3:10 to Yuma was originally made in 1957 and was recently remade in 2007. Film remakes are a powerful tool when looking at cultural studies because it allows you to see how the changes in culture have affected the filming of the movie. By watching both versions of 3:10 to Yuma you are able to see the ways in which the most recent version is seen as revisionist. The 2007 version has a very similar plot to the original, even using some of the same lines, but there have been some changes made.
The alpha-male cowboy in both of the films is Dan Evans, a poor rancher who is married with two sons. However in each film the two sons view and respect for their father is slightly different. In the first movie they don’t see anything wrong with the life they are living and respect what their father is trying to do for the family. When Wade and his gang steal their horses they run back to their mother and tell her everything that happened being sure to point out there was nothing that their father could do. But in the second film the eldest son, William, takes more of a stand against his father. Some officials from the town come out and burn the family barn because Evans is in so much debt and his son William tries to run into the barn to stop it. When his father holds him back William questions his father as to why he did nothing to try and stop the men who burned the barn. In both movies, part of the reason Evans goes on the journey to bring Wade to Yuma is because he needs money for his family and also because he wants his boys to be able to look at him with respect.
The opening scene in the remake shows revisionism with the burning of the barn. The barn was burned because of how much debt the Evans family was in; the town officials also shut off the water and were threatening to next take their land. The time in which this film was made was a recession in the United States. Many people were struggling to get by and losing their land to the government, very similar to the Evans family struggles.
In the second film the alpha-male is a retired, Civil War veteran with an injury to his leg. All the men around him view him as a hero for getting injured in battle but later on in the movie he tells Wade that he was really shot by one of his own men and that there was no glory behind it. Wade and Evans develop a mutual respect for each other as the movie goes on and it is developed through their use of language. When they are out on their own together they began to talk to each other; telling each other things that an alpha-male cowboy would not normally talk about. This shows revisionist characteristics as well as the increase in violence in the film. The remake was much more violent than the original film as seen through both the characters of Wade and Evans. Wade was especially more violent, killing multiple people along the road to Yuma and in the end shooting down his entire gang. The increase in violence in the films may be in relation to the times it was made in.
In the first film Evans plays the typical role of the alpha-male cowboy, he is well-respected by those around him and brings Wade to the 3:10 train at Yuma out of duty to his family and community. In the second film Evans begins to go off the path of the typical alpha-male, he is still a strong man but there is a sense of disappointment with his family. However, he is still fulfilling his duty by bringing Wade to the train station and won’t stop till he gets them there ultimately losing his life doing so.
3:10 to Yuma was originally made in 1957 and was recently remade in 2007. Film remakes are a powerful tool when looking at cultural studies because it allows you to see how the changes in culture have affected the filming of the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe alpha-male cowboy in both of the films is Dan Evans, a poor rancher who is married with two sons. Right from the beginning there is a difference in the father-son relationship. In each of the films part of Dan’s motive for going to Yuma is his family, but in the remake Dan felt like he had to go in order to prove himself to his sons. The opening scene in the remake shows revisionism with the burning of the barn. The Evans barn was burned because they could not pay off their debts. The town officials also shut off their water source and were threatening to take their land if they couldn’t pay. During the time this film was made the United States was in a recession and like the Evans family, many people were struggling to get by and were losing their land to the government. When the men come to burn the barn William questions his father because Dan doesn’t even put up a fight to try and stop them. It has always been in the nature of teenagers to rebel against their parents, but in fifties when the original was made there weren’t as many dangerous ways as in 2007. When Dan goes to Yuma William sneaks out after him, which is something that would not have been done in the original. In the fifties there was more of a focus on the “nuclear family” there was much more of a focus on the “nuclear family.” Even if children didn’t agree with their parents they wouldn’t speak or act out against them. Dan’s sons do not have the same respect for him as they did in the original and that is why he believed it was so important to get Wade on the train.
In the remake the hero is a disabled man which is unlike the typical alpha-male, who is always the fittest and strongest mentally. In the original he had no injury and he was instantly chosen to go to Yuma because everyone regards him as having the best shot around. However, things aren’t so easy in the remake and he has to try and persuade the townsmen to let him go. Everyone thinks he got injured in battle, but Dan tells Wade how he was really shot by one of his own men and there was no glory behind it. Wade and Evans begin to develop a mutual respect for each other throughout the movie because of conversations they have and what they go through together. This shows how the remake is revisionist because the alpha-male usually never uses language as a tool for communication.
Another notable difference in the films is the amount of violence. The remake was much more violent than the original film and it’s seen through both the characters of Wade and Evans. Wade was especially more violent, killing multiple people along the road to Yuma and in the end shooting down his entire gang. The remake was made in 2007, a time in which gang violence is still very prevalent. The increase in violence in the film could be in correlation in the increasing acceptance of violence in the United States culture. The guns in the remake are much more updated and show the increase in technology.
In the first film Evans plays the typical role of the alpha-male cowboy, he is well-respected by those around him and brings Wade to the 3:10 train at Yuma out of duty to his family and community. In the second film Evans begins to go off the path of the typical alpha-male, he is still a strong man but there is a sense of disappointment with his family. However, he is still fulfilling his duty by bringing Wade to the train station and won’t stop till he gets them there ultimately losing his life doing so.