Chris Adams (character)

Chris Adams is a fictional character in the 1960 Western film The Magnificent Seven and its sequels. Originally played by Yul Brynner, he is the functional equivalent of Kambei Shimada, the character portrayed by Takashi Shimura in the 1954 film Seven Samurai.[1]

Chris Adams
Portrayed byYul Brynner
George Kennedy
Lee Van Cleef
In-universe information
GenderMale
TitleWarrant officer
OccupationUnited States Marshals Service
NationalityAmerican

Description

Chris Adams, a Cajun,[2] is the laconic leader of a band of seven gunmen. He always wears black, smokes cigars, and shoots sharp. He is a man of principle, incorruptible and sturdy.[3]

Character analysis

Chris, and to a lesser extent the others of the Seven, are examples of the "western hero"-archetype who is resolute, "single minded", "independent", "strong", "loyal", and "honorable" as well as having various other positive characteristics.[4] "The key lesson that Chris teaches is the distinction between law and ethics, laid out in 1924 by the British jurist Lord Moulton, who distinguished between the realms of law and of ethics. Law requires obedience to the enforceable, while ethics requires 'obedience to the unenforceable'".[5] Hence, Chris and the other members of the Seven "help the locals focus on the survival skills they will need" and their "leadership is necessary", even though it is essentially transient.[6] They are "desperate for money, but equally in need of self-esteem, of belonging and a sense of worth."[7] Chris is not as cruel as Calvera, but like Calvera represents a way of life that is antithetical to humane civilization.[8] Nevertheless, Chris and Calvera are morally equivalent and Calvera is in some ways preferable or at least, seems to be the more powerful and inescapable of the two.[2] As a result, Chris has been called "a black-clad Shane".[9]

Portrayal

Yul Brynner originally played Adams in The Magnificent Seven (1960) and reprised the role in the Return of the Seven (1966). Brynner's character in the 1973 science fiction Western thriller Westworld is visually based on Adams.[10]

George Kennedy played Adams in the Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), while Lee Van Cleef portrayed the character in the fourth film, The Magnificent Seven Ride (1972).

Chris Larabee
Main article: The Magnificent Seven (TV series)

Portrayed by Michael Biehn, Larabee is loosely based on the "Chris Adams" character from the original films. His wife and son were murdered before the start of the series, turning him into a reserved but deadly individual. His quest for vengeance ia a recurring theme through several episodes of the series.

Sam Chisolm
Main article: The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)

Sam Chisolm, a warrant officer from Wichita, Kansas, and leader of the Seven, is Adams' counterpart in the 2016 remake. He is played by Denzel Washington.

Appearances

References
  1. Carnicke, Marie; Baron, Cynthia (2008). Reframing screen performance. Ann Arbor, Mich: University of Michigan Press. p. 149. ISBN 0-472-05025-7.
  2. Roberts, Randy; Mintz, Steven L. (1993). Hollywood's America: United States History Through its Films. Sydney: Brandywine Press. pp. 214, 216. ISBN 1-881089-10-X.
  3. Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast "St. James encyclopedia of popular culture", vol.3. Published by: St. James Press, 2000 - 584 p. ISBN 1558624031, 9781558624030 (P.240)
  4. Rand, Yardena (March 2005). Wild Open Spaces: Why We Love Westerns (First ed.). Maverick Spirit Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN 1932991441.
  5. Bob Stone, Mick Ukleja "The Ethics Challenge: Strengthening Your Integrity in a Greedy World". Published by: Wordclay, 2009 - 142 p. ISBN 1600376088, 9781600376085 (P.10)
  6. Higgs, Robert J.; Turner, Ralph H. (1999). The Cowboy Way: The Western Leader in Film, 1945-1995. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30871-3.
  7. Hughes, Howard (January 2008). Stagecoach to Tombstone: The Filmgoers' Guide to the Great Westerns. I. B. Tauris. p. 127. ISBN 978-1845115715.
  8. Grant, Barry Keith (2008). American Cinema of the 1960s: Themes and Variations. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. p. 39. ISBN 0-8135-4219-7.
  9. McVeigh, Stephen (2007). The American Western. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0-7486-2141-5.
  10. Friedman, Lester D. (2007). American Cinema of the 1970s: Themes and Variations. Camden: Rutgers University Press. p. 100. ISBN 0-8135-4023-2.
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