Coen Brothers' Next is True Grit
Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001514.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)
March 23, 2009


Joel and Ethan Coen will next put their spin on True Grit, the iconic Western that won John Wayne an Oscar.

The Paramount film will be more faithful to the Charles Portis book than the 1969 pic, also distributed by Paramount.

Portis' novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father's killer in hostile Indian territory.

But while the original film was a showcase for Wayne, the Coens' version will tell the tale from the girl's point of view.

The project reteams the brothers with Scott Rudin, their partner on the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. The Coens wrote the screenplay.

The original starred Kim Darby as the teen, Wayne and Glen Campbell as the lawmen, Jeff Corey as the killer and featured Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper as fellow outlaws.

i wonder if they will cast me as lucky ned pepper!! :teeth_smile:

The Paramount film will be more faithful to the Charles Portis book than the 1969 pic, also distributed by Paramount.

That's a perplexing statement considering that the 1969 movie was very faithful to the book.

I certainly wont be going out of my way to watch the remake, the actor who plays Rooster will have to wear boots he'll never be able to fit into.

:agent:

Since the Coen brothers are remaking it, I'll pass.

Nothing will ever compete with the Dukes version and i dont think ill probably watch this. Why remake something that was great the first time? They remade some and made them better, but those werent all that good of ones the first time. I thought the book was very close to the origional.

remakes are never as good as the original and this will be no different

I'll catch this on DVD, but I'm sure I'll be disappointed!

Well, aside from a remake being close to sacrilegious, I am sure the Coen's will ruin it. I won't waste my time on it.

This is disturbing as now we are remaking old western movie's. Has Hollywood run out of material already? Not that remaking westerns is a bad thing, it's the thought of remaking a already classic movie. That means the movie might as well be a failure and it hasn't even been filmed yet, no matter how good it might be.

Wow, It's hard to make a comment when everyone has already said what I'm thinking!

"True Grit" is probably my favorite movie, mainly because of Duke's portrayal of Rooster Cogburn. Just can't see anyone else in that role. Warren Oats tried it once in a cheap TV movie ("True Grit: A Further Adventure"), and as good as a character actor as he was, it just wasn't the same. And as already mentioned, the original movie does stick very close to the novel.

That being said, as much I love Western movies, and as much as I enjoyed the novel, I may give it a try when it comes out, depending on the reviews. For example if all of the critics like it, you know it's going to be an artsy, boring piece of cow-dung, and I'll know to skip it! (What is it with critics?)

But, still, why remake a classic?

Hollywood has no original ideas anymore.
They have to reach back to the great stuff cause they can't come up with it on their own.

That said I fear this is going to be a disaster.

I must say though that I do like the ending in the book better than the movie. But even at that, it's a small thing in the bigger picture and not worth trying to do it over. They sure couldn't do it better.

That's a perplexing statement considering that the 1969 movie was very faithful to the book.

That's what I said. The only difference was the tail end of the movie. And they have already stated that they are wanting to remove the John Wayne = Western equation.... unless they get somebody I like as Rooster this is gonna be one movie I pass on by with no regrets.

This is disturbing as now we are remaking old western movie's. Has Hollywood run out of material already? Not that remaking westerns is a bad thing, it's the thought of remaking a already classic movie. That means the movie might as well be a failure and it hasn't even been filmed yet, no matter how good it might be.


Viper, you hit on it, running out of material, so they now take shots at icons of truth, justice, and the American way which is John Wayne. How do you tarnish someone is you do it when they can not defend themselves.
I be thinking this may not be the last Duke movie to be 'redone' by liberals.:vomit:

We rarely go to the movies anymore because there is nothing we want to see, a remake of this movie included

What's worse is that the Coen brothers are fellow Minnesotan's. All I can do is pray it might be respectable.......but I don't think I can walk around with my hands folded for about 2 years!!

And they have already stated that they are wanting to remove the John Wayne = Western equation....

Typical liberals. They simply aren't satisfied unless they can remove any and all vestiges of conservatism in our culture. They aren't satisfied with all the revisionist history that they have managed to sneak into the classroom in their effort to whitewash any wrongdoing that "the oppressed peoples" of the world may have done, and blame everything on those whom they believe were / are "the oppressors." Now they have to turn their sights on someone who did nothing more than promote America as a great country. Maybe that's what irks them. I've never met a liberal socialist yet who hasn't wanted to make America into another Soviet Union.

Sorry about the soap boxing and getting off track on this discussion, but socialists and other America hating curs of their ilk really tick me off.

- Bob

Hey, don't be sorry about the soap boxing, Bob. As someone once said, I can't remember who, "Never apologize, It's a sign of weakness!"

Let 'em remake it! It's no big deal. It'll be another two years before it comes out, and we'll forget about it before then. Then when it does I'll probably see it, just because I'm a fan of the original and a fan of the novel. But whether I like it or hate it, the original Duke classic ain't going anywhere! More than likely, like most remakes, the classic will still be around when the remake is forgotten.

Bottom Line: You don't mess with perfection! There isn't an actor out there nowadays that could even come close to Duke's performance. The supporting cast in that film was superb as well.

This has hit me hard as well but hasn't this already been done? I heard Warren Oates remade True Grit while Duke was still alive. I never really looked into it since I can't even consider Oates to do justice to Rooster. I'm sure with the Coens more will know about this one. At least it may prompt people to check out The Duke's version if they haven't already.

This has hit me hard as well but hasn't this already been done? I heard Warren Oates remade True Grit while Duke was still alive. I never really looked into it since I can't even consider Oates to do justice to Rooster. I'm sure with the Coens more will know about this one. At least it may prompt people to check out The Duke's version if they haven't already.

I love that Greenburg image in your signature.

Thanks Kevin. That message really rings true. John Wayne lives on within us all :cowboy:

Are you kidding me A movie like True Grit should never be touched it's a sacred right of passage for classic Cinema fans as Slap shot which is also being remade is to sports fans Hollywood has lost all semblance of any respect they had left with me for all the classic films they're attempting to remake lately

John Wayne lives on within us all

Though this is an admirable goal, I sure don't agree with the sentiment embodied therein. It may be true for political conservatives but not for people like Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn and their ilk.

I cannot believe "True Grit" being remade. Why is Hollywood remaking every great classic movie? They are obviously running out of ideas for new material that's why they're remaking every great classic movie.

Speaking of remakes, have any of you heard about the soon to be released remake of Angel And The Badman? It's in post production now and slated for release sometime this year. It will star Lou Diamond Phillips in the Duke role of Quirt Evans, Luke Perry in the Bruce Cabot role of Laredo and Deborah Unger in the Gail Russell role of Penelope, only her character will be named Temperance. Harry Careys role of the sheriff is not in this one but, Dukes grandson, Brendan will have a role in it.

It only shows that these clowns have no imagination or sense of story telling. They have to steal someones story and clutter it up with trash. They kinda made a movie taken from The Searchers a few years ago, with Tommy Lee Jones called The Missing. It was alright, but nothing compared to the classic. Let them make the remakes, they can only edify that the great ones are the true classics and gives John Wayne and the others the only spotlight that means anything.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

I still think the remake isu nnecessary. I'd like to see Michael Douglas play Rooster Cogburn.

Why, to hell, they are doing all those remakes? I watched "San Fernando" and "Stagecoach", both remakes of the classic "Stagecoach" with John Wayne, I watched "Alamo", I watched "Three Godfathers" with Jack Palance and "Red River" with Bruce Boxleithner and James Arness. Non of these remakes was better than the original the Duke had done! (O.K. "Three Godfathers" was a remake of a Chester Morris movie by the time the Duke did it...).

There are too many bad remakes today: "The 3:10 to Yuma", "The Time Machine", "The Flight of the Phoenix", "The Day the Earth stood still", "War of the Worlds"... Do we realy need this? Is it just because they don´t have any new ideas in Hollywood?


They kinda made a movie taken from The Searchers a few years ago, with Tommy Lee Jones called The Missing.
I saw "The Missing", but I never had the idea, that the story could be taken from "The Searchers". It wasn´t as good as "The Searchers", never! But it wasn´t too bad...

I saw "The Missing", but I never had the idea, that the story could be taken from "The Searchers". It wasn´t as good as "The Searchers", never! But it wasn´t too bad...

I never tied in The Missing as any type of remake of The Searchers. Other than the search for the girl, there is very little other resemblance. Nothing can be as good as The Searchers, IMO, but like Dukesfan stated...The Missing wasn't bad at all. I've watched it several times.

As for the remake of True Grit, can't be done to any satisfaction for us to even want to see it. There will always be only one Rooster J. Cogburn.

Mark

I don't know why Hollywood is on a serious classics remake trip. The remakes all aren't very good. They just trash them up.

Hello All Spielberg is no small potatoes as a director and for the ones I did not enjoy I did like the brothers work on Fargo. I will hope for the best.

Just to add a detail or two, Jeff Bridges is supposedly playing Rooster Cogburn, while Matt Damon is up for an unknown role.

Just to add a detail or two, Jeff Bridges is supposedly playing Rooster Cogburn, while Matt Damon is up for an unknown role.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=26136

Jeff Bridges is Rooster (at least his father, Lloyd Bridges, knew something about classic westerns, maybe some of it rubbed off onto Jeff), Josh Brolin is playing Tom Chaney, and Matt Damon is the Texas Ranger!!!

Terrible casting, right off the bat. If anything, Brolin should play the Texas Ranger, and as for Matt Damon? Maybe he can be one of the outlaws who gets hung at the beginning of the picture. At least that way, he'd have a sack over his head so we wouldn't have to look at his smug, smirking face.

