true grit ( 1969 film )
the ending of the 1969 film was far different than the ending 2010 film .
several scenes that were in the novel and the 1969 film were not in the 2010 film .
john wayne in a scene from the 1969 version of “true grit, ” directed by henry hathaway .
an article on saturday about a new film version of “true grit” misspelled the surname of a critic for the new republic who wrote about the “true grit” film released in 1969. he is stanley kauffmann, not kaufman .
several characters were added to the 2010 film that were not in the 1969 film or the novel .
“ true grit (1969). ” internet movie database. urltoken (accessed october 29, 2014) .
…the john wayne hit western true grit. the following year he starred in the film norwood opposite kim darby (who had also appeared in true grit). …
for many of us, “true grit” brings to mind a movie — either the 1969 film with john wayne or the 2010 remake with jeff bridges .
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing true grit (1969) near you .
the attorney named in the novel and both films only appeared in the 1969 film .
' true grit' celebrated with art at three springfield venues for many of us, “true grit” brings to mind a movie — either the 1969 film with john wayne or the 2010 remake with jeff bridges. check out this story on urltoken urltoken
one month after true grit, dennis hopper directed and starred in easy rider .
after true grit, darby struggled to find female roles as strong as mattie .
( from left to right) glen campbell, john wayne, and kim darby in true grit (1969), directed by henry hathaway .
before true grit, darby had appeared in several tv westerns including gunsmoke and bonanza .
despite his legendary status, wayne had to ask to be cast in true grit .
in both the novel and the 2010 version of true grit, la boeuf survives .
shot around ridgway, colorado, which is now home to the true grit café .
bonnie armstrong’s watercolor of a barrel racer is part of waverly house’s “true grit” offerings .
portis, charles. true grit. new york: simon and schuster, 1968 .
the events that precipitated the hiring of rooster cogburn were actually portrayed in the 1969 film. this did not happen in the 2010 film .
one of the glories of true grit is that it recognizes wayne' s special presence .
title drop: mattie has heard that rooster is
a man with true grit .
jeff bridges plays rooster cogburn in “true grit, ” directed by joel and ethan coen .
joel and ethan coen talk to will lawrence about their oscar - nominated western true grit .
was kim darby really 22 when she starred in true grit? she appears much younger .
before this new “true grit” film, i had always thought of “true grit” as the movie which finally got john wayne an oscar. john wayne evolved into such an iconic personality / heroic - image that his acting was not always taken seriously. “true grit” became the film that allowed critics and oscar voters to take his acting seriously. the movie was a platform for john wayne, the actor. but what kind of movie was “true grit? ” answering that question undoubtedly led the coen brothers producing team to look at remaking the film. because absent the john wayne platform element, the “true grit” of 1969 allowed many opportunities for improvement .
bookworms always protest how their favorite novels are made into bad films, and i’d have to say neither version of true grit has come close to capturing the true beauty of the book. true grit (2010) runs 110 minutes and if they had pushed that time to even 140 minutes i think they could have come damn close. true grit (1969) ran 128 minutes and filmed more scenes from the book but captured less of the true grit of the story .
the labeouf character died in the 1969 film (offscreen) directly after the encounter with ned pepper. this did not occur in the 2010 film .
this' true grit' makes the original almost unwatchable except as a curio ...
so as i offer this dry sequence of events, i recommend that readers experience the book directly to get the true feel for true grit .
bunny - ears lawyer: despite his many quirks and jerkassitude, cogburn does have the true grit .
true grit was an unusual western because its hero was not only a woman but a young girl .
camp fires and gunfights... true grit is a surprisingly traditional western (click to enlarge )
filmmakers joel and ethan coen ride their new western ,
true grit ,
into theaters today. it stars jeff bridges and matt damon reprising roles made famous by john wayne and glen campbell in the original 1969 film .
tartt, donna. introduction to true grit. london, england: bloomsbury publishing ltd. , 2004 .
' true grit,' then and now remakes rarely outshine the original, but the coen brothers' newest movie, true grit, eclipses the 1969 version starring john wayne. critic bob mondello compares and contrasts the two movies - - and the way westerns were made then and now .
biographical notes true grit was produced by hal b. wallis. he produced over 350 movies, including casablanca .
“ true grit (2010). ” internet movie database. urltoken (accessed october 29, 2014) .
