"3:10 to Yuma", is a great movie and does honor to the fifty years of viewing enjoyment that was begun with the initial release of the original "3:10 to Yuma" in 1957. Comparing the remake to the original is impossible because of the influence of theatrical drama that was the practice of Hollywood in '57. Glen Ford and Van Heflin and the cast put in a timeless performance in the original. To say I enjoyed the remake more, doesn't detract from the original, it just reflects my preference for the acting and production styles of 2007.
Russell Crowe put in a believable and multidimensional performance as a complicated but ultimately likable bad guy. I was kind of surprised Christian Bale didn't cut off his foot for this role, but you could definitely feel Dan Evan's desperation and ultimate self-actualization. Peter Fonda was...what can you say? He was Peter Fonda at his best as tougher than horseshoes Pinkerton operative, Byron McElroy. But, the biggest surprise was Ben Foster as wickedly twisted and ultimately scary Charlie Prince. The dude was just unhinged and capable of anything. Foster made this character very believable with his acting in the close-ups.
Most of the gear I made for the movie was unrecognizable because cold weather required coats, covering up much of the gun leather. Obviously, Crowe's and Foster's rigs got quite a bit of attention, but all of my gear was authentic to the "Old West" and deserving of appreciation for it historical representation.
Much of the other gear is for sale on my "Yuma" Leather for Sale! page. This is an opportunity for regular folks to get ahold of a little Hollywood history, and at the same time, enjoy a bit of the"Old West" in the process.
All of the items available from my web-site are designed by me, but many of the actual pieces were manufactured by Jon Watsabaugh, from my patterns, to my specifications. I couldn't have finished all the last minute gear that was ordered without Jon. We both worked 20 hour days and weekends to get all the gear to the set before filming started. Ol' Jon's a man to ride the river with!
If you find a belt you like in your size, but you can't find a matching holster for it, I can make you something to match. The same with the holsters. If you find one that fits your gun, but you can't find a belt that fits you, I can make it for ya'. All of the gear made for the movie was distressed so it looked "used" as soon as the actors strapped it on. If you want your matching pieces distressed like the gear from the set of "Yuma", that can be done at an additional cost. Everything will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The first person who asks me for an available item gets it. That's the only way to do it fair. So, check back often and be the first kid on your block to get some leather from the set of "3:10 to Yuma".
3:10 to Yuma
Starring:
Christian Bale as Dan Evans
Russell Crowe as Ben Wade
Peter Fonda as Byron McElroy
Ben Foster as Charlie Prince
Ben Foster, as cold-blooded killer, Charlie Prince,wears a pair of Schofield in a rig made for him by Will.
At one point, Ben Wade might have worn two guns, but in the end, only Will got to wear 'em.
One of Ben Wade's gang, "Campos", wore a large Bowie knife. I made the pattern for the knife sheath and Jon Watsabaugh built the sheath. After filming, the two knife sheaths came back to me, along with most of the leather I had rented to the movie. So the sheaths wouldn't go to waste, I built two Buffalo bone, coffin handled Bowies for the sheaths.
This holster was designed specifically for Russell Crowe. It had to look like it was from the 1800s but handle like a modern Fast-Draw holster. The black coloration was specially applied to look used as soon as it was made. The rig was colored using a special process so the color wouldn't come off on the actor's wardrobe. The holster was engineered with hidden features to facilitate rapid removal and re-holstering of the revolver.
The border tooling around the hand-carved floral design on the holster, was repeated along the length of the cartridge belt. The rig was hand sewn with 7-strand linen thread, coated with bees wax.