I can not remember which movie it was but some time ago Mat damon was in a picture that I saw and I was not impressed however like Bruce Dern in the cowboys sometimes it's the character thats easy to dislike.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=26136

Jeff Bridges is Rooster (at least his father, Lloyd Bridges, knew something about classic westerns, maybe some of it rubbed off onto Jeff), Josh Brolin is playing Tom Chaney, and Matt Damon is the Texas Ranger!!!

Terrible casting, right off the bat. If anything, Brolin should play the Texas Ranger, and as for Matt Damon? Maybe he can be one of the outlaws who gets hung at the beginning of the picture. At least that way, he'd have a sack over his head so we wouldn't have to look at his smug, smirking face.

Wow, I missed out on that bit of news. Thanks for clarifying that for me. As for Matt Damon, I like him and enjoy him whenever he shows up in movies I own, now if we were talking about Ben Affleck then I would have to agree. And I think they chose somebody a little too young for Chaney, I would prefer James Brolin for the role instead of Josh.

To be fair I may have mixed Damon up with another actor. Just checked and I believe it was Matt Dillon in Tex that I was not impressed with.

Let's face it, folks, any remake of Duke's Oscar film will not live up to the original, I don't care who the players are.

To be fair I may have mixed Damon up with another actor. Just checked and I believe it was Matt Dillon in Tex that I was not impressed with.

I can understand that, with so few actors of any stature it's easy to mix'em up.


Let's face it, folks, any remake of Duke's Oscar film will not live up to the original, I don't care who the players are.

Amen, brother.

Why bother? Look what happened to the re-make of Stagecoach!!

Not that it would change my mind about a remake of "True Grit" but if they insist on making it, I'd like to see Russell Crowe as either Rooster or Lucky Ned (I think he'd fit either role).

As for La Boeuf (the Ranger), I could visualize any of the following in the role: Brolin, William Fichtner, Josh Hartnett, Christian Bale, or even Kevin Costner or Brad Pitt.

An excellent candidate for the role of Mattie would be Madeline Carroll, who played Costner's daughter in "Swing Vote".

Hollywood, has been out of material for years, just about every movie is a remake, maybe the real deal is the there are no great books out there except for Clancy but with him they are all about the same. I would want Tom Sellck as Rooster or even Duvall or Tommy Lee jones. It will take a helluva cast to get me to watch it and if the focus is on maddie then I'll tune it out, I mean how many movies have been done on a vengeful woman gun toting dame. She's better at realizing she's limited but a good negotiator and paying someone to do the dirty deed. Hollywood today also lacks great horseman that we saw years ago. Oh well The Times are changing,

I like the Coen Brothers but they should not touch a perfect movie. They already made a remake of a classic: The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks instead of the great Alec Guiness. IMO a rather mediocre movie somehow entertaining but not as good as the fantastic original.
The same will happen to a perfect western like True Grit. John Wayne is perfect as Rooster Cogburn and no else would come close that. A new Actor as Rooster Cogburn will only be a bad copy. BTW Warren Oates tried to be Cogburn as well in the TV Show and failed.
Some comments like "This one will be closer to the original" aren't promising.
The only good thing about it is that Westerns are still made. :shades_smile:

I think Kurt Russel would make a good Rooster... and not just because he played a one eyed grump in Escape from La/New York.

I can not see why they just don't leave the Great Films Alone, when they try to Remake One of These Films it Never Turns Out as Good as the Real One !
Bill

I have to agree with you one this one, especially since it starred the Immortal John Wayne.

i heard that matt damon will play .. La Boeuf (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0112978/) and josh brolin will play Tom Chaney (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0018759/) and jeff bridges will play the rooster cogburn
what do you think about that

Josh Brolin won't make a good Chaney in my opinion, he lacks a certain sliminess.

Gary Busey might be a good chaney, picture him with a three week scruff beard.

Gary Busey might be a good chaney, picture him with a three week scruff beard.

Murray, I agree, great actor,
I liked him in Under Seige, Barbarosa, and The Buddy Holly Story

Gary Busey might be a good chaney, picture him with a three week scruff beard.

Only if they decide to make Chaney crazy as well. I feel that Chaney should be a sniveling coward and not someone who scares me.

maybe pat wayne could play rooster otherwise good luck to who ever does

Pat Wayne should definitely have a role in the remake, but not as Rooster I suggest maybe as a by the book marshal.

maybe as a by the book marshal.

You mean like the Duke's performance? :))):

You mean like the Duke's performance? :))):

A wiseguy, eh? :poorfool:

How could I have not seen this one coming? :embaressed_smile:

The key to this thread is that it's a COEN BROTHERS' remake, so the cast is obvious:

John Goodman is Rooster
George Clooney is LaBoeuf
Frances McDormand is Mattie (Remarkable make up job)
Steve Buscemi is Ned Pepper (No make up needed)
John Turturro is Tom Chaney
William H. Macy is Col. Stonehill
Peter Stormare IS J. Noble Daggett

Anyone care to add or to cast the newly announced Mel Brooks remake of The Alamo?

We deal in lead, friend.

Anyone care to add or to cast the newly announced Mel Brooks remake of The Alamo?

I do hope this an attempt at humor. :fear2:

Chester :newyear:

I do hope this an attempt at humor. :fear2:

Chester :newyear:
It is indeed an attempt at a joke.

It is indeed an attempt at a joke.
Thank Goodness ! ! Now I can Laugh . . . :))):

Chester :newyear:

I'm glad I was able to relieve some of your horror.

Thank You, but don't put it past some in Hollyweird from doing exactly what was suggested. :vomit:

Chester :newyear:

I regret that my humor attempt wasn't more transparent, but I'm new here and I'll learn.

Actually there is a Mel Brooks/John Wayne connection that is probably posted on a thread I haven't read yet. Brooks had sent Wayne a copy of the Blazing Saddles script wanting him to play the Waco Kid. Wayne turned Brooks down but said it was the funniest script he's ever read.

Something to think about.



We deal in lead, friend.

Anyone care to add or to cast the newly announced Mel Brooks remake of The Alamo?

I do hope this an attempt at humor. :fear2:

I regret that my humor attempt wasn't more transparent, but I'm new here and I'll learn.

Actually there is a Mel Brooks/John Wayne connection that is probably posted on a thread I haven't read yet. Brooks had sent Wayne a copy of the Blazing Saddles script wanting him to play the Waco Kid. Wayne turned Brooks down but said it was the funniest script he's ever read.
Hey, Gorch, it's good to know you were, indeed, kidding!!

We have discussed that story about the Duke/Mel Brooks connection (http://www.dukewayne.com/showthread.php?p=28549&highlight=Brooks+Blazing+Saddles#post28549), but it's always fun to hear a good story again. (I did a quick search so I could provide the link :teeth_smile:.)

Chester :newyear:

Thank you for your time and trouble posting that thread.
I'm sort of getting a handle on this site and feel quite at home here already amongst all you friendly people.


Bill O'Hara aka Gorch



We deal in lead, friend.

I really wish this movie wouldn't be remade. It's a classic and it's Duke's role and his role alone.

Since it is being remade I really wish Michael Douglas would play Rooster.

I really wish this movie wouldn't be remade. It's a classic and it's Duke's role and his role alone.

Since it is being remade I really wish Michael Douglas would play Rooster.

I agree, it should never be touched. But, if it is, I can see Brian Dennehy playing the roll. He may be about 70, but I think he would do the part justice.

Mark

Thank you for your time and trouble posting that thread.
I'm sort of getting a handle on this site and feel quite at home here already amongst all you friendly people.
Hey, Bill, it was no trouble! We're glad you feel at home! :biggrin:
Chester :newyear:

Coen brothers coming here for ‘True Grit’ (http://dukewayne.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2009/12/01/coen_brothers_coming_here_for.html)


Looks like the mighty Coen brothers will be making their reboot of the classic 1969 John Wayne western “True Grit” in these them parts, with the shoot revving up in March.

Sources say Joel and Ethan Coen are scouring areas east of Austin, rustic, old-timey places like Elgin, Taylor and Granger (for the railroad there). They’re looking for scrub and farmland and want to be “as close to Austin as possible.”
“They are seriously, seriously looking,” we are told.

The Coens are no strangers to Austin and Texas. They made their 1984 debut “Blood Simple” in town and shot parts of “No Country for Old Men” in the state.

Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin are slated to star in the remake of the revenge tale. The original, an Oscar-winner directed by Henry Hathaway, starred Wayne, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper. Bridges will inhabit Wayne’s memorable role as Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn.

The Coens are also looking at Utah, Arizona and New Mexico for the film’s finale, a big shootout set in the Rockies. Evidently, Texas just can’t supply that kind of landscape.

The production will be headquartered in Austin. The film is set for a 2011 release.

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2009/12/01/coen_brothers_coming_here_for.html (http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2009/12/01/coen_brothers_coming_here_for.html)

If it HAS to be remade, I really don't mind the cast so far. I'm not that crazy about Coen Brother's films tho. In any case I'll wait & see.

As of yet, the part of Matty has not been cast. According to True West Magazine, they held auditions in Waco, Tx in November, looking for a girl 12-16 yrs of age that can "ride a horse, get dirty and speak her mind".

So I am assuming that Matt Damon is playing the Glen Cambell role??? This remake just doesn't seem right to me. I got the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. I thought they did a good job but this one is just not sitting well with me for some reason.

Damon can't possibly be worse than Glen Campbell was.

As for me I,am happy their making another western. And if this movie has legs it will stand on its own. Good cast no doubt. And it may draw interest from people who never seen Dukes version to watch it. And once they do that there will be more John Wayne fans.

