3:10 TO YUMA (1957...obviously)

[grubl]

I thouight that I had seen it before, but after getting a few minutes into it I realized that this was my first viewing of the original 3:10 To Yuma, earlier today on TCM. Man, this is so far above and beyond the mediocre remake, I feel no connection between the two.

It is wonderful to still have a few classics like this around that I have not seen. I barely knew who the director, Delmer Daves was, and what I did know was mainly what he had accomplished as a screenwriter. I will now make an effort to view his catalogue over time.

Van Heflin and Glen Ford both give career performances, as do most of the character actors.

3:10 TO YUMA owes a lot to HIGH NOON and the Anthony Mann westerns, but looks fresh and does not come off overly derivitive. It anticipates THE WILD BUNCH and BONNIE AND CLYDE. I already consider it one of my favorite films.

[Eddie Love]

**Contains Spoilers**

I wouldn't exactly call the remake mediocre, but I know what you mean. Personnally, I just didn't ultimately enjoy it, as there's no getting around the fact that the Russell Crowe character is responsible for the mayhem that eventually leads to the hero's death. Plus, they went so far overboard with that distracting freakshow of a secondary villain. But I did like the two leads and the believably earthy, yet radiant Gretchen Moll and thought it was generally well-made.

But, yes, the original is far better. A couple other points:

-- As I mentioned in my write-up of HOMBRE, I just don't get why Elmore Leonard slagged the films of his work for so long, as that picture and 3:10 are both excellent.

-- Also, Glenn Ford is a really interesting case as he's an actor who was a big star in the silver age , yet has the distinction of having been in almost no movies you could really call classics, with the possible exception of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, or GILDA and 3:10, each of which isn't really etched in the pantheon, good as they are. (SUPERMAN he didn't really star in.) He's a really good, low-key actor -- really underated.

-- That's Jack Lemmon's wife in the great scene where Ford seduces the barmaid.

-- How much did you love the theme song?

[grubl]

Actually, though I liked the theme song, I found it a bit jarring at the end. I would have to say that BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and GILDA are bona fide classics.

[Derrick]

Wow. You're the only person I know of who doesn't like the 3:10 TO YUMA remake, grubl. And I've spoken to people who love the original and thought the remake was pretty good. I actually saw the remake before I watched the original and I think they're both just fine. I got no complaints with it. Eddie does have a point with the main henchman who's a character I would expect to see in a spaghetti western or an episode of "The Wild Wild West" but he didn't make or break the movie for me.

How come I've never seen the original 3:10 TO YUMA before now? Mainly because of Van Heflin and Glen Ford. They're not what I would call exciting actors to watch and really, outside of "Superman" and "Blackboard Jungle" how many Glen Ford movies can you name? And Van Heflin is okay in supporting roles but as a leading man? The only movie I've ever really enjoyed seeing him in is a B-movie mystery called "The Grand Central Station Murders"

Wish I could give my stamp of approval on both "Blackboard Jungle" and "Gilda" but both of those movies simply don't hold my attention long enough for me to finish watching either. I've actually fallen asleep thirty minutes in the couple of times I tried to watch "Gilda"

[grubl]

I didn't dislike the remake, but it didn't stand out to me as anything special (I didn't walk out). The original "blew my mind".

I think that GILDA kept my attention because of the outstanding beauty, talent and charisma of Rita Hayworth.

I agree about Van Heflin adn Glen Ford, but after this, my respect for both men's abilities ahs grown substantially.

[Eddie Love]

My point about Glenn Ford -- and forgive me, this is just one of those things I've often thought about -- was that I don't think any of the many movies he starred in are considered (and I know that's an amorphous standard) classics. GILDA and BLACKBOARD are both famous, but I don't think they're capital "C" classic in the sense that WATERFRONT or SUNSET BOULEVARD are. And most major stars have at least one of those on their resume, or at least an Oscar-winning "big" picture in the mix. I think it's curious that Ford kind of doesn't.

But, Derrick -- let me make the case for him as an actor. Yes, he has that square 50s haircut and projects very little cool, but each time I see him on TCM, I'm always struck by how low-key and natural he is. I just think he's really good, similar in some ways to an Eastwood or Harrison Ford. I recommend the original RANSOM or a really good movie COWBOY with Jack Lemmon. Very interesting, but not altogether successful is EXPERIMENT IN TERROR -- a must see if you're interested to see where half the ideas in DIRTY HARRY came from.

[Derrick]

Oct 23, 2010 23:42:24 GMT -5 Eddie Love said:

My point about Glenn Ford -- and forgive me, this is just one of those things I've often thought about -- was that I don't think any of the many movies he starred in are considered (and I know that's an amorphous standard) classics. GILDA and BLACKBOARD are both famous, but I don't think they're capital "C" classic in the sense that WATERFRONT or SUNSET BOULEVARD are. And most major stars have at least one of those on their resume, or at least an Oscar-winning "big" picture in the mix. I think it's curious that Ford kind of doesn't.

But, Derrick -- let me make the case for him as an actor. Yes, he has that square 50s haircut and projects very little cool, but each time I see him on TCM, I'm always struck by how low-key and natural he is. I just think he's really good, similar in some ways to an Eastwood or Harrison Ford. I recommend the original RANSOM or a really good movie COWBOY with Jack Lemmon. Very interesting, but not altogether successful is EXPERIMENT IN TERROR -- a must see if you're interested to see where half the ideas in DIRTY HARRY came from.

Oh, don't get me wrong..I don't dislike Glen Ford as an actor. In fact, during his heyday I don't think there was a better actor around who played an ordinary, everyday guy as well as Ford did, otherwise he wouldn't have worked so much. And if it comes down to the two I'd rather watch Glen Ford rather than Van Heflin as Heflin tried to hard to project being cool when he most certainly wasn't. You can't see Glen Ford acting. He just IS. Whereas with Heflin you can see where he's trying.

In addition, I think the qualities of them being given roles where they play ordinary guys worked for both of them in the original 3:10 TO YUMA.

And I have seen COWBOY and yeah, it's damn good movie. Helped as always by the extraordinary Jack Lemmon who never fails to amaze me with his range. I don't think there's been another actor since him and his frequent co-star Walter Matthau who could go from dramas to comedies and be equally convincing.