True Grit -- the Remake

[MissGoddess]

Klondike, I was responding to what was written here in this thread about Ford's influence. I think I said there WAS NO INFLUENCE. So I guess that means I agree with you. But I made the mistake of mentioning F-O-R-D, woops!

For what it is worth, I don't look for anything "Fordian" in ANY film beause he is too out of step (I rejoice to say) with modern sensibilities since even his own time. When I DO see the influence, it's pretty obvious because it's so different to anything else.

And ask Stevens and Hawks whether they were influenced by Ford. A resounding yes would be and has been on record, their answer. I certainly wouldn't want to mention Orson Welles' influence, that would get me lynched by all the people tired of hearing about Welles...who loved Ford (how sacreligous of him).

I don't know what possessed me to reply to a post in a thread about Cohen brothers' True Grit. I apologize for the misstep. I might have known. I think I need to go back to the kindergarten at the TCM message board.

[JackFavell]

I think there is certainly very little that could be related to Ford in True Grit - the remake. There is one fairly overt scene in front of a doorway, which is lovely, because it plays so completely opposite to Ford's doorway scenes - most notably, the one in The Searchers. I personally took it as a bowing down to Ford - as if the Coen's were supplicating themselves, saying, "we can't possibly do this any better than Ford, so we will walk Cogburn in front of the door in the most tentative way possible, as a deferential homage, a touching of the elbow to Wayne AND Ford and because it's the right thing to do for this scene". I found it wonderful, because it was quiet, unobtrusive, and within the context of the movie. Modern viewers would not see it, just as audiences did not know why Wayne put his hand to his elbow in the Ford film. But I noticed it, and I had a strong reaction to it - a silent whistle of breath exhaled because they did it so well, and so respectfully.

However, if you don't think that the Coen Brothers have studied Ford, and watched his movies over and over again as some kind of lesson, then I am positive that you are mistaken. They have always been incredibly referential to classic films in their work, sometimes too much so, but they are good filmmakers because they studied the greats. This film is almost completely without those Hollywood references so when they do show up, they stand out. There is another one from Night of the Hunter as well. Thank goodness for film-makers who do know their classic films.

[klondike]

Klondike, I was responding to what was written here in this thread about Ford's influence. I think I said there WAS NO INFLUENCE. So I guess that means I agree with you. But I made the mistake of mentioning F-O-R-D, woops!

No mistake in my book, April; your post wasn't the one that motivated my responses, anyway; and as far as I'm concerned, the Man who was Sean Feeny left so big an impression on our collective conciousness as a film-going nation, he belongs, in one aspect or another, in any discussion on any film made in the last 60 years!

For what it is worth, I don't look for anything "Fordian" in ANY film beause he is too out of step (I rejoice to say) with modern sensibilities since even his own time. When I DO see the influence, it's pretty obvious because it's so different to anything else.

Undeniably!

And ask Stevens and Hawks whether they were influenced by Ford. A resounding yes would be and has been on record, their answer. I certainly wouldn't want to mention Orson Welles' influence, that would get me lynched by all the people tired of hearing about Welles...who loved Ford (how sacreligous of him).

Once again, no disagreement - I would only add that within the Western genre, I believe those colleagues & proteges chose to step away, diametrically, from Ford's towering examples. As for OW's abiding affection for JF, hey, he was a film lover as well as a film maker!

I don't know what possessed me to reply to a post in a thread about Cohen brothers' True Grit. I apologize for the misstep. I might have known. I think I need to go back to the kindergarten at the TCM message board.

Now we're in disagreement; Miss G, your voice is one of the clearest, most insightful, and most rightfully respected on this entire board, bar none.
If there is any apology advisable, it's from me, as I have an annoying habit of hunting mosquitoes with a sledgehammer, and conversationally, am always choking on one or both of my feet.
And don't you "go" anywhere - we need you right here, where you are welcome & well-received on any thread!
Again, my apologies for coming across so bass-ackwards -- it's a habit I'm trying to outgrow.

[Rita Hayworth]

It looks good - and though a good trailer does not a good movie make, I like the tone and style of the trailer. It reminds me of Days of Heaven.

It looks like the remake is taking a very different direction, which is super. They aren't basing it on the larger than life persona of Rooster Cogburn, John Wayne, and the oddness of Kim Darby. It looks like it is concentrating solely on story and it has an almost literary feel, full of atmosphere. In other words, it could work!

I guess we can all laugh at this prediction on Christmas day.

Movieman1957 personally invited me to share my opinion of the remake of the John Wayne's True Grit.
He is very interested in hearing what I have to say.

First off the bat, I'm not a big fan of remakes - Coen Bros adaption of True Grit starring Jeff Bridges was more brutal and more intense than the original. But, my dear friends - Jeff Bridges nailed the characterization of Rooster Cogburn just perfect :!:

If John Wayne was alive and well - he would been proud of Jeff Bridges work in this movie - the little girl in this movie - Mattie Ross played by Hailee Steinfeld was so good - she did better than Dakota Fanning in the remake of War of Worlds.
She was literally unreal in this movie and I can't get enough of her and she is my opinion a virtual unknown at this point.