So I am assuming that Matt Damon is playing the Glen Cambell role??? This remake just doesn't seem right to me. I got the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. I thought they did a good job but this one is just not sitting well with me for some reason.

Well, from what I read the other day, in the book, the focal point of it was Matty Ross looking for her fathers killer. But in the Duke film, Rooster Cogburn was the focal point. So now, in the new version, the Coens will go by what the book said. Will it work? Who knows? But, it's a western and that's a plus and it's by the Coen brothers and they usually do good stuff.

from what I read the other day, in the book, the focal point of it was Matty Ross looking for her fathers killer. But in the Duke film, Rooster Cogburn was the focal point.

Except for the fate of La Boeuf, and some post story follow-up, the classic movie sticks to the novel pretty well. And in some cases I think the screenwriter even made some improvements. So the "sticking to the novel" part of the new movie just sounds like Hollywood hype.

As for as the Coen Brothers, I'm just not a fan of thier movies. I liked "O Brother Where Art Thou", I thought 'Fargo' was overrated, and I just watched "No Country For Old Men" for the first time the other night...hated it!

I'll give the new "True Grit" a try when it comes out, but as I said before whether I like it or not, the old classic 'aint going anywhere.

Except for the fate of La Boeuf, and some post story follow-up, the classic movie sticks to the novel pretty well. And in some cases I think the screenwriter even made some improvements. So the "sticking to the novel" part of the new movie just sounds like Hollywood hype.
I couldn't agree with you more. I was quite impressed with how closely the original stuck to the book with, as you indicate, a few instances of poetic license. It sounds like the big deal will supposedly be telling the story from Mattie's point of view, which of course the book did. But I thought the original did a decent job of that as well. Of course, with John Wayne playing Rooster Cogburn, more attention was given to that character.

I don't know that I will rush to the theater to see the remake. I would consider a matinee (I'm too darn cheap to pay full price!), or most likely will wait for the DVD.

Mrs. C :angel1:

I was a little skeptical until I heard Jeff Bridges had been cast as Rooster, he has been an excellent actor in everything I've seen him in from The Iceman Cometh onwards.

I hated No Country For Old Men the first time I saw it. I've watched it twice since and now I love it.

I thought No Country For Old Men was very good but, I didn't like the ending. It just left you hanging.

I actually hate remakes, which seems to be the norm. I know that Charlston Heston was in the remake of Ben Hur, but overall I don't like them. They take away what the original was all about. I don't think this will succeed. Jeff Bridges is no John Wayne. But I will not judge too harshly. And I am not a fan of the Colen Brothers.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

I was a little skeptical until I heard Jeff Bridges had been cast as Rooster, he has been an excellent actor in everything I've seen him in from The Iceman Cometh onwards.


Bridges did a great job as " Wild Bill "

Keira Kightley. At least she's a lot younger than Audrey Hepburn was.

Audrey Hepburn was not in true grit?

There are just some things that should be left well alone and TRUE GRIT is top of my list of these.

When you consider how many "remakes" do not live up to the original War of the worlds come to mind instantly why oh why cant they find something else or even call it something else.

Rob the storyline change it a bit, different cast, different title and I would be well happy.

And if you guess by this I will not be queing to see the remake you guess right LOL

Well you are right Elly, at the same time though I think perhaps a remake might encourage young people to watch the original, which would therefore introduce them to John Wayne's very impressive filmography. If that happened it would only be a good thing.

Well you are right Elly, at the same time though I think perhaps a remake might encourage young people to watch the original, which would therefore introduce them to John Wayne's very impressive filmography. If that happened it would only be a good thing.

Hi again

this argument is always used and while I think it may encourage a few folks to look at the original it does not neccesarily follow they will become JW fans.

Far better to do as I have and show JW films to children from the moment they can watch TV! in my granddaughters case I have been showing her since she was just over a year old.

And in any event anyone wanting to see the original can do so just as well if they watch a film called "XYZ" that has a notation to say it was based on the book and film called True Grit and starring John Wayne."

AND

there are 200 other John Wayne movies to remake to encourage younger folks to become fans so no need to choose this one. In fact it could be argued that Rooster Cogburn and the Lady is a remake of True Grit so why not call it the remake of "Rooster Cogburn.

This is particularly dear to my heart as it is my favourite film of all time and for me, John Wayne is Rooster and vice versa.

But, then what do I know LOL

But, then what do I know LOL

You know a Great movie when you see it. One of our favorites too!!
Chester :newyear:

Far better to do as I have and show JW films to children from the moment they can watch TV! in my granddaughters case I have been showing her since she was just over a year old.

This makes sense, they need to be caught young, at the age they absorb everything life can throw at them, and then it becomes part of their lives.

My grandchildren know of John Wayne, even if it is to say "He is Grandad's favourite". They see parts of my collection when they come. If I am at my daughter's house and there is a John Wayne movie on the TV she puts it on.

Sow the seeds and nurture the growth.

Remakes? Not for me.

Bob

My grown son and daughter are the same. When I visit them, they usually find a Wayne movie to put on in the background if it's on the tube. My son actually has a fine collection of Wayne dvds and is mildly frustrated that his young daughters would rather watch Disney princess movies.
My daughter's 3 year old son already knows who "Johnna Wayne" is.





We deal in lead, friend.

This is in Chicago


Auditions are being held Monday through Jan. 22 for a 14-year-old female lead for ''True Grit,'' Ethan and Joel Coen's film starring Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges.

Some acting experience is required for the Mattie Ross role. To make an appointment, e-mail TP&R Casting at film@tprcasting.com or call (312) 527-0665.

This is in Chicago


Auditions are being held Monday through Jan. 22 for a 14-year-old female lead for ''True Grit,'' Ethan and Joel Coen's film starring Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges.

Some acting experience is required for the Mattie Ross role. To make an appointment, e-mail TP&R Casting at film@tprcasting.com or call (312) 527-0665.

I think this (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1630992/)girl would be wonderful in the role. I was extremely impressed with her performance in "Swing Vote".

Stumpy!

The girl is the right age and looks like a good choice.
I don't know if this movie will be good or bad or mediocre but they are starting off with a good cast.

Maybe the little girl from The Lovely Bones would be good. She is 14 and a fine actress. Her name is Saoirise Ronan (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519680/). She is quiet good. I think she could handle the western. She was born in New York, but moved to Ireland at the age of three. Her name is Irish meaning "freedom."

Cheers :cool: Hondo

I just got word that United American Costume Co. got the contract for this film. This is owned by Luster Bayless, who was Dukes personal costumer a designer of the eye patch which he will make again. also saw a clip of Jeff Bridges in a new film called Crazy Heart where he plays a burned out old country singer. This looks like a great performance.
We have to remember Bridges is not playing John Wayne he is only playing a character from a novel just like Duke.

Hi everybody have not been on the boards in awhile but had to chip in on this topic, I am like every one else can not see any one doing a good job on a Duke film, Jeff
Bridges played a good wild Bill so he might be alright and like the poster before said he is playing a charactor not John Wayne, I will see the movie when it comes out
just to see and compare, and who knows might be a good western if we watch it for that and not compare to John Wayne.

As we all know, the Duke occupies a unique place in the hearts of Western movie fans. There'll never be another who can even come close to replacing our love and respect for that man but still, if Jeff Bridges can make an interesting and appealing Western movie, we can appreciate and enjoy it. I just like Westerns, period.

True Grit is a good movie on it's own only made better by the fact that John Wayne is in it. I will go and see it when it comes out with the hope that it is kept a good movie and appreciate it for what it is a good movie being remade.

I suspect we will waite for the reviews to come out, first, then may go see it.

Chester :newyear:

Reviews can be misleading, depending on the reviewers biases. Our problem will be that no matter how hard we try we will still compare it with Duke's. I think it will be interesting to see.

Bob

Let's see, as mentioned before, it's not about playing Duke,
it's about playing the character in the movie,
and will the movie stand up on it's own.
Duke will of course be a hard act to follow!

Keith, I agree with you on your post, but as a fan of True Grit and of course John Wayne, you can't help but compare this movie.

You have to understand, that it's over 40 years and the majority of the people are under 40 years of age. So most of them have not seen this movie. This is a movie for the younger generation, and the remake will attract the people.

Jeff Bridges getting noticed like he is right now with an Oscar nod for the best actor in Crazy Heart. This movie should get a lot of publicity just because of this and it's a great chance that he will win the Oscar.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

This remake cant be as bad as the remake of angel and the badman.lou diamond phillips was so bad as the movie, i turned it off after 20mins.at least the true grit remake has a good cast.we just have to wait and see.

After auditioning more than 15,000 teenage girls, Paramount and True Grit directors Joel and Ethan Coen have found their Mattie Ross in Hailee Steinfeld. The 13-year old will play the centerpiece of a new adaptation of the Charles Portis novel, with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin starring. Mattie Ross is the 14-year old spitfire whose father has been mowed down in cold blood by Tom Chaney (Brolin). Determined to bring the killer to justice, Mattie enlists hard-drinking U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to track the killer before a Texas Ranger (Damon) does. The Coens are producing with Scott Rudin. While most of the teens who auditioned were unknowns, Steinfeld has some credits. She has even more reps, just signing with ICM, who'll rep her along with Coast to Coast Talent Group and Protégé.

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/

Here is her IMDB page.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2794962/

Recently,many remakes of old movie. For example,besides True Grit,Butch Casidy & The Sundance Kid,Gunsmoke and The Big Valley.
No one in Hollywood has any NEW ideas?
I want to see the New Western movies not a remake.(in expectation of Kevin Costner's "Horizon")

Taka

They remake classics to make money and screw up the TV listings. I go to it and see it
is a remake, like they remade Stagecoach? with willie nelson? There otta be a law.

