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3:10 to Yuma, a review by Rogmeister

3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Henry Jones, Robert Emhardt
Title song performed by Frankie Laine
Music by George Duning
Directed by Delmer Daves

Even people who are not big western movie fans are familiar with the titles of many of the greatest westerns of all time...films like The Searchers, The Magnificent Seven, Shane and High Noon. I imagine many of them are not familiar, however, with 3:10 To Yuma. They should...it doesn't need to take a back seat to any of those movies.

As the movie begins, a stagecoach is being held up and a farmer (Van Heflin), looking for some cattle that have strayed, comes face to face with the gang and it's cool leader (Glenn Ford). They don't harm the farmer but take the horses he and his sons were riding. The farmer walks back to his ranch, gets a couple of horses and then goes back to help those still with the stagecoach. Returning to town, the farmer finds that the gang leader is in the saloon, his men having left town. The farmer talks to the outlaw and others get the drop on him. Discussing things, they feel they have to get the outlaw to the 3:10 train to Yuma and the farmer agrees to guard him once they reach the next town where that train will be as he can use the $200 the stage line owner offers him as he needs the money to bring in much-needed water for his livestock. Up until the time the train comes, the outlaw is cool as a cucumber and begins to psyche the farmer out. By the time the train comes, the farmer is all alone and must get his man to the train while surviving against a half-dozen gunmen.

This is a really great film. It's incredibly intense and has some fantastic black & white photography. It's based on a short story by Elmore Leonard and is definitely a true classic. Look it up the next time it shows up on your favorite classic movie channel. Oh yes, they did do a remake a few years ago with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.  That was a good movie, too...but I still prefer the original.

I bought this DVD several years ago...and it has no real extras.  It doesn't even have the original trailer...but it does have trailers for 2 other westerns, Silverado and Mackenna's Gold.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on July 15th, 2009)

The Trouble With Harry, a review by Jon

The Trouble With Harry (1955) ****
4 out of 5



Harry is dead, and his body is causing trouble for the various people who come across him!

This is nice change of pace for Hitchcock and although it doesn't have anything to really mark it out in visual terms (apart from the gorgeous Vermont location), it is joyfully mischeivous.

Apparently it took a while to find an audience in America and certainly this is much more an English story. Perhaps Hitch was feeling a little homesick for some Ealing! The macabre, yet delightful plot isn't so far removed from The Ladykillers, with the rather matter-of-fact attitude the various characters have to Harry's condition. The way they bury him and dig him up again multiple times is hilarious, but must have been quite shocking to those not used to such ideas being used for comedy (apparently Hitchcock wanted to see how the US would react). But comedy it is and a fine one at that, subtly performed by a small cast, including Shirley MacClaine in her first screen role (and adorable she is too). The other stand-out was Edmund Gwenn, the stories first suspect (not that anyone cares!). It stars John Forsyth, but in this second viewing for me, I couldn't help but find him annoying at first. He won me over though, despite another daft sub-plot of instant marriage proposals! Mind you, I say sub-plot, but as usual, the body is not the real concern. Treating poor old Harry as more of an inconvenience underlines this.

For such an unassuming film, it also has another notable first in the score by Bernard Herrmann. Though this is probably the least known of his collaborations with Hitch, it was apparently the directors favourite and it is wonderfully playful. Perhaps because the camera was lazier than normal and there was no suspense to speak of (as it should be in comedy), maybe it was easier for the composer to match the characters more closely, like in a cartoon. There's a lovely moment where the Captain tries to hide his rifle from the deputy sherrif!

I've read in other reviews that some critics felt there was something deeper going on. A treatise on death and religion, perhaps? Maybe, if you like, but it still doesn't stop this being one of Hitch's more harmless and infinitely watchable films.

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on August 19th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Street: Series One (2006/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia (United Kingdom) Length: 355 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

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Plot:
This gripping six part drama, marks the return of award winning writer Jimmy McGovern to the small screen, delving into the extraordinary lives of ordinary people at momentous points in their lives.
With an all star cast, including Oscar winning Jim Broadbent (The Chronicles of Narnia and Moulin Rouge) Jane Horrocks (Little Voice), Timothy Spall (Harry Potter) and Sue Johnston (Waking the Dead), the series explores the powerful passions, emotions and disappointments of life.

Written so that each episode is a unique and independent portrayal whilst remaining linked by the sense of community, shared experience and an indomitable sense of humour, The Street indulges in unconventional love stories from the back streets of a city up north.


The Street
1.01 The Accident
Writer: Jimmy McGovern (Writer)
Director: David Blair
Cast: Jane Horrocks (Angela Quinn), Daniel Ryan (Arthur Quinn), Alexandra Pearson (Katy Quinn), Dean McGonagle (Jamie Quinn), Shaun Dooley (Peter Harper), Liz White (Eileen Harper), Katy Clayton (Joanne Harper), Penny Deakin (Nicky Harper), Joshua Thurston (Jimmy Harper), Lee Ingleby (Sean O'Neill), Christine Bottomley (Yvonne O'Neill), Timothy Spall (Eddie McEvoy), Jim Broadbent (Stan McDermott), Eamonn Riley (P.C. Jones), William Lewis (P.C. Lewis), Neil Dudgeon (Brian Peterson), Steve Edge (Malcolm McKenzie), Parvez Qadir (Defence Solicitor), Mary Cunningham (Magistrate)

This series was recommended here in this forum. I can see that it is a good series, but it just never really caught my interest. I still haven't finished watching it yet. I have seen the first two episodes so far.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 26th, 2012)