( top, l - r) marshall reuben j.' rooster' cogburn, played by john wayne and la boeuf played by glen campbell in the 1969 movie,' true grit .
the latter is the case with the
true grit
films, as both are based upon the charles portis novel of the same name. the 2010 film directed by ethan and joel coen is not a remake of the 1969 film by henry hathaway, rather it draws inspiration from the source .
true grit gallops into the western canon with guns blazing. this spitfire poem by joel and ethan... more
but the most confounding thing about true grit is that it never does. throughout its running time it is as “true as john wayne’s gun” to the conventions of the western .
[ note: film received its 1969 nomination under the title my night with maud. it had no us distributor at the time. ]
, a 1969 western starring john wayne. the difference this time is that the original
not surprisingly, hollywood went for the plot of action first, viewing true grit as a western adventure. both major film adaptations of the novel—in 1969 and 2010—were recognizable as genre vehicles, their differences more a matter of changed expectations of western films than essential content .
why did' true grit' strike out at the golden globes? the answer may surprise you. (or not. )
true grit is a character - driven film, buoyed by strong performances from its entire cast. many other hollywood directors and scriptwriters could learn much from the convincing and subtle way the coens handle the character arcs in true grit. the ordeals that the characters endure catalyse changes in them that are believable and affecting .
( left) marshall reuben j.' rooster' cogburn playe by john wayne and mattie ross played by kim darby in 1969' true grit' (r) jeff bridges and hailee steinfeld in the 2010 version .
pop - culture notes in 1969, three of the top ten movies and two of the biggest shows on tv were westerns. true grit reflected the changing times of the sixties both in american society and in westerns .
talley, caleb. “ true grit and the man who wrote it. ” ay magazine, april 2018, pp. 32–35 .
why did' true grit' strike out at the golden globes? the answer may surprise you. (or not .) | urltoken
in this 1969 publicity image released by paramount home entertainment, john wayne, left, kim darby, center, and glen campbell are shown in a scene from ,
true grit .
( ap photo / paramount home video )
advantage: 1969. it' s bernstein! he' s a legend for a reason .
the 1969 film suffers a bit from the pacing – there' s a lot of fat that could be cut. the 2010 film runs almost 20 minutes shorter, and packs in more humor than its predecessor. the new film could be considered a comedy as much as a western .
remakes rarely outshine the original, but the coen brothers' newest movie, true grit, eclipses the 1969 version starring john wayne. critic bob mondello compares and contrasts the two movies — and the way westerns were made then and now .
shuman, r. baird. “portis’ ‘true grit’: adventure story or ‘entwicklungsroman’? ” the english journal 59 (march 1970): 367–370 .
a
then and now
look at the filming locations from the 1969 western
true grit ,
starring john wayne, kim darby, robert duvall, glen campbell and dennis hopper. the film was shot in the san juan mountains of colorado and we found many of the filming locations nearly 40 years later. this is an extended version of my previous true grit video. for instructions on how to find these locations, please visit urltoken .
when submitted for a rating from the mpaa in 1969, the film was given an
m
. it was edited and re - rated
g
.
as if to signal immediately that this second “true grit” would be book - faithful (and the second film is very close to the book, as close as movies get to following a book), the movie starts off with mattie reciting the opening lines of her first - person account of this story, the opening lines of the novel true grit .
for the 1969
true grit ,
which like the 2010 film was adapted from charles portis' novel, producer hal wallis originally wanted mia farrow to play mattie. but she supposedly turned it down because her
secret ceremony
costar robert mitchum warned her that hathaway was a difficult director to work with .
the film' s release date of wednesday, june 11, 1969, was ten years to the day before john wayne died, monday, june 11, 1979 .
john wayne winning the best actor oscar® for his performance in
true grit
- 42nd annual academy awards® in 1970. presented by barbra streisand .
a strong heart is a sign of true grit for certain, and nena potts’s “survivor series” jewelry received the theme award in the waverly house show .
lois reeves’s watercolor “abandoned homestead, ” is part of studio 55’s true grit show and was selected as the image for the poster accompanying the exhibit .
joel and ethan coen' s true grit is their second remake of a classic film. the first, the ladykillers (a noisy reimagining of the understated 1955 ealing studios comedy), was by almost any reasonable account the brothers' worst film. true grit is also, arguably, the coens' second western, following 2007' s no country for old men —by general consensus, their finest work. it is perhaps fitting, then, that true grit lies squarely between these two poles of their career: a fine but middling production by the duo' s elevated standards .
music note legendary composer elmer bernstein wrote the score for true grit. his career spanned 50 years and included movies from the ten commandments to animal house .
in true grit: a further adventure (1978), lawyer daggett (john fiedler) is mentioned several times by mattie, but is never seen .
take a look at both; you’ll enjoy them… but you may decide the small important differences belong to our winner: true grit by the coen brothers .
