3:10 to Yuma (Special Edition)

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale did an outstanding performance. Although, some might not agree, I prefer this version of the story with these actors.

The Library of America published a volume of Elmore Leonard's Westerns which included his famous 1953 short story "The Three Ten to Yuma". I have become an admirer of Leonard and Westerns and took the opportunity of mandated time at home to watch this 1957 film, the first of two movie adaptations of Leonard's story. The second version, which I haven't seen, dates from 2007.The 1957 film was directed by Delmer Davies and stars Glenn Ford as the outlaw Ben Wade and Van Heflin as Dan Evans, a struggling rancher who undertakes the unenviable task of taking Wade from Bisbee, Arizona to the Yuma prison after Wade and his gang have robbed a stagecoach and killed a man. Most of the film takes place in the town of Contention City in a hotel room where Evans holds Wade under guard for several hours waiting for the 3:10 to Yuma. The film is full of tension as Wade tries to cajole, bribe, and threaten Wade to let him go. Wade is a man with something to prove to himself and, as he sees it, to his wife and two young sons.The acting by both Heflin and Ford is convincing and captures the ambiguities in the hearts of both characters. The two leading women actors, Leona Dana as Evan's wife and especially Felicia Farr as a lonely bar maid who falls for Wade, also add a great deal to the film. The cinematography is highly realistic with dusty roads, small towns, craggy ridges, and the steam train -- the storied "3:10 to Yuma" which Frankie Laine celebrates in the title song.The film captures much of Elmore Leonard's interplay between the two main characters, but the names and many of the details of his story are changed. The changes help enhance this film, which is listed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".I was glad to be reminded of Elmore Leonard through this film which is a classic in its own right. Those who are home-bound with the current pandemic may find watching this film enjoyable and a worthwhile use of their time. I am looking forward to watching the 2007 remake.Robin Friedman

Even though it was my fault I bought the wrong version of the movie I still gave it 4 stars! I bought it as a Christmas gift for my friend and he was really disappointed because he was really looking forward to seeing it again as the remake with Russell Crowe is one of his favorite movies, so I have to return it and get the correct version!

I'm glad I saw the original first. Short comparison: original is genuinely great; remake is merely good.Longer comparison: the original handles the hero and villain very differently from most movies, especially from that era. The bad guy isn't your typical villain. He has a sense of morality, but he's not a tragic villain, as would usually be the case. Very interesting character. The hero, too, acts from very human (fallen) motivations, and his ultimate choices make him that much more triumphant morally. The pacing and location shots also make this film stand out.The remake has a lot of good points, but any improvement over the original is superficial. The costuming, casting, locations, and action scenes are all great and make for an entertaining picture. But the real meat of the original story is watered-down in Mangold's version.The biggest change was the inclusion of Dan's kid in the story. In the original, it was sufficient to show his family's disappointment at his ranch and then leave him to wrestle with that on his own for the rest of the movie. Keeping the kid around the entire time artificially created a tension that wasn't as interesting or dramatic, because it took focus away from Dan and also diluted Dan's decision-making process. (If the kid is right there, there's much more pressure to "do the right thing," and it makes his choice less about him having the courage to do what is right and more about "well, can't look bad in front of the kid." The decision is more powerful in the original, where the only witness to it is Wade.)This hurts my favorite aspect of the original, that being the moral conflict between Wade and Dan. It's just not as well-executed in the remake. I really felt for Dan in the original, and you could clearly see this moral anguish going on in his head as Wade tortures him in the hotel room. It was profound stuff, and it comes off as forced and awkward in Mangold's version. Also, it's not as efficient in its storytelling. The real heart of the 1957 version centered entirely around waiting in the hotel room, which was the most interesting and provocative part of the story, while the 2007 version treated that scene like any other and just moved through it.Another (rather odd) negative aspect is Bale's physicality versus Van Heflin's. For whatever reason, Mangold made Bale scrawny, greasy, and weak-looking. You never once thought he could take Crowe in a fight. In the original, Van Heflin is physically bigger than Ford, and this makes his character that much more tragic. It's a minor detail, but it made me sympathize with him more. Here is a man who you can see once had the respect of others, who had control over his own destiny, and who has now lost the respect of his own family and has to beg for money. The physical difference tipping the other direction worked better for the conflict between Ben and Dan.All that being said, both are worth watching, but the original remains the only truly great Western of the two.Regarding the DVD: it's a fine transfer of a black-and-white classic. No extras to speak of, but worth picking up. Here's hoping for a Blu-Ray release one day!

Edición inglesa con castellano de un fantástico western. Genial película

Die DVD war zwar am nächsten Tag schon verschickt werden, war allerdings fast 3 Wochen unterwegs. Die angegebenen Sprachen stimmen überein, aber:Die DVD war PAL region 1. Beim produktbeschreibungen war keine Region angegeben un da der Verkaufer eine Deutsche Name hat und aus Grossbritannien versendet, habe ich angenommen das es sich um PAL region 2 händelte. Was soll man auch mit Region 1 in Deutschland?

This is the original 1957 B&W version of 3:10 to Yuma, with Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, and Felicia Farr. Both versions are very good, but better ending in the original. (88 minutes. English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish languages, with many different language subtitles.

I purchased this video to add to my Western collection. It is a good Western. I prefer this version over the remake of it. Glenn Ford does a good job portraying the bad guy with a good side to him.

This black and white version is the best there is! Great actors, wonderful dialogue and tension. Way above the bloated, colour version done later. One of the greatest westerns, and there have been a few of them but up there with Shane, Broken Arrow (Stewart & Paget), True Grit, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy...,and others I can't recall right now.