There oughtta be a law.

I couldn't agree more.

they should be a law against making remakes.even though 3 ten to yuma was ok i still rather the glenn ford/van heflin one.

And now NBC is remaking "The Rockford Files" too...with Dermot Mulroney in one of James Garner's signature roles. It seems like producers keep choosing to remake the signature roles of performers with high "Q" ratings....and end up failing miserably. i.e. the recent "Bionic Woman" remake. Maybe they'll eventually get one right....

I watched Oprah Winfrey today, and they interviewed the winners of the Oscars. When Jeff Bridges was being interviewed, it was asked what he was going to do after today. Jeff replied that he was leaving for Santa Fe, NM with the Coen Brothers to start filming True Grit. The audience went crazy when he announced that. So, I guess he's starting filming tomorrow of this John Wayne classic, and I think it will be a big hit, if Jeff does it well.

No, I am not an Oprah fan nor do I watch the show, but I just watched it because it was about these new winners of Oscar, and I am a Sandra Bullock fan.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

Barry Pepper Has True Grit

He's signed on to the Coens' latest

If we were in a cheesy punning mood (and let’s face it, when aren’t we?) we’d suggest that the Coens are planning to spice up their take on True Grit with a little Pepper. Barry Pepper, to be exact. But it’s true: he’s joining a cast that already includes Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld and recent Oscar-scooper Jeff Bridges.

Pepper is playing “Lucky” Ned Pepper (is he being typecast as someone called Pepper?), the dangerous and notorious outlaw portrayed by Robert Duvall in the 1969 adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel.

Bridges is taking over the role of Marshall Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, originally played by John Wayne, a tough lawman who helps a young woman (Steinfeld) track down her father’s murderer.

Joel and Ethan are busy shooting the film right now, taking aim at a December release date.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=27277

well it will be interesting to see what its like, I'll watch it with an open mind knowing its not a John Wayne movie but a remake of a John Wayne movie.

Yea I will watch it to, it is a western, I tried to watch the remake of
Angle and a Badman and did not even finish it did'nt care for it at all
hope the do a better job on Tru Grit.

It should be better than the remake of Angel and the Badman, as that film was made for TV, where as The remake of True Grit is for theatrical release, and I am sure has a way bigger budget. It's true, curiosity will have most of us watching it, but I can bet dollars to donuts that the original will still be our favorite. Ya think? :wink_smile:

I agree, curiosity might get the best of some of us (myself included :wink_smile: ).

And maybe . . . just MAYbe . . . for some folks, watching this might rekindle interest in the original, which might lead to watching of other John Wayne movies . . . you never know.

The cast is pretty decent so far, and having an Oscar winner in the main role can't hurt (though as I understand it, the role of Mattie will be greater, as the story is being told from her point of view).

Mrs. C :angel1:

I might break down and go see this movie on the silver screen myself when it is released. I wish they would show Duke's True Grit as well. But I do agree that the cast is not a bad one. We'll wait and see what this does. I am still concerned about the Coen Brothers doing this movie. They are weird.

Cheers :cool:

Well whatever it's like,I feel sure everyone here will watch it,
and I feel sure this thread will be even busier!!

It' hard to think of any one replacing the Duke in any role, but Bridges is a fine actor and the Coen bros. have made some very good movies. I will watch it with scrutiny.

As long as we have a discussion going here about the True Grit remake, I thought I'd share this (there are a couple of videos available as well, from TV station KWTX) -

Remake of John Wayne Classic Filmed in Central Texas (http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/92825284.html)

Just received news that the movie company fliming the remake is on set in Blanco at the Blanco County Courthouse (just a few miles up the road from San Antonio). They're expected to be there for a few days filming.
Jeff Bridges was reportedly seen going into the courthouse.

Found this last night. First pictures of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. Perhaps the photos here are just on-set, between shots photos as he's not wearing an eye patch. But, a bowler hat?? Looks more "Butch Cassidy" than "True Grit".... Plus, a full beard? If I'm not mistaken, in the novel, Rooster only had a mustache. This remake has been touted as being true to the novel, but now I'm wondering....just how true?

http://www.onlocationvacations.com/2010/05/04/first-look-at-jeff-bridges-as-roooster-cogburn-on-the-set-of-true-grit/comment-page-1/

I do not like the looks of the outfit they put him in.............

That being said, has anyone seen on the Encore Western channel the commercials for the John Wayne weekend at the end of the month? There was a clip of Steven Spielberg taking about Duke and even he said that once a character had been portrayed by Duke, it would be really difficult for anyone else to play that character or imagine anyone else in that role. I thought that was quite interesting hearing Speilberg say that.

I'm no defender of a remake -any remake - but the images look as if Bridges was dressed to testify in court, not for the trail, and was just speaking to a crew member. If I were playing the role, the last bit of costume I would put on would be an eyepatch.
On the plus side, they're filming hangings.


We deal in lead, friend.

I read the book recently and I don't think there was any mention of an eye patch; just that he had a bad eye.

Wayne hated the patch and didn't want to wear it.

I know that Hathaway wanted Duke to sport a mustache and he refused on grounds that moviegoers came to see his face. Did Rooster have a mustache in the book?


We deal in lead, friend.

Yes, in the book, Rooster had a mustache. There's a part where Mattie talked about sweat dripping down off of his mustache.

I know that Hathaway wanted Duke to sport a mustache and he refused on grounds that moviegoers came to see his face.

Suprised to hear that Duke said this, particually when you consider
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon was Duke's favourite film,
and in that movie isn't he wearing a moustache??
Didn't seem to do his popularity much harm then!!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/yellow-ribbon6.jpg

Suprised to hear that Duke said this, particually when you consider
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon was Duke's favourite film,
and in that movie isn't he wearing a moustache??
Didn't seem to do his popularity much harm then!!!



Duke said the combo of both the Eye patch and Mustache would obscure his face to much.

Thanks Jim, that explains it.

Yeah, but he also had a mustache in "The Conqueror" which I imagine didn't generate warm and (ahem) fuzzy memories. At any rate, he semed adjusted to it when he got around to "The Shootist".


We deal in lead, friend.

Although there is bound to be cross reference between the
two movies, the last few posts were specifially about Duke's True Grit,
I have copied them over to the dedicated thread.

Joel and Ethan are busy shooting the film right now, taking aim at a December release date.
According to IMDb, it is to be released on Christmas day of this year.

They have done many remakes, and all I read of what you all said is true.
I do know that Duke had difficulty finding a good script at times.
Rio Bravo & El Dorado are essentially the same movie, but I wouldn't want to do away wiith either one.
Go to:
http://www.ducksoftware.com/movies/johnwaynemovies.html
for a list of all the Duke's movies by year.

They can remake the movie, but it will never be THE movie. ColKid60

Here's a still from the new movie.


http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1712291840/tt1403865

A less-than-complimentary-to-John-Wayne article (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-iconic-john-wayne-role-redone.html) about the upcoming movie, from Yahoo Movies "Movie Talk" . . . .

What do you expect from a pig but a grunt?

Matt Damon is a one-trick-pony, and thought Glen Campbell sang his way through the last version! One can bet that this one will be filled with lots of profanity and (my guess) not NEAR as faithful adaptation to the book as the original.

Whenever there's a remake of a movie based on a book, and the original is somewhat iconic, the new one nearly ALWAYS claims that IT will follow MORE closely to the book!!

It's an H-town idiotic marketing ploy to appeal to a new crowd, and trade on Bridge's Oscar win. It was unfair of the "writer" to be so biased against JW, to the point that a 3rd grader could see it, but Hollywood has a BAD habit of tearing down people who've down the most for it, and worshipping the few who done the least and punished it the most with their actions...

Ah well...I'll be sitting at home on Christmas anyway!!

It's just not going to be the same.

Put a patch over Deputy Steven Seagal's eye, and there yuh have Rooster Cogburn
Besides, no one else matches John Wayne's toughness in today's films like Seagal does!:wink_smile:
Milla Jovovich could reprise the role of Maddie:hyper:
Billy Ray Cyrus could do Glen Campbell's role

Jeff Bridges was signed for the part long before there was any Oscar talk about Crazy Heart. Matt Damon is far from being my favorite actor but Glen Campbell was laughable.

I read the book fairly recently and in it Mattie guesses Rooster is around 40 and La Boeuf around 25. Odd they make him so much older in the films.

When was the Bridges signed for TG? The buzz on CH seemed to start rather early...

Point is, The article isn't very respectful of the original, and Damon talked out of his hat.

Jeff was signed in October. Crazy Heart was released December 16.

The Coen Brothers tend to work with the same actors repeatedly and Jeff was The Dude in the Big Lebowski.

As I remember, Duke tried to option the book when it first came out as a vehicle for himself but Wallis got it first. Duke wanted the Rooster role, and except for age, was perfect. Wallis musta thought so too.

May2 - thanks for the info, but of course they're going to play on his win, and the buzz that was going around about Crazy Heart from the start was that it had Oscar all over it.

We're not going to have a fuss over this are we, May2??

We're all on the same page about our affection for John Wayne, and while I have nothing against JB for his part in this, as he's an actor, and he's working on his craft, I think some things should be left alone.

As to the point about the ages of the characters in the book vs the movie, this happens a the time. Unless it makes an unrealistic plot difference, no one has an issue with it, usually.

In the book Mattie states that Rooster looks like President Grover Cleveland.
If they stay true to the book the new movie will have a different ending. And the movie will be more of a narrative by Mattie.

I guess we'll see when it comes out!