the new version is dark…some of the scenes are at night…i liked it a lot…oh and who had true grit…. mattie did. ron rigell - houston texas
marshal rooster cogburn in true grit (1969), a role he reprised opposite katharine hepburn in rooster cogburn (1975), a partial remake of the hepburn–humphrey bogart classic the african queen (1951). wayne’s final film, the shootist (1976), in which he portrays an aging gunfighter who is dying of cancer, was…
the character of rooster cogburn was supposed to be around forty. john wayne was sixty - one when the film was made. jeff bridges was also sixty - one when he portrayed rooster cogburn in true grit (2010) .
mondello: the old
true grit
opened more brightly. in 1969, a couple of flicks that sounded like westerns but weren' t westerns -
easy rider
and
midnight cowboy
- were signaling a revolution in moviemaking. but the
true grit
that john wayne starred in was a last gasp of old hollywood - gigantic title superimposed over a lush, green valley, glen campbell crooning lyric that lets you know this g - rated film would have a happy ending .
mattie' s lawyer j. noble daggett, whose name she, as laboeuf said in the original, draws like a gun. he is a voice - over in the 2010 film, but he shows up in the end of the 1969 film .
“tried and true trio” by patty rios was a juror’s choice at waverly house .
wayne won an oscar for his performance and the film grossed $ 14. 25m (at least £100m today) in the us – some consolation, perhaps, for darby as she reads the glowing plaudits for the new true grit .
none of this dilutes my love of the earlier true grit. it’s a dandy film: beautifully filmed, generally well - acted and the themes about revenge and honor are clearly laid out. this version is widely available on dvd .
word from the talk shows and on the web suggests that the new coen brothers’ film true grit (2010) was not a remake of the classic john wayne western true grit (1969), but a new, more faithful interpretation of the original novel, true grit (1968) by charles portis. as mattie ross might say, “that is a big story. ” this past week i read the original novel and then watched both movies. in terms of following the book scene by scene i’d say the john wayne film was more faithful to the book. but the jeff bridges version follows the book’s ending much closer. both films used extensive amounts of dialog lifted directly from the novel. but yes, the newer film was more grittier when it came to the violence and humor of the story .
finance note la boeuf is still hunting for his payday, but campbell made a combined $ 3 million in 1969 .
monday through thursday, at 8pm | 7c, amc presents story notes — real - time on - air trivia about your favorite movies. tonight’s movie was true grit .
this second “true grit” movie offers a more uncomfortable atmosphere, with dimly lit scenes, inclement weather, and untidy settings that look mostly untamed and undisturbed by human beings .
when paramount pictures did a made - for - television sequel to this film, true grit: a further adventure (1978), rooster (played by warren oates) explains that he lost his eye fighting for the south in the civil war .
los angeles — with a sly hipness that is the trademark of joel and ethan coen, a billboard just outside the melrose avenue gate at paramount pictures promotes their next film, “true grit, ” with a promise: “retribution. this christmas. ”
adaptation dye job: mattie' s hair is straw blonde in this film .
the film won four oscars including best picture of the year and best director .
when she starred opposite john wayne in the 1969 western true grit, kim darby could easily have been forgiven for believing the role would be the start of a long and glittering career. in truth, though, defying predictions that a star was born, she has made no films of note since .
far too often for true grit to quite overcome, [ wayne' s ] larger - than - life turn flirts with, if not outright topples into, self - parody .
the best picture of 1969 was “midnight cowboy, ” john schlesinger’s x - rated study of manhattan street life. both dustin hoffman and jon voight received best - actor nominations for their roles in the film .
one area i do not believe was an improvement from the first film to the second film was the music. the first film used a grand orchestral score from film - scoring legend, elmer bernstein. for this version of “true grit, ” for the tidy version, such a score was appropriate. for the newer version, a sweet orchestral score was all wrong, and may have sabotaged the tone of the film in places. an earthier score, a ry cooder type score, with acoustic guitars, harmonicas—simpler, earthier, “grittier”—would have helped convey the mood of this less tidy remake .
the book was adapted to film twice. the first version, released in 1969, was directed by henry hathaway and starred john wayne as rooster cogburn. the movie had two sequels: 1975 rooster cogburn (original release title rooster cogburn (... and the lady), starring john wayne and katharine hepburn), and 1978 true grit (made for tv, starring warren oates) .
mondello: hailee steinfeld' s mattie finds humor in her character' s humorlessness and keeps her cool when things get weird - strange characters showing up at the end of a rope or under a bare skin. the weirdness lets you know that this
true grit
takes its cues from that filmmaking revolution, left the old
true grit
in the dust .