Jack Favell - and I quote from him - this movie could work - Jack you are absolutely right on!

Movieman1957 and all other members of SILVER SCREEN OASIS who love Western like I do - this movie is a MUST SEE MOVIE to see. I was literally on the edge of my seat seeing this wonderful movie - great photography, the acting of Matt Damon was excellent - he was good too. This movie is 1 hour and 50 minutes long - great from start to finish.

I hope that Jeff Bridges gets a nomination for Best Actor - An Oscar - he played the role of his life and did a very good - and hard nosed rendition of Rooster Cogburn - John Wayne would been proud of him. He played it right on!

A MUST SEE MOVIE - You won't be disappointed. I want a copy of the DVD badly ... I read all preceding comments about this movie last night and with the encouragement of Movieman1957 - one of our Moderators of this wonderful website I wanted convey that this movie was so unreal, so gritty, a fantastic western, true to days of yesteryears, wonderful casting, good writing, excellent photography, great scenes, and most importantly Hailee Steinfeld who played Mattie Ross will warm your hearts - she was so unreal and so realistic - I cried several times of how well she acted - she literally played it a veteran and knows exactly what to do.

Coen Bros - should be applauded for their outstanding work in this movie - True Grit 2010 or True Grit II is a must see movie for everyone who loves Westerns like I do.

Coen Bros Rules

[JackFavell]

I couldn't agree more, kingme. I'm glad you liked it.

[feaito]

Not a fan of Westerns (per se) either -although as kid I loved watching Randy Scott, Joel McCrea and all kinds of low-budget westersn with cowboys, indians and stagecoaches- and I haven't seen the 1969 film -although I remember reading that the AA given to Wayne was more for his amazing career and his achievements in Ford's & Hawks' films rather than for particularly his perfromance in this movie- but I was impressed by the Coen Brothers' "True Grit" (2010). Not a particular fan of them either -I liked "Fargo" for instance but I did not fell head over heels about it.

I think this film is a Western of Epic proportions with astounding performances by Jeff Bridges and the young actress who plays Mattie Ross. An unsentimental, tough, realistic film -this does feel like the real thing- and I don't know why the ending -not comparing Ford with the Coens at all- brought me a Dèja-Vu of the ending of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" in an odd way.

Jeff Bridges' robust, strong performance is worthy of an AA, and it's up there with Colin Firth's in "The King's Speech" on my list. Matt Damon is really fine as La Boeuf and show his range as an actor -recently saw him in the extraordinary Eastwood film "Hereafter" (2010). When a film leaves me with a kind of nostalgic, saudade feeling I know I've seen a really good film. Kudos to the Coen Brothers for creating this great film.

[stuart.uk]

Just going on the few clips I've seen I get the impression that the new girl as Mattie Ross is a big improvement of Kim Darby, but I maybe proved wrong if and when I see the film

IMO Rooster is a character part, so there is no reason why Jeff Bridges can make the part is own without comparison to someone of Duke Wayne's stature

[klondike]

Just going on the few clips I've seen I get the impression that the new girl as Mattie Ross is a big improvement of Kim Darby, but I maybe proved wrong if and when I see the film.

I've seen it, and I think, by general principle, I can agree with your judgement, but with this qualifier: I feel the blame can't really be found with Ms. Darby's performance of the role per se, but rather belongs with her being cast as Mattie Ross at all - even with movie-goers squinting, she was just a little too tall, and half-again too mature, by voice & physicality, to be accepted as 14 years old!

IMO Rooster is a character part, so there is no reason why Jeff Bridges can make the part is own without comparison to someone of Duke Wayne's stature.

Your mouth to God's ear, Stu!

[Lzcutter]

'You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God.'

MrCutter and I went to see True Grit this afternoon. It is a terrific movie. The Coen brothers have done a masterful job of telling the story this time from Mattie's point of view.

With a tip of the hat to Night of the Hunter (the music), Jeremiah Johnson (the mountain man/bear man/doctor), To Kill a Mockingbird (the narration told by the young girl now all grown up and looking back and one of the music cues) and My Darling Clementine (the introduction of LaBoeuf) this movie soars.

Richard Deakins cinematography should win him yet another Oscar. This west is not pretty, it's a hard life and the terrain matches that hard life.

'What are you doin' here?' Tom Chaney to Mattie Ross when the meet again.

Josh Brolin plays Tom Chaney as an outlaw who is also dumber than a bag of rocks and yet, incredibly menacing and he is really good in the role.

'I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man! ' Lucky Ned Pepper to Reuben Cogburn.

Barry Pepper as Lucky Ned Pepper is charming yet lethal.

'We have no rodeo clowns in Yell County.' Mattie Ross to LaBoeuf on their first meeting.

Matt Damon proves yet again what great range he has an actor. He has starred in many dfferent genres and now a western. Glen Campbell is forever banished in my mind as this character.

'It astonishes me that Mr. LaBoeuf has been shot, trampled, and nearly bitten his tongue off, and yet not only does he continue to talk but he spills the banks of English.' Reuben Cogburn to Mattie Ross.