Hey guys, just thought I would share the Teaser (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj-nt_v2xFI&feature=player_embedded) trailer.

Not sure I like Jeff Bridges portrayal of Cogburn, but at least it looks interesting enough for me to check it out.

Thanks for that Jim,
Interesting trailer, maybe we'll have to see how Bridges checks out.
We are biased, so perhaps we should view the movie as if
it was nothing to do with Duke!!

Thanks for that Jim,
Interesting trailer, maybe we'll have to see how Bridges checks out.
We are biased, so perhaps we should view the movie as if
it was nothing to do with Duke!!

I never thought about it, but subconsciously I was indeed comparing Jeff Bridges to Duke. And as good as Bridges may be, he seriously lacks the presence to really make a lasting impression in the brief moments we see him in the trailer.

But I am going to check it out at the 2 dollar theater when it gets there.

It's a great looking trailer. Roger Deakins, the Coen brothers regular cinematographer, always does great work. He has 8 Oscar nominations.

I think this will be a more serious film than the original. No laughs.

For a film which has touted how closely it's going to follow the original novel, there are several characters listed here which were not in the novel...nor the original film. "Bear Grit", "Sullivan", "Coke Hays"??... No Original Mexican Bob, Yarnell Poindexter, OR Lawyer J. Noble Daggett.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/fullcredits#cast

For a film which has touted how closely it's going to follow the original novel, there are several characters listed here which were not in the novel...nor the original film. "Bear Grit", "Sullivan", "Coke Hays"??... No Original Mexican Bob, Yarnell Poindexter, OR Lawyer J. Noble Daggett.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/fullcredits#cast

I wouldn't take IMDB as the final word, until the movie is actually released.

I look forward to seeing this. Yes we are bias. :D

Looks good.

Knowing the Coen Brothers work, I'll bet there will be a few laughs.

The first poster.

http://www.reelmovienews.com/2010/10/true-grit-teaser-poster-debuts/

here's the first full trailer of true grit the remake there is a johnny cash song its god gonna to cut you down.the trailer look's good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTSvFSdyRg
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTSvFSdyRg)

here's the first full trailer of true grit the remake there is a johnny cash song its god gonna to cut you down.the trailer look's good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTSvFSdyRg
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTSvFSdyRg)

Sacrilege...............

This does not look like a bad remake. Maybe when people go see this version they will want to comepare, and Duke will get some new young fans. Either way it is not going to hurt Duke's legacy.

I am interested in seeing it, I just hope it is not too much of a blood bath. Sometimes They make these new movies too violent. There has to be a fine line.

True Grit trailer shootout: John Wayne v the Coen brothers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/oct/05/true-grit-coen-john-wayne

It is weird to hear True Grit virtually word for word and it looks quite good. I dont think it will be a patch :box:on the original but could a True Grit box office success reignite the western genre.

Yeah, no surprises in the trailer but I wonder what motivated the remake? At least Matt Damon is better than Glen Campbell, but where's Strother Martin when you need him? Hope the score is good.

Love "the patch" comment.


We deal in lead, friend.

yVi5J8Vzk5g

Here's the new "extended" trailer. LOL at the 2:00 mark. I presume this must be "Bear Grit." Geez Louise, what were they thinking.

Here's (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/oct/05/true-grit-coen-john-wayne) a head-to-head "comparison" of the two films. Shapes up pretty well for Duke.

The Big Lebowski is great, and I am not one for golden calves.....but nobody can play Rooster but The Duke.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-10-19-truegritinside19_ST_N.htm

'True Grit' reunites Coens, Bridges

The shadow looming over True Grit is not just The Duke, but The Dude. John Wayne won an Oscar playing Rooster Cogburn in 1969's original film, but Jeff Bridges takes over in a darker version adapted by Joel and Ethan Coen. USA TODAY explores the trio's first reunion since 1998's The Big Lebowski. "I don't know if any one of us have changed. But a lot of water has gone under our bridges," the actor says.

Hailee Steinfeld is frontier girl Mattie Ross, and Matt Damon plays LeBoeuf, a Texas Ranger who joins Bridges' Rooster Cogburn on the trail of Josh Brolin, the man who killed her father. Around such a guy-centric cast, Steinfeld found it easy to bond. "They all have daughters. So they knew," she says.

"Talking about 'innocent girl'and so forth, I'd say we both have complex characters," Bridges says of Rooster and Mattie Ross. "The girl might seem innocent, but she's quite intellectual and quite savvy about a lot of things," Bridges says. "On the other hand, Rooster's innocence and naïveté are brought to light, even through his grizzledness."

The Coen brothers told Bridges they didn't want him to think about the Wayne movie, and instead draw inspiration from the Charles Portis novel. "The basic premise is this young girl is looking for somebody to go after the killer of her father," Bridges says. "She asks, 'Who is the best bounty hunter?' And a bunch of guys are good, but Rooster is the badass merciless one. You don't want to mess with him."

It's Bridges' first film since winning an Oscar himself, for last year's Crazy Heart.

True Grit is set to debut nationwide on Dec. 25.

Steinfeld's bubbly personality contrasts with her character's dark intensity. "My goal when I was filming was she would never be happy," she says. "She's trying to be as tough as she can be. A father would be the one to help her out of it, but she doesn't have one." Hiring Bridges' Rooster Cogburn makes the two become begrudging surrogates. "The entire time, she's testing to see if he can be like a father," she says.


http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-10-19-truegrit19_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

'True Grit'? Hailee Steinfeld's got plenty of it to spare

This is no country for a young girl.
But here she is, regardless — Hailee Steinfeld, the 13-year-old star of Joel and Ethan Coen's Western True Grit, as a pigtailed, angel-faced frontier girl who recruits Jeff Bridges' one-eyed bounty hunter for bloody vengeance.

Matt Damon co-stars as a Texas Ranger who joins the hunt, and Josh Brolin is the predator-turned-prey who gunned down her father — a potentially intimidating lineup of guys for a girl making her first film.

They were soon wrapped around her finger.

"I actually started what I called the Bad Boy Jar," she says. "If they were to curse, they had to pay, because they did that pretty often."

She collected about $300 and donated it to the Alzheimer's Foundation.

"The f-word was $5, and every other word was $1," she says cheerfully. "They would say the f-word, and then realize they'd said it, and then they would say the s-word. So I'd be like, 'OK, that's $6!' "

The men got their revenge.

"The guys all looked at me and said, 'OK, this is not fair. We have to designate you a word now.' So I was not allowed to say 'like' or else it was 50 cents," she says.

She got into acting around age 8 after being inspired by a teenage cousin who starred in a Bratz doll commercial. She's done short films and a few TV roles, though True Grit— opening Dec. 25 — is her intro to feature films.

It also was her intro to the Coen brothers, since most of their movies are R-rated. "I saw The Big Lebowski," she says, since it was Bridges' last film with the Coens. "I saw little bits and pieces of Fargo. And I really want to see Raising Arizona."

Despite True Grit's brutality, she says, Joel and Ethan keep things mellow. "It is a heavy movie, and you get on set and it's, like, the mood is still (intense), from whatever we just did. But like at lunchtime and after lunch, it was a really, like, relaxed set."

So relaxed that she just cost herself $1.50.

True Grit trailer shootout: John Wayne v the Coen brothers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/oct/05/true-grit-coen-john-wayne
may2, thanks for that link! Fun little article comparing the two movies, simply based on trailers. Pretty clever!

Chester :newyear:

There is a part of December 25th that is sacred to me and another related part that celebrates good will. I am not sure if i am going to watch this film and that may be more out of respect for the many aspects involved in JW only getting the one Oscar. Life can be short and tragic, some days it can boil down to a choice that may have a large impact. We all make choices, and one way or another we live with them. Or die with them. anyways I hope you all take care

From Nikki Fink,

Paramount Pictures has pushed up the wide release of The Coen brothers-directed True Grit to December 22. It had been scheduled to open on Christmas. What difference does three days make? Well, it can help build audience awareness going into the holidays. Christmas Eve is normally a down day at the box office, and distributors often shy away because it doesn't reflect well in the box office tally. But after Paramount brass was shown the finished film by the Coens, the decision was made to giddyap and get the Western out in front of the holiday. So instead of opening on Christmas Day--which falls on a Saturday--Paramount gave itself the equivalent of having two days of sneaks to build buzz among the adult audience the film is shooting for.

This bodes well. Sometimes a studio dumps a movie on Christmas Day with no pre-screening for the press because it has no faith (pun intended) in the film.
One example was "Tombstone" in 1993. The family opened presents early that morning, the house was organized and we had a few hours before the family was due, so my son and I ducked out to catch it. We loved the movie and Val Kilmer so much, it has become our favorite "Holliday" film (go ahead and groan).

We deal in lead, friend.

This bodes well. Sometimes a studio dumps a movie on Christmas Day with no pre-screening for the press because it has no faith (pun intended) in the film.
One example was "Tombstone" in 1993. The family opened presents early that morning, the house was organized and we had a few hours before the family was due, so my son and I ducked out to catch it. We loved the movie and Val Kilmer so much, it has become our favorite "Holliday" film (go ahead and groan).

We deal in lead, friend.

Tombstone is fun to watch, doesn't make me groan at all.