a tough political melodrama about the assassination of a 1960s greek nationalist in director costa - gavras' french - algerian co - produced thriller, z (with five nominations and two wins - best film editing and best foreign language film). [ z was the first film nominated as best foreign language film (1969) that also received a best picture nomination. it was also the second non - english language film to be nominated as best picture - the first was jean renoir' s grand illusion (1938), over thirty years earlier. ]
but other film devotees were less charmed, particularly when they viewed “true grit” through the filter of vietnam - era politics and wayne’s conservative principles — which he had said were illustrated by a scene in which cogburn shoots a rat after demonstrating the futility of trying to treat it under due process of law. (the new film has no such moment. )
tom helberg is a senior film studies major. reach him at tomhelberg @ urltoken .
i just prefer the traditional style of the 1969 film over the coens darker offbeat version. ive seen all their movies so i knew they’d add those weird touches but it just didnt work for me. its a well made film but it doesn’t give me the satisfaction i get from the earlier one .
the two versions of
true grit
are like athens, greece, and athens, georgia: they' ve got the same name, but they' re in totally different worlds .
in 2010, the coen brothers remade true grit with jeff bridges as rooster. bridges wore the patch over his right eye instead of his left. he said it “just felt right. ”
before the movie, however, “true grit” was a 1968 novel by charles portis, and this month, the springfield - greene county library is celebrating the story with its annual big read .
any follower of joel and ethan coen’s work watching true grit for the first time will probably sit out most of the pair’s take on the western waiting for the moment that the other shoe drops .
it' s mostly wayne all the way. he towers over everything in the film .
shop keeper: in the 1969 film, also a funny foreigner — an old chinese man, whose store rooster likes to crash in. in the 2010 film, a terrible haggler. the chinese vendor appears in the 2010 movie as well, in about two scenes, one of which he' s smoking opium .
legend has it that when john wayne charged across a meadow at his enemies — reins in teeth and guns a - blazing — as hard - drinking, one - eyed u. s. marshal reuben “rooster” cogburn during the iconic climax of 1969’s true grit, he was saddled upon a moving truck, not a galloping horse. when it came time for jeff bridges to mount up for the same scene 41 years later in joel and ethan coen’s new version of true grit, he made the dangerous ride himself, atop a live horse .
at its release on dec. 22, “true grit” becomes the last major entry in a crowded oscar race that already includes contenders like “the social network, ” “the king’s speech” and “127 hours. ”
true grit is a wonderful novel. have you tried the audio book edition bryan. it’s another way to experience the story. i loved both movies, but neither match the voice of the book .
while discriminations should and will be made between a source text and a film, final judgment should be based on the aesthetic unity and qualities of the final product. so i can end up valuing each of the embodiments of true grit. i suggest you read and view all three of them .
they are both good in their own separate ways. the 1969 is more fun. the 2010 is more real. after growing up loving the 1969, i as ready to see how this story would play if it was ‘nonfiction’. there is very little to knock for either .
note: this will be a broad synopsis of true grit. i must caution the reader, however, that charles portis’s true grit is as much about character and atmosphere as it is about plot and events. it is no - holds - barred uncompromising storytelling, showing more interest in creating a story that feels real and authentic, than a story that feels good. characters suffer realistic consequences for their actions :
in the coen brothers' “true grit, ” jeff bridges is not playing the john wayne role. he' s playing the jeff bridges role — or, more properly, the role created in the enduring novel by charles portis, much of whose original dialogue can be heard in this film. bridges doesn' t have the archetypal stature of the duke. few ever have. but he has here, i believe, an equal screen presence. we always knew we were looking at john wayne in the original “ true grit ” (1969). when we see rooster cogburn in this version, we' re not thinking about jeff bridges .
trimming back some of their usual weirdness appears to have paid off for the coen brothers. true grit is their most commercially successful film to date — it is the first of their works to take us $ 100m at the us box office. but one senses the coen brothers care little for money .
true grit is a masterpiece and is one of the greatest westerns in film history. john wayne is a amazing actor, and in this he is probably the best person in the world who could play rooster cogburn. kim darby was my one problem with this film, she was annoying and boring and a terrible actor to play mattie ross. the plot was fun and and a well made adaption from the book. overall, a classic movie, and the funny thing is, this film is my fathers # 1 favorite film ever made, he made me watch this, haha .
this hungarian film is a careful, compassionate and beautifully acted character drama with a social conscience .
true grit was first published and serialized in a much shorter form in the saturday evening post. the current book version was released shortly afterwards and was a commercial and critical success. some reviewers found the story hard to categorize because they felt the novel contained elements of a fictional memoir, a western, and a historical novel. many reviewers felt mattie’s character an equal to mark twain’s venerated huckleberry finn. the novel was labeled a “classic” and a book which “contributes meaningfully to american humor. ” true grit has remained almost continuously in print since its release. starting in 1999, overlook press reissued all of portis’ novels including true grit .
