3:10 to Yuma
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Synopsis
In this beautifully shot, psychologically complex western, Van Heflin is a mild-mannered cattle rancher who takes on the task of shepherding a captured outlaw (played with cucumber-cool charisma by Glenn Ford) to the train that will deliver him to prison. This apparently simple mission turns into a nerve-racking cat-and-mouse game that tests each man’s particular brand of honor. Based on a story by Elmore Leonard, 3:10 to Yuma is a thrilling, humane action movie, directed by the supremely talented studio filmmaker Delmer Daves with intense feeling and precision.
Picture 9/10
Criterion presents Delmer Daves’ 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this dual-layer disc. The new high-definition transfer is presented in 1080p/24hz.
Similar to Criterion’s companion release, Jubal, 3:10 to Yuma’s transfer comes from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, with the restoration and mastering overseen by Grover Crisp for Sony. Of the transfers for both Daves films Yuma’s black and white transfer is the more impressive. It presents a higher level of detail and far sharper image, with long shots even delivering an impressive amount of detail in the landscapes. You can make out threads in clothing, pores on the faces of the actors, and stray hairs on their heads. The transfer doesn’t present any noticeable artifacts, clean edges without signs of edge-enhancement, and cleanly rendered film grain. Contrast looks to have been boosted a bit but gray levels are distinctly and cleanly presented, with deep blacks and no blooming in the whites.
The print is in excellent condition and the restoration has obviously been vigorous since there is little damage remaining. In all it’s a stunning and very film-like delivery.
3:10 to Yuma - Screen Captures
Audio 8/10
Criterion includes two audio tracks, the film’s original mono track presented in linear PCM 1.0 mono, and then a remastered 5.1 surround track in DTS-HD MA. In terms of quality both tracks sound great, delivering sharp dialogue, crisp music, strong fidelity, and no damage at all.
The mono track sounds absolutely superb, going above and beyond what I would expect from a mono track, so the purists will be beyond happy with it. It’s surprisingly robust with excellent fidelity. I will admit, though, that I was pleasantly surprised by the 5.1 surround track. It offers a fairly immersive experience without overdoing it and taking away from more important areas of the track. Music spreads out to the fill the fronts while sneaking some instrumentals to the rears. The rears kick in with some subtle effects in places, the most noticeable possibly being the sequences where Wade’s gang rides into town near the conclusion and it has the horse gallops move in the appropriate direction around the viewer. Most importantly it doesn’t overdo it and drown out other areas of the track. It works just to spread out the sound and music a little bit. In the future I will probably stick with the mono but the surround remix isn’t half bad.
Ultimately it will come down to personal preference but both tracks deliver solid representations of the film’s audio.
Extras 4/10
There is surprisingly little on this release, a rather big title for Criterion, but in comparison to Jubal’s barebones edition this thing is stacked.
The disc only includes two short interviews, the first one a 13-minute interview with author Elmore Leonard. In it the author talks about first getting into writing and his many westerns, and then talks about 3:10 to Yuma and both adaptations, obviously preferring the original Daves version and Glenn Ford’s performance of the story’s heavy. He also talks about influences, his overall enjoyment in writing, and why he ultimately does it. The second interview is with Glenn Ford’s son Peter Ford, who would eventually write a biography on his father. In it Peter recalls his dad and his not-always-fond memories of him. Peter admits to his issues with his dad (and rightfully so) but explains how he became a fan of him as an actor. He talks about his roles, specifically his one in Yuma, but also touches on Jubal (sharing how Ford could not stand Rod Steiger’s method acting,) and his later work, namely Superman. He also shares a few fascinating anecdotes, including one about a drunken Orson Welles showing up with a gun to their house once he found out Ford was having an affair with his then-wife, Rita Hayworth. His interview runs 15-minutes.
Both interviews prove to be absolutely wonderful inclusions, with great stories and information, though it’s sad that this is all Criterion could muster up, and that Leonard’s interview would be so short. Kent Jones provides a great essay in the included booklet about the film and its standing alongside other westerns of the time, but the lack of any other scholarly supplements, or any other supplements in general is surprising.
Closing
A rather slim edition for a much admired and fairly popular western, but it thankfully delivers on picture and audio, with the film coming off the best I’ve ever seen it on home video. The fact this isn’t a jam-packed special edition (especially with the higher $39.95 MSRP price tag) is a major disappointment, but for its presentation it comes with a very high recommendation.
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