Well, I have watched both of the trailers, and I have to say......no. This girl who plays Mattie Ross in the remake, somehow reminds me of Wednesday Adams from the Adams Family. Now, I'm not a Kim Darby fan by any means, but she did do a fairly decent job as Mattie. And Matt Damon? I think he's a pretty good actor. But this outfit the Coen's have him dressed in is not only not period, but he looks like a wild west show reject. Jeff Bridges? Again, I think he's a pretty decent actor, but he just isn't doing this role justice at all. He looks like a homeless alcoholic bum. Here he has a chance (as does Damon) to really shine, but the dialog, the delivery, the costumes, none of it looks right or sounds right to me. The movie may well be 100% faithful to the book (although I doubt it), but that doesn't make it a good movie. We did True Grit as a play in Junior High School English class (I played Moon), and we took our lines straight from the book. 100% faithful to Portis's words. It was still a crappy play. My prediction is that the Coen Brothers remake will be a highly acclaimed success, lauded and pawed over by liberals for no other reason than they hate John Wayne, and want to chip away at his legacy. Even if I am given the remake on DVD as a gift, the only thing I will use it for is target practice.

Well, Bob, those unwanted DVDs make great coasters for drinks, too. Could come in handy around the holidays. Which reminds me SXViper that the groan I meant was a take off between Doc Holliday and the Christmas Holiday.
My son and I think so highly of that film, we can just about recite the entire dialog from "Tombstone", even the Latin.

We deal in lead, friend.

Classics so great that they have become embedded in the public mind just should not be remade.

I'm reminded of that awful sequel to "Gone With the Wind" that came out quite a while ago. While it wasn't a remake, it still tried to do the impossible: have someone not Vivian Leigh portray Scarlett, someone not Clark Gable portray Rhett, et. al. It has sunk into well-deserved oblivion.

I suppose now they'll try to remake "Casablanca," or "Citizen Kane," or, God forbid, "The Searchers." Hollywood seems to have that little originality left.

But the press will be all over this, comparing and contrasting as if the two "True Grits" could even be placed side by side. We may even get some retrospective about Duke that's worth reading. I hardly think this travesty is worth it.

And no, I haven't seen it. And won't.

may2, thanks for that link! Fun little article comparing the two movies, simply based on trailers. Pretty clever!

Chester :newyear:
I just now watched the trailers and the New True looked so anemic compared to the Old True that I just shook my head. The nerve!

Glen Campbell's brief appearance, unfortunately, reminded me how much I loathed the original's theme music. Well, nothing's perfect.

I just now watched the trailers and the New True looked so anemic compared to the Old True that I just shook my head. The nerve!

Glen Campbell's brief appearance, unfortunately, reminded me how much I loathed the original's theme music. Well, nothing's perfect.

Glen Campbell is in the remake??

What character is he playing??

New posters,

http://www.reelmovienews.com/2010/11/five-new-banner-posters-for-true-grit-released/

'True Grit’ First Impressions Leak as Late Showdown Nears

Paramount Pictures has two of this year’s biggest last-minute entries into the Oscar race – and the first of them, “The Fighter,” drew lots of attention, strong buzz and clear awards potential.

Now a showdown is nearing for an even bigger and later entry from Paramount: the Coen Brothers’ version of the Charles Portis book “True Grit,” with Jeff Bridges in the role that in 1969 won John Wayne his only Oscar, and a supporting cast that includes Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld.

Sight-unseen, the movie has long been considered a potential awards heavyweight, maybe the last one of 2010; it landed in the top five of several pundits’ Oscar predictions before anybody had seen it.

After initial reports that it wouldn’t begin screening until December, the movie was quietly – very quietly – unveiled about a week ago. But you won’t find much reaction from the handful who’ve seen it: Paramount has embargoed all reviews and responses until Wednesday, December 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Still, a few clues have slipped out. The morning after a very small screening on the Paramount lot last Monday, the Los Angeles Times’ “Hero Complex” columnist, Geoff Boucher, tweeted, “Meeting Jeff Bridges at 10 to talk about my new favorite movie of 2010.”

Presumably he could have been referring to Bridges’ other December release, “Tron: Legacy” – or presumably he could claim as much if he was accused of violating an embargo that included Twitter.

Later on Tuesday, Jeff Bridges and T Bone Burnett reportedly hosted their own screening – and on the heels of that, a few more tweets appeared, most along the lines of “Loved True Grit! Coen Brothers did such a good job. Jeff Bridges was amazing. I now want to learn how to ride a horse and fire a gun. :)”

A couple of those tweets apparently came from overzealous Paramount employees, who took down their fulsome praise in short order.

And then over Thanksgiving weekend Jeff Wells mentioned screenings but said “I can’t say exactly when or where,” while a few more people on Twitter talked about a weekend screening in New York.

The handful who implied that they had seen the film were enthusiastic (“True Grit = Master Piece”; "finally, after decades of disappointments, a western done right"), though it’s hard to trust the veracity of all of them. One tweet raved about the film the writer referred to as “Eastwood’s True Grit,” which it most assuredly is not.

One aspect of the film, meanwhile, has been let out: Paramount sent CDs of the film’s soundtrack, by Carter Burwell, to guild members and critics’ award voters. (That’s the CD cover, above.)

The music is for the most part somber and elegiac; it’s a spare piano-based score, rife with echoes of old gospel tunes and Protestant hymns.

(The first time I heard it, I thought Burwell had a little too much of a friend in “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” though on subsequent listens the score sounds more original.)

The music is lovely, and it wouldn’t feel at all out of place as an alternate soundtrack to Ken Burns’ “The Civil War.” What’s not evident, despite some more portentous and dramatic moments, is the Coens’ twisted sense of humor.

Incidentally, the two songs used to great effect in the film’s first two trailers – the Peasall Sisters’ stark “Where No One Stands Alone” in the teaser, Johnny Cash’s doomy “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” on the second trailer – are nowhere in evidence on the CD.

As to whether Burwell’s score is an accurate indication of the tone of the film, that answer will have to wait until Wednesday morning.

At that point, I’ll have something to say in this space … so stay tuned.

http://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/showdown-time-draws-near-%E2%80%98true-grit%E2%80%99-22853?page=0,1

The Coen Brothers' remake of "True Grit," starring Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn and Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross (above), last week earned a PG-13 rating -- good news for all who anticipate a faithful rendering of Charles Portis' marvelous 1968 novel. Portis' exhilarating Western tale of 14-year-old Mattie and her journey into the Choctaw Nation to avenge her father's murder deserves a better movie than the pretty good 1969 film that featured John Wayne as Rooster, a mean, one-eyed U.S. Marshal. Wayne was wonderfully entertaining, but a great adaptation of "True Grit" must hinge on Mattie, and Kim Darby wasn't up to the part.

To quote Donna Tartt's terrific afterword to the 2004 edition, Mattie "is the perfect soldier, despite her sex. She is as tireless as a gun dog; and while we laugh at her single-mindedness, we also stand in awe of it." (That's why many of us compared the heroine of the recent book and movie "Winter's Bone" to Mattie.) The danger of the Coen Brothers doing Mattie's story was that they'd overly sexualize her character, gussy up her diction in some contemporary-profane way, and shade her adventure toward extreme, absurd cruelties.

So the PG-13 rating is encouraging, even if it is for "intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images." They are part of the book, too. Have you ever read Portis' masterpiece? Do you have fond memories of the first movie? How much are you looking forward to the second one?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/movies/blog/2010/11/true_grit_gets_pg13_rating_why.html

'True Grit': A family-friendly Coen brothers film?

The Coen brothers may have made, of all things, a family film.

It just depends on the age of the kids in the family. Fans of Joel and Ethan Coen have been eagerly anticipating their Western True Grit, but few might have guessed it would have more in common with Treasure Island than No Country for Old Men.

A 1969 version of the story, starring John Wayne, also had a light touch, and though this adaptation is decidedly darker, it still has a winking playfulness — and a PG-13 rating.

Even executives at Paramount Pictures weren't certain when the brothers repeatedly promised that their hellfire and gunfire story would fit with a release date of Dec. 22.

"They were contemplating a holiday release, and we thought that it seemed to make sense, because it is a young-adult adventure story," Ethan Coen says.

"Tonally, it's different than what we've done before," Joel Coen says.

Most of the story plays as comedy: A headstrong prairie girl (13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld) bosses the disheveled Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and a dimwitted Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) as they pursue the man who murdered her father.

"That's something people do associate with our movies, by and large: the fact that there is a humorous element," Joel Coen says.

Much of the comedy comes from the grandiloquence of the dialogue, with desperate people communicating with what seems to be comical ceremony, even as they plot murder.

"The only credit we can take from that is we didn't change it from the novel," Ethan Coen says of the 1968 novel by Charles Portis. "The dialogue is taken pretty much entirely from the book. There's a formality to it. And no one uses contractions."

The Coens chuckle at the idea that fathers and daughters might bond over this tale of a vengeance-seeking girl and her paternal surrogate.

They say they wanted to make the kind of movie they used to enjoy.

"As kids we did see the Disney movies and the kids' adventure stories of the day," Ethan Coen says. "It's also like Howard Pyle, the famous illustrator who did pirate stories. That's the stuff we were taken with as kids."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-12-01-coens01_ST_N.htm

That's a perplexing statement considering that the 1969 movie was very faithful to the book.

I certainly wont be going out of my way to watch the remake, the actor who plays Rooster will have to wear boots he'll never be able to fit into.

:agent:
Boy do I agree with you Robbie , I don't think that There is any actor alive that can fill The DUKE'S boots. I've seen the clips and I am greatly sickened by Bridges' attempt to portray Rooster . In my opinion this dog just won't hunt

Great review,

http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/oscar-coen-bros-true-grit-enters-race/

Great review,

http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/12/01/true-grit-review/

Great review,

http://www.awardsdaily.com/2010/12/true-grit-sentimental-education/

Great review,

http://www.slashfilm.com/video-blog-reaction-coen-brothers-true-grit/


American Masters is kicking off it's new season with a profile of Jeff Bridges,

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/news/article_1602792.php/Jeff-Bridges-kicks-off-American-Masters-25th-Season

Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood-Elsewhere isn't so high on the True Grit remake.