…scored a major hit with true grit (1969), an adaptation of charles portis’s best seller. for his portrayal of the drunken, cantankerous, but endearing u. s. marshal rooster cogburn, wayne received a long - denied oscar. hathaway’s last three films were the forgettable raid on rommel; shoot out, with gregory peck (both 1971); …
there is a moment in
true grit
when john wayne and four or five bad guys confront each other across a mountain meadow. the situation is quite clear: someone will have to back up or die .
when darby first met wayne on the set of true grit, the veteran actor already had 40 years of film - making under his belt. in the original film, she played the thrifty, churchgoing, 14 - year - old mattie, who exploits wayne' s drunken, one - eyed, hard - nosed marshal' s desperation for money as she chivvies him into helping avenge her father' s death .
but that is counting chickens. there is an old rooster to fry. the coen brothers’ film is bound to rouse memories of an earlier picture, another oscar race. john wayne, well past his prime, won his only academy award for portraying rooster cogburn. his selection fiercely split those who felt justice was thus served from those who viewed this original “true grit, ” released in june 1969, as the last gasp of a hollywood stuck in its own past .
the coens knew the hymn through the 1955 charles laughton film night of the hunter. “not that there’s any reference to that film, ” says ethan. “we just thought it reinforced mattie’s worldview. ”
exclusive royalty - free music library for video and film projects. find your music track in seconds !
the 1969 film, directed by hollywood veteran henry hathaway, had glorious landscapes. the meadow and several other scenes were set in the san juan mountains of colorado, near telluride. this film' s landscapes are all in texas, and although some are beautiful, many are as harsh and threatening as the badlands described by cormac mccarthy or larry mcmurtry .
now for me, i can take a lot more “grit” in a book than in a movie. but then, i’m not a huge movie fan, anyway. i haven’t read “true grit, ” but of course i’ve seen the john wayne movie, and i thought it was lots of fun. and that’s all i wanted .
mattie ross (the girl) 1969: mattie ross may be just 14, but after a lout named tom chaney kills her father, she wants vengeance. she hires rooster to track chaney down and has the nerve to join him, but in the 1969 movie, she also sneaks away to cry .
ultimately both movies work hard to follow the book, but i think the people of 2010 are naturally more willing to accept the horror and grotesque of the american gothic of the story. are citizens of 2010 closer psychologically to their 1877 cousins? what doesn’t come across in either film are the threads of religion that run through the book. true grit isn’t christian but deeply old testament. the world of true grit missed the enlightenment. it is why it’s a great western. jane tompkins makes a great case that the western is anti - christian and anti - woman in her book west of everything, and i think true grit fits her thesis. mattie ross is a christian woman who leaves civilization and for a few days explores the heart of darkness of the old west .
ultimately, the hfpa may simply be true grit ‘s version of armond white, the famously contrarian new york press critic. they didn’t see what all the fuss was about and decided to go their own way. others may find it bonkers that the tourist, burlesque, red, and alice in wonderland secured best picture nominations (albeit in the musical / comedy category), while true grit was overlooked like steven seagal’s last dozen films. but it all makes for an amusingly nutty awards season. it’s a long and exhausting road to the oscars, and this isn’t the last time we’ll be hearing about true grit. or about the hfpa’s suspect taste in cinema, either .
bob mondello: the new
true grit
opens with a bit of grit, body lying in the snow and the voice of mattie ross telling us how her father died at the hand of a man named chaney. as she remembers it when she was 14, her protestant upbringing said that that man needed to pay for his crime .
overall, i found the coens’ adaptation of true grit to be close to the original film in the plot but the various changes that were made to be more in line with the story the films are based on didn’t improve on it much at all. while the first film reminds me of a coming of age adventure, bonding and happiness, the remake is very unemotional and negative and i wasn’t touched by the characters in any way .
the sense of place is as pervasive as a character in “moss, ” a film by daniel peddle .
roger ebert gave the film four stars, highlighting the positives of both films, while not discrediting either .
unlike most coen brothers films, true grit is a warm affirmation rather than a sly subversion of its genre. this character - driven western is one of the most unexpected and rewarding turns from a major film - making talent since david lynch temporarily abandoned his obsession with the bizarre for the sweet - natured the straight story (1999) .
