part is that as a romance reader and writer, this film hits the tropes. There’s a love-at-first-sight (Millie herself says she falls in love with Adam the first time she saw him) and whirlwind wedding plot, an abduction-to-HEA plot, a shotgun wedding, a hero who learns about love, a heroine with a core of steel, a brotherhood, and a baby.
More than that, I love the romance at the heart of the film. I’m not talking about the kidnapping of the other brides and their subsequent falling in love with their kidnappers. I’m talking about the relationship that develops between Millie and Adam. They don’t know each other when they marry. She doesn’t even know he has six brothers who all live at home, and he has no idea that her spine is pure steel.
They both bend–witness Adam’s cleaned-up presence at the barn-raising and Millie’s adapting to live in a house full of unrefined men. There are setbacks. Millie overhears Adam tell Gideon (the youngest brother) that “one woman is pretty much like the next,” and the hurt is clear. The moment when he approaches her, “Now, Millie,” after the kidnapping heralds the start of the black moment. He runs from her, from love. She could let him off the hook but holds firm. She loves him but isn’t willing to settle for less from him. She doesn’t even send for him when their daughter is born. Then the resolution. His declaration is fabulous. Not only does Adam admit he loves Millie, but he also recognizes how wrong his actions and attitudes were. It’s great character growth and a lovely romance plot and why I still love the film.
Plus, you know, dancing, singing, period costumes, sleighs, and a barn-raising. What’s not to love?