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/12/true_grit_a_mis.php

"The only credit we can take from that is we didn't change it from the novel," Ethan Coen says of the 1968 novel by Charles Portis. "The dialogue is taken pretty much entirely from the book."

Just from the trailers, I've noted numerous "changes" they've made to the dialogue. Their idea of "pretty much" is open for discussion.

I would love to know what motivated Jeff Bridges to wear the eye patch over his right eye instead of over his left eye as JW did in the original version of this film. Bridges is clearly right handed as some of the trailer clips show him firing his Winchester with the rifle stock up against his right shoulder and using his right hand to cock the rifle as well as pulling the trigger. Anyone who has ever fired a rifle, any rifle, with the weapon up against their right shoulder knows that it is impossible to line up the rear sight with the front sight using only their left eye to aim at a target. The right cheek is planted firmly up against the rifle stock and there is absolutely no way that the left eye can be used to sight in on a target. If he's shooting from the hip then it's not a problem but shooting with the butt of the rifle up against his right shoulder means that the shooter is not at all sure just where that bullet is going to wind up.


Also, it'll be interesting this time to see whether the actor Barry Pepper who now plays the role of Lucky Ned Pepper shoots with his right hand or his left. He was the "left handed" sharpshooter in Saving Private Ryan.

I agree the cover is menacing, he's a tough hombre. How does hollywood think the can redo True Grit! I guess to the youngins whom have never seen the real true Grit!! I guess the progressives must make all conservatives disappear in history for the young so they'll only know what they tell em. Kick out Jesus, kick out John Wayne, they would like to do, but as long as I live and mykids like hell they will. Merry Christmas.

The new True Grit is NOT an "us versus them" political issue.

What it is, is that it's the same old same old in that Hollywood LOVES to remake stuff, especially when it comes with a brand name. Paramount is seeing dollar signs, not political signs.

-- Paula the Progressive who has no desire whatsoever to kick out Jesus, Christmas, John Wayne (I LOVE John Wayne) or guns.

Another review,

http://moviecitynews.com/2010/12/review-true-grit-2010-spoiler-free/

Most of the reviews I've read about this remake thus far make it quite evident that hardly any of the reviewers have even read the novel.

Glen Campbell's brief appearance, unfortunately, reminded me how much I loathed the original's theme music. Well, nothing's perfect.
I recently listened to an interview with Don Black who wrote that music and he said it was the most difficult music script he has ever had to do. The words "True Grit" were very difficult to work around.

Bob

This will be the first movie that I've gone to in about 5 years. I must say I'm very curious to see this flix.

Lots of news articles about the screening of the "True Grit" remake, which was held in L.A. on Dec. 9th. (Google True Grit Remake Screening). Perhaps the Coens picked up on how the "Hawaii 5-0" remake seems to have succeeded because it pays a certain amount of homage to the original series as they had Kim Darby at the screening of the new film. She posed for photos with Hailee Steinfeld.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/galleries/x309007305/Gallery-True-Grit-screened-in-Beverly-Hills

The Coen Brothers talk about the film.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/movies/12grit.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

TCM is having a John Wayne day on Dec. 22, the day the True Grit remake opens. Here's the schedule (which includes the original True Grit). Times are Eastern Standard.

http://www.tcm.com/schedule/index.jsp?startDate=12/22/2010&timezone=EST&cid=N

22 Wednesday
6:00 AM Rio Lobo (1970)
A Civil War veteran searches for the traitor behind a friend's death. Cast: John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jack Elam. Dir: Howard Hawks. C-114 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

8:00 AM Fort Apache (1948)
An experienced cavalry officer tries to keep his new, by-the-books commander from triggering an Indian war. Cast: John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple. Dir: John Ford. BW-128 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

10:15 AM She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)
An aging Cavalry officer tries to prevent an Indian war in the last days before his retirement. Cast: John Wayne, Joanne Dru, Ben Johnson. Dir: John Ford. C-104 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

12:00 PM Rio Grande (1950)
A cavalry unit located on the Mexican border must control Indian uprisings. Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson. Dir: John Ford. BW-105 mins, TV-PG, CC

1:45 PM Searchers, The (1956)
An Indian-hating Civil War veteran tracks down the tribe that slaughtered his family and kidnapped his niece. Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood. Dir: John Ford. C-119 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

3:45 PM 3 Godfathers (1948)
Three outlaws on the run risk their freedom and their lives to return a newborn to civilization. Cast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey, Jr. Dir: John Ford. C-106 mins, TV-G, CC

5:45 PM Sons of Katie Elder, The (1965)
A ranch-owner's four sons vow to avenge their father's death. Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer. Dir: Henry Hathaway. C-122 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

8:00 PM True Grit (1969)
A young girl recruits an aging U.S. marshal to help avenge her father's death. Cast: John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell. Dir: Henry Hathaway. C-128 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

10:15 PM Rio Bravo (1959)
A sheriff enlists a drunk, a kid and an old man to help him fight off a ruthless cattle baron. Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson. Dir: Howard Hawks. C-141 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

12:45 AM McLintock! (1963)
A cattle baron fights to tame the West and his estranged wife. Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Stefanie Powers. Dir: Andrew V. McLaglen. C-127 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

3:00 AM Big Jake (1971)
A rancher leads the posse out to recover his kidnapped grandson. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Boone, Patrick Wayne. Dir: George Sherman. C-110 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

5:00 AM Man From Monterey, The (1933)
A U.S. Cavalry officer tries to protect Spanish landowners in California. Cast: John Wayne, Lillian Leighton, Donald Reed. Dir: Mack V. Wright. BW-57 mins, TV-G, CC

Some people need to take a step back from their hatred of a film any of us has not even seen. I for one look forward to seeing a new western. Remake or not, of a very good book. Which I have read three times over the years.
I first read this True Grit in 1968 before the movie was made. I had thought of another actor who in his prime could had played Rooster, that being Wallace Beery for those old enough to remember him.
Hollywood remakes good films for two reasons.
One. To make money. Two. Very few young people watch old films. Most will not even know this it a remake.
Remember JW made remakes. The Spoliers, Three Godfathers, The Alamo and even remade his own movie EL Dorado.
Some people complain that Jeff Bridges wares the eye patch over the wrong eye, has a beard ,shots with the wrong eye. ( I was in the Marines and we had good shots who closed the off eye)
The book only says Rooster had a bad eye, no word of a eye patch.
In the book Rooster is about 40 years old with a mustache.
All I,am trying to say is this it only another version of a very good western novel.
If this film fails, I'll be long in my grave before anyone makes another western.
This film will not diminish Dukes great legacy one bit.

This film will not diminish Dukes great legacy one bit.


That's what I've been saying. The old movie is my all time favorite, and will always be, and as I've said before, it's not going anywhere!

AS a fan of the novel, I am looking forward to this new version. I hope it's a hit, and I hope to see more westerns on the big screen. (Hopefully original stories, and Westerns without aliens and zombies!!!)

I'm kind of interested in seeing it myself. It looks interesting and we don't get many westerns made to watch these days. From the trailers I've seen, It looks decent enough. I do think it will be difficult getting use to Bridge's version of Rooster Cogburn. Duke made his Rooster a likeable "vagabond", while Bridge's looks like his is more gruff and not friendly. But, I'll see it none the less. There is no fear of it eclipsing the original in any of our hearts, so what can it hurt?

Mark

Not necessarily a "hatred" of the remake. Just not a huge fan of remakes of any kind.

It does look like this new film will be using a Colt's Dragoon instead of an 1847 Walker though. If you can believe anything the IMDB posts....

http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/True_Grit_%282010%29

I'm with ZS on this. I try to look at remakes as separate movies without any relationship to the original. Duke's "True Grit" will not lose any status in my mind. It seems the consensus on the remake is that it's Oscar material and Jeff Bridges should be at the same level! Of course, this may be hype since not many people can have seen the movie this far ahead of the release.
We will see!!!!

we don't get many westerns made to watch these days

There maybe some more on the way,

Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain scribes Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana are in the midst of two major period Western feature films projects. They are scripting The Color of Lightning for Ridley Scott to direct at 20th Century Fox, and they are at the center of a new deal at Warner Bros to adapt the S. C. Gwynne book Empire of the Summer Moon into a film that will be directed by Crazy Heart helmer Scott Cooper. Both projects are produced by Scott Free.

First, they will complete The Color of Lightning, an adaptation the Paulette Jiles book that was published by Harper Collins. Britt Johnson is a freed slave who moves his wife and three children to Texas with dreams of starting a freight business. When he's away, a raiding party of Commanche and Kiowa kill his oldest son and take his family captive. Johnson spends a winter plotting revenge. The story is loosely based on a factual tale said to be an inspiration for the classic Western The Searchers.

The S.C. Gwynne book Empire of the Summer Moon is certainly more sympathetic to the Commanches. The book is a Braveheart-style epic about the great Commanche warrior Quanah, who held the westward expansion of settlers at bay for 40 years, and led to the formation of the Texas Rangers to fight against them.

Published last summer by Scribner, Empire of the Summer Moon focuses on the warrior skills of Quanah, considered the greatest chief the tribe ever had. A big part of the story is the chief's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, a blue-eyed honey-haired child who was kidnapped by the Commanches when she was 9 and incorporated into the tribe. Her son steeled the Commanches to become ferocious warriors, and the primary impediment to Western expansion.