“of course, true grit is a western, but we never considered our film a classical western, and honestly never thought about genre at all, ” says ethan. “we didn’t talk about john ford or sergio leone, even though we like their films. really, we were driven only by our enthusiasm for charles portis’s book. ”
waverly house’s show is a juried exhibit, with pieces by 27 artists in the show. they interpreted the theme “true grit” widely, according to gallery owner eunice wallar, with works ranging from religious pieces to a trio of mules .
in 2010, paramount pictures released a second movie adaptation of true grit, written and directed by the academy award–winning coen brothers. this version starred jeff bridges as rooster cogburn, matt damon as laboeuf, josh brolin as tom chaney, and hailee steinfield as mattie ross in her first motion picture role. the film was shot in new mexico and texas. unlike the 1969 adaptation, the 2010 film more closely adhered to the novel in plot and theme, including the ending in which mattie ross, her arm having been amputated as a result of snakebite, ventures to meet cogburn some twenty - five years after their adventure together, only to find that he had died before her arrival. critics largely praised the performances and story, comparing it favorably with its 1969 predecessor .
despite its commercial success, john wayne was not pleased with the finished film. he greatly disliked kim darby' s performance, and while promoting the film for its u. s. release in june 1969 told interviewers that he had starred in much better films, citing stagecoach (1939) as an example. at the oscar ceremony on april 9, 1970, wayne personally told richard burton that he felt he should have won the oscar instead, for his portrayal of king henry viii in anne of the thousand days (1969) .
the music 1969: the original
true grit
is 20 minutes longer than the new one, and that' s mostly because there are so many scenes of john wayne riding through the countryside to elmer bernstein' s rousing score. the music and the landscape are both so majestic that you expect two bald eagles to fly down with a banner in their mouths that says ,
visit montana !
the same basic events play out in the original true grit. think john wayne as rooster cogburn, kim darby as mattie, and a supporting cast that included robert duvall, dennis hopper, strother martin, john doucette, and glen campbell .
bridges, who mumbles his way through the film as though his mouth is filled with pebbles, has also earned an oscar nomination for his part as the pot - bellied, drunken lawman in true grit. it’s a performance equal to his oscar - winning turn in crazy heart, one that has layers of depth that john wayne could only dream of .
with this film, john wayne became the first person to produce and direct a best picture oscar nominee (the alamo (1960) ), and then go on and win best actor for his role in another film .
but drop it did, at the very end of the film. for reasons i won’t get into here, mattie’s character was both unique and believable … believable, surely, because she was unique. but alas! back to the shoe. true grit concludes with a retrospective narrator, an older mattie who recounts the adventure she had when she was fourteen. at the end of the film, the middle - aged mattie discovers that u. s. marshal cogburn had recently died, and she decides to bury him in her family plot. in the film’s final scene, mattie stands before cogburn’s grave and says in a voice - over: “it is true i have not married; i never had time to fool with it. ” she then says a few more lines, and the film ends .
as for the coens’ method for directing bridges, it was true to the technique they employed 12 years earlier on lebowski .
the coen brothers keep insisting that their true grit isn’t really a remake of the 1969 film starring john wayne, but rather an adaptation of charles portis’ novel. so when you see certain scenes from the two films put side - by - side, as they are in this video clip, you can go one of two ways: (1) of course it’s a remake — the dialog and set - up are practically identical; or (2) wow, you couldn’t imagine two more divergent schools of artistic filmmaking .
the essay below discusses the two famous versions: the 1969 john wayne movie directed by henry hathaway, and the 2010 “remake” by the coen brothers, starring jeff bridges .
true grit is based on a novel by charles portis, which also inspired a 1969 film directed by henry hathaway that starred john wayne in his only oscar - winning role. precocious 14 - year - old mattie ross (played by hailee steinfeld) hires an ageing gunslinger, rooster cogburn (jeff bridges), to help her track down the varmint that shot her father and bring him to justice. the cocksure laboeuf (a moustachioed matt damon) joins them on the trail of the murderous tom chaney (josh brolin) .
she added that true grit co - star robert duvall baulked at the old - school, hands - on style of director henry hathaway, recounting an argument that flared between the two as hathaway offered advice on how to swivel during an action scene .
one of the glories of
true grit
is that it recognizes wayne' s special presence. it was not directed by ford (who in any event probably couldn' t have been objective enough about wayne), but it was directed by another old western hand, hathaway, who has made the movie of his lifetime and given us a masterpiece. this is the sort of film you call a movie, instead of the kind of movie you call a film .
