When Fox decided to remake 1939's JESSE JAMES as THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES in 1957, the emphasis wasn't on what actually was true, but what might have been true. Or in other words, what some people wanted to be true about Jesse (Robert Wagner) and his brother Frank (Jeffrey Hunter).
As in the case of the first film, the studio is relying on two pretty boys under contract to capture viewers' hearts and make them swoon. Of course the real-life James brothers were not this good looking. They were dangerous men who didn't have time for hair and makeup adjustments in between robberies and killings.
The remake begins in Minnesota, surrounding the legendary raid in Northfield. There is a lot of shooting and death. At this point some of the gang have become too fat or too drunk to survive. The brothers are chased by a band of local men who've formed a posse. So there is considerable action right away. The first film started with the James family losing their farm in Missouri because of the railroad, then had them become marauders, robbing trains as a sort of payback.
The original film and its sequel, THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES, were both made in Technicolor. But neither one of those productions had the benefit of CinemaScope as this one does. Since some footage involving the stunt work from the first film is reused in the remake, the producers had to adjust that earlier footage so it blended in with the CinemaScope images, but a keen eye can still detect where the old footage has been inserted into the narrative. Mostly because the color process in 1957 is not exactly the same.
Agnes Moorehead is cast as elderly Mrs. James. The 1939 version depicted the mother (played by Jane Darwell) being killed early on, while crooked men employed by the railroad fought with her sons. But in this case, we learn in the early scenes that Ma is still alive and looking forward to the boys returning from Minnesota, in time to celebrate Jesse's birthday. I don't quite buy Miss Moorehead as either Robert Wagner's mother or Jeffrey Hunter's mother, since she does not resemble them. And I think she has a tendency to overdo some of the dramatic moments. This is hardly a subtle performance.
The broad acting style exhibited by Moorehead and some of the supporting cast seems to have been egged on by director Nicholas Ray, who encouraged James Dean to give a near cartoon-like performance in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. There are a few theories that Ray intended to cast Dean here as Jesse James, but I sincerely doubt it, since Dean was leaving Warner Brothers for MGM when he died; he was not headed to 20th Century Fox. Plus Fox activated this project to give its matinee idols, Wagner and Hunter, something to do.
If Dean had played Jesse, things might have been a little more entertaining. Unfortunately Wagner doesn't quite get into character, and Hunter is just too wooden to be believed as Frank. It's not surprising there wasn't a sequel to this film, focusing on Frank. Jeffrey Hunter was no Henry Fonda.
As in the case of the first film, the studio is relying on two pretty boys under contract to capture viewers' hearts and make them swoon. Of course the real-life James brothers were not this good looking. They were dangerous men who didn't have time for hair and makeup adjustments in between robberies and killings.
The remake begins in Minnesota, surrounding the legendary raid in Northfield. There is a lot of shooting and death. At this point some of the gang have become too fat or too drunk to survive. The brothers are chased by a band of local men who've formed a posse. So there is considerable action right away. The first film started with the James family losing their farm in Missouri because of the railroad, then had them become marauders, robbing trains as a sort of payback.
The original film and its sequel, THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES, were both made in Technicolor. But neither one of those productions had the benefit of CinemaScope as this one does. Since some footage involving the stunt work from the first film is reused in the remake, the producers had to adjust that earlier footage so it blended in with the CinemaScope images, but a keen eye can still detect where the old footage has been inserted into the narrative. Mostly because the color process in 1957 is not exactly the same.
Agnes Moorehead is cast as elderly Mrs. James. The 1939 version depicted the mother (played by Jane Darwell) being killed early on, while crooked men employed by the railroad fought with her sons. But in this case, we learn in the early scenes that Ma is still alive and looking forward to the boys returning from Minnesota, in time to celebrate Jesse's birthday. I don't quite buy Miss Moorehead as either Robert Wagner's mother or Jeffrey Hunter's mother, since she does not resemble them. And I think she has a tendency to overdo some of the dramatic moments. This is hardly a subtle performance.
The broad acting style exhibited by Moorehead and some of the supporting cast seems to have been egged on by director Nicholas Ray, who encouraged James Dean to give a near cartoon-like performance in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. There are a few theories that Ray intended to cast Dean here as Jesse James, but I sincerely doubt it, since Dean was leaving Warner Brothers for MGM when he died; he was not headed to 20th Century Fox. Plus Fox activated this project to give its matinee idols, Wagner and Hunter, something to do.
If Dean had played Jesse, things might have been a little more entertaining. Unfortunately Wagner doesn't quite get into character, and Hunter is just too wooden to be believed as Frank. It's not surprising there wasn't a sequel to this film, focusing on Frank. Jeffrey Hunter was no Henry Fonda.