7 Women Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

7 Women Blu-ray Movie Review

Sleeping with the enemy.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 20, 2025

Capping off his nearly 50-year directing career with a surprise curveball, 1966's 7 Women is an unlikely effort from John Ford: it doesn't fully sidestep Western tropes but, as its title implies, this historical drama is extremely light on testosterone. It's also a pure product of its decade, a film that flirts with progressive social messages while still feeling more than a little old-fashioned by today's standards. Featuring an overwhelmingly female cast led by rising star Anne Bancroft, 7 Women transports us back to 1930s rural China where a group of mostly Christian missionaries does their best to indoctrinate the locals... until a brash young atheist and a Mongolian warlord spoil their plans.

Guess which one this is?

Under the watchful eye of Miss Agatha Andrews (Margaret Leighton), the women of the Unified Christian Missions Educational Society live a mostly peaceful life in rural China away from wandering bandits led by Tunga Khan (the decidedly non-Chinese Mike Mazurki). Timid Jane Argent (Mildred Dunnock) serves as her dutiful assistant, with other staff members including young Emma Clark (Sue Lyon) and abrasive, self-centered, and pregnant Florrie Pether (Betty Field) voicing enough concern for the entire group. Florrie's husband Charles (Green Acres: The Complete Series-era Eddie Albert) serves as an unlicensed minister and is one of the only male members of the group. They're in need of a doctor, mainly due to Florrie's upcoming delivery... and their chain-smoking savior arrives in Dr. Cartwright (Anne Bancroft), who believes in science rather than superstition and isn't afraid to make her feelings known.

Until the inevitable arrival of Tunga Khan and his men during the film's second half, all of the conflict in 7 Women is internal. There's an unyielding push-pull element between pious Agatha Andrews and brash young Dr. Cartwright that encompasses both religion and women's rights, intertwined as they are, which doesn't exactly split the mission into two camps but has certain members suddenly second guessing their life's work. Ultimately, though, this eternal argument doesn't really matter because said bandit presents a near-insurmountable threat that finds the women unsure of how to resist. There's a secondary urgency established by Florrie's condition, but almost every bit of suspense here is derived from Tunga Khan and his men; it's established early on (and first through word of mouth) that these bandits will rape and kill innocents without blinking, and the off-screen death of one previously-mentioned character and several others proves it beyond a doubt. Dr. Cartwright has a different solution in mind, though: one that goes against Christianity's idea of of a woman's "cleanliness"... but it just might be the sacrifice needed to save everyone else.

Based on a short story by Norah Lofts (The Witches, written under the pen name Peter Curtis) and adapted by Janet Green (Sapphire) and John McCormick (Victim), 7 Women is essentially a one-location stage play put to film. It moves along at a decent clip, doesn't overstay its welcome at just 87 minutes, and features a number of solid performances... even if some characters, like the aforementioned Florrie, are written to be unbearably annoying. That said, the most dated elements of its story -- slurs used towards Chinese characters and the portrayal of them by mostly white actors in makeup, just for starters -- puts a black mark on what's otherwise a serviceable little human drama that's got an effective back-and-forth eternal debate working in its favor already. Even so, the final result is an entertaining effort and Ford's direction is steady, which makes 7 Women worth a look for fans of the director and cast.

Outside of an obscure 2012 Spanish DVD release listed in our database, this appears to be the digital home video debut of 7 Women and, as usual, Warner Archive cranks out a home run on the first pitch. Featuring a brand-new 4K-sourced restoration from the original camera negative, it's also highlighted by strong lossless audio and a few era-specific bonus features. It's a no-brainer for established fans, but curious newcomers may want to try before they buy.

NOTE: The version of 7 Women included here does not restore six minutes of footage exised by MGM after an early preview showing. While this footage apparently exists in the form of a longer pan-and-scan version first shown on TV decades ago, one would assume that either the original negatives for the cut scenes (detailed here) no longer exist or Warner Archive felt it was more appropriate to present the film as seen by most theatrical audiences.

7 Women Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This new 1080p transfer is advertised as being sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative which, combined with the boutique label's proprietary method of manual cleanup, does wonders for its well-staged Panavision compositions largely shot on set. Bold primaries are rare (its bright red opening titles are certainly an exception), with much of 7 Women's color palette dominated by Earth tones and dusty environments, but what's here looks completely faithful to both its source and films from this era in general. Fine detail is quite impressive in the right conditions, with tighter textures like mosquito netting and certain clothing fabrics showing no amounts of shimmering or aliasing, while overall contrast levels and shadow details are also up to par. Aside from occasional color shifts during scene transitions (which are likely part of the original "imperfect" experience and thus not something that Warner Archive ever adjusts), what's here is an extremely stable and consistent presentation that only shows brief dips in clarity during a handful of moments when best-available sources were likely used instead. As usual, grain levels are consistent with the source as well, and bit rates stay at supportive levels throughout. Overall, this is yet another standout restoration from the boutique label and, as mentioned before, a top-tier debut for the film on domestic home video.

7 Women Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix follows suit with a capable, workmanlike presentation of its original mono source audio in a split two-channel container. Action is limited to a handful of short sequences, most during the film's second half, which means that the wide majority of 7 Women is carried by dialogue and music cues. All sound about as good as expected under the circumstances, with Elmer Bernstein's emotional original score enjoying solid fidelity and overall presence without intentionally overwhelming everything else. No obvious age-related defects could be heard along the way except for trace amounts of hiss, which is to be expected of this kind of audio untouched by noise reduction.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

7 Women Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover art and a few era-specific extras.

• John Ford's Magic Stage (4:10) - Not advertised on Warner Archive's press release, this vintage black-and-white promotional piece offers an interesting overview of how MGM's Stage 15 was transformed into the set used for 7 Women, which includes glimpses of concept art, production design, and construction.

• The Dot and the Line (10:07) - Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble's brilliant Oscar-winning 1965 animated short (subtitled "A Romance in Lower Mathematics") gets another welcome showing on Blu-ray after its appearance on Warner Bros.' recently back-in-print Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:31) - This rough-looking but watchable promotional piece can also be seen here.

7 Women Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Ford's final film 7 Women caps off his nearly five-decade directing career and, though it's not his finest hour, at least offers a welcome diversion from his usual output and features a solid cast led by Anne Bancroft who would appear in The Graduate the very next year. New viewers might find that the film's then-progressive elements don't necessarily mix well with some rather dated themes and messages, but the end result meets (if not slightly exceeds) expectations for what's basically a one-location stage play put to film. Warner Archive's Blu-ray, which is 7 Women's domestic home video debut, offers top-tier A/V merits and a handful of era-specific extras. Recommended to the right crowd.