here, the plot thickens. in the novel true grit, mattie is indeed a spinster. yet in the 1969 film adaptation (starring john wayne), the filmmakers altered the ending. in this version, u. s. marshal cogburn’s character visits the young mattie soon after their adventures together have come to an end. mattie is still young; there is no flash - forward. mattie shows cogburn her family’s graveplot and suggests that since cogburn doesn’t have a family, he can be buried here one day. the end .
the coens have positioned their film as a new adaptation of the novel rather than as a remake of the earlier film. their script makes effective use of porter’s dialogue, much of which also made it into hathaway’s film completely intact. although i have not read the book, the coens’ film is apparently more faithful to the text and especially its denouement than is the wayne movie. it’s that rare beast — the remake that is better than the original .
for example, three separate film adaptations of dashiell hammett' s
the maltese falcon
were released within 10 years. the third, john huston' s 1941 film starring humphrey bogart, is now regarded as the classic .
adaptational attractiveness: the two actresses who portray mattie ross in both the 1969 and 2010 versions (kim darby and hailee steinfeld) are somewhat prettier than described in the book .
martin is best known for his role as captain in cool hand luke. he was also in the no. 1 movie of 1969, butch cassidy and the sundance kid .
apparently, if you need to track down a bad guy in the wild west, your absolute best shot at success is to hire a misogynistic one - eyed alcoholic. whether you watch the old or the new true grit, that much seems clear .
it was an important plus for the production, given that mattie, not rooster, is the film’s central character and in nearly every scene. the coens have pointed to this emphasis on her perspective as an example of how their film is more faithful to original novel — which is told in first person by mattie — than the 1969 movie. but the brothers are hardly the best authorities on the subject .
if i had to pick only one true grit movie to take to the proverbial desert island, it' d be hathaway' s, wayne' s, ballard' s and, while we' re at it, elmer bernstein' s ...
most remakes of classic films are shadows of the originals. but joel and ethan coen' s version of the western
true grit
— with jeff bridges as rooster cogburn, newcomer hailee steinfeld as the plucky mattie ross and matt damon as texas ranger laboeuf — has won over critics, audiences and even kim darby, who played the resolute mattie in the 1969 original for which john wayne won his only oscar as the irascible cogburn .
she' s just extraordinary in the film ,
darby said .
i said to her agent,' be sure you' re careful what she does next. the next thing is what is so important.'
( darby' s post
grit
movies — including 1969' s
generation
and 1970' s
norwood
— didn' t exactly set the box office on fire. )
the spur awards selected true grit as one of the best westernsever written, so it is hard to imagine how a movie can live up to that level of kudos. i suspect i would more likely enjoy the novel more than either movie, as you did .
she did, though, have a bit of a problem with hathaway, who was 71 when he directed the film .
perhaps the most significant departure from the 1969 film is the fact that it is built around mattie ross as the central character, rather than rooster cogburn. steinfeld’s performance earned a well - deserved oscar nomination, though the academy’s decision to nominate her as a best supporting actress rather than best actress is puzzling .
the coen brothers are known for their inventive, offbeat direction and cinematography and in true grit they don’t dissapoint by using a variety of photographic effects and interesting color schemes giving the film a washed out, gothic look. their aesthetic in this film really has more in common with something like a tim burton movie than a classic hollywood western. it was interesting to look at and i appreciate their darker spin on the tale but at the same time it didn’t fill in any meaningful spaces in the story for me .
the motion picture stands at the pinnacle of all art forms in our culture – where millions will flock to see the latest blockbuster. but what role does the novel play in creating this art form? movies are often created directly from screenplays, so it’s hard to measure their worth without the novel, but when one is made from a great novel, how do we judge its success? as a standalone work of art, or as an interpretation of another work? in my mind, neither the 1969 or 2010 film versions of true grit came close to the power of the charles portis novel. but as standalone works of art i think they are equally successful in their own ways. the cinematic culture that made each film is very different, as well as the culture of their separate audiences. they are like night and day, but then so is 1969 and 2010 .
in the 1969 rendition, wayne basically plays himself in a more comical tone than in his previous western roles. bridges appears constantly intoxicated and feels like he just crawled out of hibernation .
thanks for your comments on the book and movies true grit. they stimulated and deepened my own reflections on the movies, which you can find, if interested on my movie blog at urltoken, or by search engine, emily’s movie cafe. i like your blog !
turner, ralph lamar. “‘why do you think i am paying you if not to have my way? ’ genre complications in the free - market critiques of fictional and filmed versions of true grit. ” journal of popular culture 48 (april 2015): 355–370 .
true grit contains two plot structures, one framing the other. there is a plot of action, featuring pursuit and shootouts, and there is a plot of growth, narrated by an adult mattie ross about her quest for justice as a fourteen - year - old .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
, the most successful hong kong film of recent years. indeed, having just re - read my 2004 review of that film, i find i could change the names, cut and paste it, and be discussing this film. but that would only involve the surface, the plot and a few philosophical quasi - profundities. what makes this a scorsese film, and not merely a retread, is the director' s use of actors, locations and energy, and its buried theme .
