Baffled by remakes

FOR years I have been baffled by the idea of remaking certified classic films, but after reading your article on the remaking of “3:10 to Yuma” [“A Writer Rides Again With ‘Yuma,’ ” by Jay A. Fernandez, Aug. 22], I’m even more baffled.

Sequels of multimillion-dollar hits I can understand -- even two or three sequels can bring in extraordinary bucks. But why remake a movie -- no matter how much it is “updated” -- when these days the original is available for rent from Netflix or any of the myriad DVD stores? Better that people who are unfamiliar with the original material see it on tape or DVD instead of paying $10 to sit through a new version, especially if, as your story indicates, much of the original has been maintained.

Joel Rapp

Los Angeles