Jeff Bridges grows into this role. He shows us a very different character than the one John Wayne created. This Cogburn is deadly serious about what he does for a living and deadly serious about staying alive. He won the Oscar last year for Crazy Heart and he stands a snow ball's chance of winning next Sunday but this is the role I wish he could have won the Oscar for. And I say that as a life-long John Wayne fan.

'I do not care a thing about guns, if I did, I would have one that worked. ' Mattie Ross to Lucky Ned Pepper.

Hallie Steinfeld is the true discovery of this film. Finally, the story has a worthy Mattie (no offense to Kim Darby fans) and Ms. Steinfeld gives it her all. We watch her grow and learn a thing or three about life and growing up. Her friendship with Reuben Cogburn feels absolutely genuine as does her uneasy friendship with LaBoeuf.

She is smart as a whip, lippy as can be and confident in her knowledge of the law. The adventure she has makes her the woman she becomes.

I know some folks feel movies shouldn't be remade but I'm not one of them. This is a terrific story and a wonderful movie that stands on its own.

Kudos to all involved.

[klondike]

Lynn, you covered it all beautifully.
And yes, hearing the Coens' use of the old Appalachian church standard "Everlasting", I, too, was immediately reminded of it's presence in Laughton's Night of the Hunter, and in short order was also amazed that here, within a very different sort of story, it could be utilized to help achieve much the same effect: to invoke a sort of chilling, escalating tension, slow & quiet & eerie, and yet at the same time, soothing & reassuring, creating a hypnotic, almost child-like catharsis . .
As one of us remarked earlier on this thread - the torch is passed . .

[Lzcutter]

Klon,

One of the things that struck me the hardest and the quickest, is that Bridges was determined to make this role his own and not try to out-Wayne our memories of the Duke. This Reuben Cogburn is a very different animal than the one etched forty years ago.

As his respect for Mattie's tenaciousness grows, Bridges' Cogburn begins to grow as he tries to become the man she needs him to be while not giving ground on the man he is (which is more a killer than a man with the necessary true grit to capture Tom Chaney). It's a wonderful role for Bridges and it could have been played for laughs, for camp but by going back to the novel and the character that Portis first created, the Coen brothers and Bridges have created a character that can stand next to Wayne's characterization and not in the shadows.

This being the Coen brothers, they tend to do send-ups when they take on a genre piece (ie Brother, Where Art Thou-which I love, The Man Who Wasn't There etc) but not this time. There is no send-up in this one, outside a few homages.

It is, in many ways, a classic modern western told in a no-nonsense way that fills the screen with harsh but beautiful terrain, never lets us forget that it was a harsh, often unforgiving country to try and make your mark in and with characters as memorable as any created by the old masters.

It's as elegiac and moving as the hymn that drives the score and possibly made more moving by our memories of what came before but capable of standing on its own and never in the shadows of the previous movie.

[knitwit45]

I love this place! Lynn, you put into words all the things I sensed and felt, but could not put into words. Thanks for crystallizing my feelings about this movie and Jeff Bridges' part in it. Might I add...."ZOWIE!"

[JackFavell]

Lynn, that was a great summation of the movie!You did a great job of highlighting what makes this one so worth going to see. It's a very different movie from the '69 TG, and I like the idea of it sitting alongside of the Wayne/Hathaway version, not as direct competition. Together they give us a deeper understanding of the west and the people who inhabited it.

[Lzcutter]

Thank you, kindly for those kind words!

Twenty-four hours later, I'm still thinking about the film and Mr Cutter and I are still talking about it. After I saw the trailer back during the holidays, I knew we had to go and see the film but I was worried that the film would not be as good as the trailer.

And I am thrilled to be able to say I was wrong to worry.

There is just so much to like about this film. The literate script with its dialog which when you consider it, isn't easy to pull off. It is dialog of its time and place and not modernized for our ears. And yet, Bridges and Steinfeld both make it sound as natural as anything we have heard in other films. I am astounded that Ms. Steinfeld was 13 when she made this film as she is the heart and soul that holds it all together.

And, unlike some critics, I do not miss the original, more upbeat ending of the original film. This ending rings true with everything that has come before and anything less would ring false (though I did wish, for a brief second or two for that hoped for reunion). Mattie's response to Frank James was priceless. Much like Miss Jean Louise Finch was shaped by the year and a half that it took Mr. Arthur Radley to come out, Mattie Ross was shaped by her adventure with Reuben Cogburn.

And I do hope Roger Deakins wins another Oscar next Sunday for his cinematography. The night scenes, especially in the snow, like all his others, are works of art.

[Lzcutter]

The other thing I liked about Bridges' take on Reuben Cogburn (and I suspect it is in the novel as well), is that he knows he is a man of violence and for whom violence is almost always the first choice (it has helped him live as long as he has in his line of work). He may try to tamp that violence down when around Mattie but he is always aware that it lurks just below the surface.

And like Tom Doniphon in Liberty Valance, this Reuben Cogburn drinks to forget the killings he has done. This Reuben Cogburn drinks because it is the only way he knows how to deal with all the killing and when he is drinking, it keeps the violent streak inside him at bay, mostly.