Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 19, 2015

Delmer Daves's "3:10 to Yuma" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original U.S. trailer for the film; new filmed conversation with Michael Daves, son of director Delmer Daves; and new filmed conversation of director of photography Phedon Papamichael. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Van Heflin and Glenn Ford

Rancher Dan Evans (Van Heflin, Black Widow, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers) and his sons witness how Ben Wade (Glenn Ford, Affair in Trinidad, Jubal) and his gang rob a stagecoach and kill its driver. The outlaws then end up in Bisbee, where their leader approaches the stunningly beautiful barmaid Emmy (Felicia Farr, Charley Varrick). After he makes love to her and his men leave the town, he is captured by the sheriff (Ford Rainey, The Sand Pebbles).

Fearing that Ben’s men will come back looking for him, the sheriff and a wealthy rancher ask for volunteers to quickly transport the outlaw to Contention City so that he is put on the 3:10 to Yuma that will take him straight to prison. The volunteers will be paid $200 each.

Desperate for money after the long drought, Dan offers to help. He is joined by Alex Potter (Henry Jones, Vertigo), a famous drunk.

Locked inside a small room in Hotel Contention, Dan and Ben begin waiting for the train. Ben tries to talk to Dan and offers to make him a rich man if he lets him go, but he refuses to listen. Eventually, Ben’s men appear and all hell breaks loose.

Based on a story by Elmore Leonard, Delmer Daves’ 3:10 to Yuma is a terrific psychological western that could have easily been a terrific noir picture. It is incredibly tense and oozing style and atmosphere.

The film is structured around two important character transformations. Initially, Dan is a seriously concerned about his ranch and family man who does not want any extra drama in his life. But the promise of $200 has a profound impact on him – he becomes a tough and willing to take dangerous risks man who could easily kill. On the opposite end is Ben, a smooth-talking but very dangerous man who has killed before. But there is a more delicate side of Ben that is gradually revealed after he is captured by the sheriff and relocated to the hotel.

Another interesting aspect of this film is the fact that the action in it is of little importance to the story. Instead of flashy shootouts there are a series of intense conversations that allow the key characters to shine. The fine line that separates the good and bad is also effectively blurred. The second half, in particular, is a fascinating morality play with constantly evolving themes.

The finale is also quite unusual. It forces the viewer not only to reexamine events from the first half of the film, but also reconsider whether the film is indeed about heroes and villains. Everything is put together very well, without the old clichés other similarly themed films from the era are typically plagued with.

The acting is first-class. Glenn Ford is terrific as the suave outlaw who is convinced that it is only a matter of time before he regains his freedom. Van Heflin is equally convincing as the determined to keep his word rancher. Despite her limited time in front of the camera, Farr is also very impressive as the lonely barmaid.

The film is beautifully lensed by cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. (The Lady from Shanghai, Tokyo Joe) The large panoramic shots, in particular, are absolutely stunning. The very popular theme song 3:10 to Yuma is sung by Frankie Laine.

3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Delmer Daves' 3:10 to Yuma arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

The release uses as a foundation the same resoration Criterion accessed for the U.S. release. Unsurprisingly, detail and clarity are very impressive. Keep in mind, however, that light is captured in a number of different ways to enhance the film's noirish qualities and as a result some minor fluctuations in terms of grain exposure are present (see screencaptures #3 and 4). There are also some minor density fluctuations that appear during select transitions. There are no traces of recent compromising sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, a few very tiny dirt specks remain, but there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or stains to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional French subtitles are provided for the main feature. (You can turn off the subtitles only via your remote control).

I prefer the original mono track, but you can experiment with the 5.1 track. On both tracks depth and clarity are very good, while dynamic intensity is marginally better on the 5.1 track. Do not expect to hear impressive surround movement on the 5.1 track. The dialog is stable, clean, crisp, and easy to follow.

3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bande-annonce - original U.S. trailer for 3:10 to Yuma. In English, with optional French subtitles. (3 min).

• The Shadows of Noir - in this new featurette, director of photography Phedon Papamichael (3:10 to Yuma, Nebraska) explains how director James Mangold approached him to lense the remake of Delmer Daves' classic film, and discusses some of the key differences and similarities between the original film and the remake, the visual style of the original film (with specific comments addressing the framing and lighting choices and how they enhance the film's noir qualities), the atmosphere, etc. The featurette was produced, edited, written and directed by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, with optional French subtitles. (25 min).

• Delmer Daves par Michael Daves (Premiere Partie) - in this featurette, Michael Daves, son of director Delmer Daves, discusses his father's early work as a writer (for Warner), his break into directing (which came after he wrote the script for Tokyo Destination and Cary Grant recommended it to Jack Warner), the visual style of Dark Passage, the production history of 3:10 to Yuma, Charles Lawton Jr.'s contribution to the film, the terrific chemistry between Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, etc. The featurette was produced, edited, written and directed by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, with optional French subtitles. (23 min).

3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming Region-B release of Delmer Daves' classic western 3:10 to Yuma is sourced from the same Sony Pictures restoration which Criterion accessed. Obviously, the film looks terrific in high-definition. Also, Carlotta Films and Fiction Factory have included two very good exclusive new supplemental features. The first is a filmed conversation with Michael Daves, son of director Delmer Daves (part two of the same conversation is included on Carlotta Films' release of Cowboy), and the second is an extremely informative filmed conversation with director of photography Phedon Papamichael, who lensed the 1997 remake of 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.