Abstract
This study employs social values narrative analysis to compare the social values communicated in two versions of the Western genre film 3:10 to Yuma produced 50 years apart. The analysis reveals that there are marked differences in the values reinforced in the two film versions. The social values communicated in the 1957 film are the values of hard work, courage, family security, honesty, responsibility, and a just and secure society free of conflict. These values are consistent with studies of social values held by the American public at that time. Fifty years later, the 2007 version of 3:10 to Yuma indicates that the priority ranking of social values held by Americans has changed. The portrayal
of the outlaw as hero and the reinforcement of his values of independence/self-reliance, personal freedom, and competence/effectiveness are in stark contrast to the 1957 film. The denouement of the 2007 version illustrates a pattern of moral and ethical relativity characteristic of the times in which it is produced.