: in the novel and 2010 film, the last we see or hear from laboeuf is when rooster leaves the scene of the final battle with mattie to seek medical attention. rooster is forced to leave him behind because there' s only one horse left. he promises to send someone to get him, and laboeuf insists he' ll be fine. he' s never seen again in the 2010 film. in the novel, mattie says that for years she tried and failed to find out what happened to him. the 1969 film solves this problem by
true grit movie was so popular, a sequel, rooster cogburn (…and the lady), was released in 1975. john wayne returned to the role of deputy marshall cogburn, and katherine hepburn starred as the new damsel in distress. in 1978, a made - for - tv movie, true grit: a further adventure, continued the saga of rooster and mattie. warren oates and lisa pelikan starred in the tv version. fans and critics did not warm to the change in actors or the plot, and no further sequels were made .
spock speak: everyone in the novel and both films sounds very odd because they do not use contractions, true to the time period .
advantage: 1969. bridges is the better actor, and he' s working with a better script, but he can' t overshadow one of the duke' s most iconic roles .
: laboeuf is shot, tied up, beaten, trampled, bites through his tongue, and mocked repeatedly throughout the film .
more than 30 years after making the silent film, cecil b. demille returned to direct the' 56 classic. the movie
ultimately, it' s hard to shake the sense that the coens opted to remake the wrong western. true grit is a sentimental tale, at least by the standards of the genre, and the coens are not—to put it mildly—sentimentalists. they restore a few of the more somber elements of the portis novel, but this is still the story of a plucky girl and her grizzled companion and, as such, perhaps best suited to the ingenuous tone of the 1969 version .
the original films finale is certainly happier and just more enjoyable to me. the coens version is downbeat, cold and unsentimental. as opposed to the 1969 film which ends on a positive note, in the coens’ film mattie ross never sees rooster again after their adventure and years later when she returns to visit him at a wild west show she finds he has died. we also learn that mattie is a frigid old maid who seems to look down on everyone and for me this change actually ruined the entire film because of who i had hoped she would be in the end.
true grit is a 1969 american western film . it is the first film adaptation of charles portis ' 1968 novel of the same name . the screenplay was written by marguerite roberts . the film was directed by henry hathaway and starred kim darby as mattie ross and john wayne as u.s. marshal rooster cogburn . wayne won his only academy award for his performance in this film and reprised his role for the 1975 sequel rooster cogburn . historians believe cogburn was based on deputy u.s. marshal heck thomas , who brought in some of the toughest outlaws . the cast also features glen campbell , robert duvall , dennis hopper , jeff corey and strother martin . the title song , sung by campbell , was also oscar-nominated . true grit was adapted again in 2010 , starring jeff bridges , matt damon , and hailee steinfeld . 
true grit is a 1969 american western film. it is the first film adaptation of charles portis' 1968 novel of the same name. the screenplay was written by marguerite roberts. the film was directed by henry hathaway and starred kim darby as mattie ross and john wayne as u.s. marshal rooster cogburn. wayne won his only academy award for his performance in this film and reprised his role for the 1975 sequel rooster cogburn. historians believe cogburn was based on deputy u.s. marshal heck thomas, who brought in some of the toughest outlaws. the cast also features glen campbell, robert duvall, dennis hopper, jeff corey and strother martin. the title song, sung by campbell, was also oscar-nominated. true grit was adapted again in 2010, starring jeff bridges, matt damon, and hailee steinfeld.
true grit is a 1969 american western film. it is the first film adaptation of charles portis' 1968 novel of the same name. the screenplay was written by marguerite roberts. the film was directed by henry hathaway and starred kim darby as mattie ross and john wayne as u.s. marshal rooster cogburn. wayne won his only academy award for his performance in this film and reprised his role for the 1975 sequel rooster cogburn. historians believe cogburn was based on deputy u.s. marshal heck thomas, who brought in some of the toughest outlaws. the cast also features glen campbell, robert duvall, dennis hopper, jeff corey and strother martin. the title song, sung by campbell, was also oscar-nominated. true grit was adapted again in 2010, starring jeff bridges, matt damon, and hailee steinfeld.