"Quanah was the last great Commanche chief, considered the key to what they called 'The Commanche Barrier' to settling the West," Gwynne told me. "He came to power very young and led the Commanches in the last great wars against the white man. One of the interesting parts of the story was that his mother was the most famous captive of the era. She was the white squaw who refused to return, until she was finally brought back against her will by the Texas Rangers."

McMurtry, of course, also wrote the novel Lonesome Dove, which was adapted into the seminal miniseries. Westerns have become scarce in Hollywood, but that could change with the upcoming Joel and Ethan Coen-directed True Grit, which brings back he charm of the genre. UTA repped McMurtry and Ossana, and brokered the Empire of the Summer Moon deal with lit agency McCormick-Williams.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/brokeback-duo-larry-mcmurtry-and-diana-ossana-script-pair-of-period-westerns/

It seems the consensus on the remake is that it's Oscar material and Jeff Bridges should be at the same level!

Wouldn't it be the absolute height of irony if Bridges won the Best Actor Oscar for this picture?

Wouldn't it be the absolute height of irony if Bridges won the Best Actor Oscar for this picture?

In 1932 Fredric March won best actor for Dr. Jekll and Mr.Hyde.
In 1941 Spencer Tracy in the remake was not nominated.
Not an easy thing to do.

Not an eaey thing to do.

Let's hope so, Bill. I like to think that role was made exclusively for Duke's Oscar.

What is ironic is that he won a Best Actor Oscar for a performance in which he, in effect, poked fun at his own screen image.

For months now everyone in the industry has said Colin Firth would win for the King's Speech. I will be happy if Jeff gets a nomination.

He got a SAG nom today as did Hallie Steinfeld.

SAG Noms.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/2010-12-16-sagnoms-list_N.htm

The nomination for Hallie Steinfeld as Supporting Actress brings a question quickly to mind. If the Cohn brothers claim they made the film more closely to the book where it will be told through Mattie, wouldn't that make her the lead actress, not a supporting roll?

Mark

Lead and supporting actors get twisted around come award time. It's her first movie, she'll be a supporting actress.

SAG Nominations Analyzed

http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/sag-award-noms-hammond-analyzes/

The Supporting Actress field offered up no shockers with True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld , obstensibly a lead but entered in the supporting category, grabbing a nomination even though the size of her role dwarfs the competition. Two years ago Kate Winslet won in this category for The Reader but was later nominated for – and won – the leading actress Oscar in the same film. Rules differ between the two orgs. With SAG, actors are entered into specific categories. With Oscar it’s up to the Actors branch to decide where they belong. Just based on the weight of her role Steinfeld could be a major contender to take this prize at SAG, particularly if The Fighter’s nominated co-stars Melissa Leo and Amy Adams split their vote.

Thanks for clarifying that for me. Curious to see how she fairs.

Mark

So it seems that a lot of you are planning to see this movie when released. You go in with an open mind, mainly to be entertained, which is the main objective. Are most of you are saying that you are really seeing this movie because how well you liked the book? It is hard to not see this movie and not compare if you seen the earlier version. I mean, watch Jeff ride a horse versus Duke's riding. Shooting a gun or just plain dialog. I can't help it because it is my nature to compare movies. Or even still compare movie versus book.

I have read the book many years ago. I don't remember a lot of it. I think I saw the movie before I read the book. I was only 8 years old when the movie was released. I don't have a copy of it, but I think I'll just have to purchase it and reread it again.

I've seen the trailer of the new "True Grit". It looks more dramatic than the '69 version (sorry it's in my nature). I am more opened minded to see this myself, but my main concern is the Colen Brothers. They make weird movies. They will literally destroy a story to put in their twisted mind set in their movies. I guess it may be the movies they choose. With True Grit they may behave themselves since we are more familiar with this story.

Most of the reviews I've read is how much a better actor Jeff Bridges is than John Wayne. Opinions vary, and as long as we have the political left and right, I guess that will hold true to any really opinion as to what people prefer. People need to get past that and I mean all people on the left and right (sorry it's in my nature). I actually like Jeff in some movies (note I said "some"). To see him play Rooster Cogburn will be really hard for me because I am use to seeing John Wayne as the one and only Rooster.

Will I go see it? I thing I will. I may need to see it before you give your reviews here, so I don't loose my perspective of this movie. But I will again be open minded. As most reviewers in newspapers, magazines, and blogs have shown their liberal opinions in their articles.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

Hondo, you can still get the book on ebay really cheap. There is always a copy or two going off each week. I loved the book and have read it several times.

Mark

HONDO: It is hard to not see this movie and not compare if you seen the earlier version.


Very true, especially If you're like me and the Original True Grit (I'll call OTG because I'm too lazy to keep typing it out!) is your favorite movie. Comparisons are to be expected.

The only thing that’s bugging me about the hype of the new film is the actors and director’s keep saying, “It’s not like the John Wayne Movie, we’re taking the dialog straight from the original novel…”
Well, at least 90 percent of the dialog in the OTG is also directly from the novel! Plus some of what was narration in the novel was turned into dialog. (And a few things that Roberts left out of the screenplay found it’s way into “Rooster Cogburn and the Lady”.)

IMO, In a few places, screenwriter Margurite Robert's actually improved on the dialog by adding a few punch lines that Charles Portis didn’t think of! To tell the truth, I think Marguerite Robert’s “True Grit” has a little more wit than Charles Portis’ “True Grit”. Now, I’m curious about the Cohen Brothers version.
　
That being said, I’m still looking forward to this new version, simply because I like the story, and I haven’t seen a good Western on the big screen in a while. I’m not a Coen Brothers, fan, but I will give it a chance.

Hondo, you can still get the book on ebay really cheap. There is always a copy or two going off each week. I loved the book and have read it several times.

Mark

Thanks Mark. I will purchase this and get paid for shopping on my site through ebay.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

By the way, I just ran across True Grit on Blue Ray. I purchased it at Walmart for $15. Couldn't help it. Just have to see this on Blue Ray. That is the original version.

Cheers :cool:

You can get a copy of Portis's novel at Wal-Mart now. It's paperback, $11.96, & has been re-released to tie in with the film's remake release.

Article on Charles Portis

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/magazine/12FOB-WWLN-t.html?_r=1

Another article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/books/20portis.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

saw the trailer today it looks better than I had thought it would, can't wait to see it

"True Grit": How does the original stack up?

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/true_grit/index.html?story=/ent/movies/film_salon/2010/12/20/true_grit_original_open2010

may2, thanks for your many interesting contributions (links) in this thread - some real good reading.

We noticed that True Grit is on the marquee at the local movie theater, and we expect we'll go see it fairly soon.

As others have mentioned, seeing this doesn't take away from the OTG's place in our heart (thanks, ZSMaverick, for the OTG in place of Original True Grit :wink_smile:).

We look forward to seeing what everybody thinks. I haven't read the book, but Mrs. C has, and she echoed a previous post, in that many lines in OTG came directly from the Charles Portis novel, not sure how much closer the Coen brothers can come.

I guess we'll find out!

Chester :newyear:

Frenzy On The Wall: No Country For The Coens’ True Grit Remake

http://moviecitynews.com/2010/12/frenzy-on-the-wall-no-country-for-the-coens-true-grit-remake/

Frenzy On The Wall: No Country For The Coens’ True Grit Remake

http://moviecitynews.com/2010/12/frenzy-on-the-wall-no-country-for-the-coens-true-grit-remake/

This guy sounds like one of those self-important film critics who think their judgement outweighs everyone else's. Instead of just enjoying a good story, he feels it's his obligation to pick it to pieces for the edification of us mere mortals. I don't like film critics per se and Forrest only reinforces that feeling.

I'm also not a big fan of the Coens and Forrest obviously thinks they're the best thing to come along since sliced bread.

The author behind True Grit,

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/12/21/the-author-behind-true-grit/

Ebert likes it,

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101221/REVIEWS/101229997

My wife and I sat down last night to watch the original. She wanted to see the JW version before we went to the new one. I am very reluctant to go to the new one as I am not a fan of the Coen's either, especially the way they made us Minnesotan's look in Fargo. I will let you know what I think after we see it.

I,am also seeing the movie tonight. I lucked out and got a free pass. My thoughts in a day or two.

Whenever I'm really looking forward to a movie I am almost always disappointed when I see it. I've been looking forward to this one for almost a year. I loved it.

It's the like the first one and yet it's different. It looks great. Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld are so much better than Glen Campbell and Kim Darby. It's not bleak and it has funny moments. I don't know how you could hate it if you like Westerns but I'm sure people will. It's 18 minutes shorter than the original.

There were 18 people, mostly males, at the noon showing. I thought that was pretty good.

I don't know how you could hate it if you like Westerns

Westerns are and always have been my favorite movie genre but to me, it's almost sacriligious that someone would remake the only film that John Wayne, the most popular actor of all time, scored a Best Actor Oscar.

Why the devil couldn't the Coens have picked another Duke film? Even "Rio Bravo", my favorite Wayne movie, wouldn't have bothered me as much as a remake of "True Grit".

Hel-lo?!

We all know why it was done. Contrary to what you hear from the "Coen Camp" as to their reasons for doing this movie, it's a safe bet (I'm not the only person with ties to the industry to believe this, BTW) that taking on iconic movies and roles, AND putting their OWN stamp on the
film helps strengthen their status as major players.

Remaking movies isn't new. It's been done in Hollywood since the early days. Heck, John Ford did his share, and used JW to help him do it.

What burns folks up is the lame reason used when they're confronted - "This will be more faithful to the book than the original..." even though the '69 version was (save for the ending) pretty much straight out of the book.

The other thing people get out of all of this is a dislike for Bridges, and that's just unfair to him.

No matter what, he can't fill JW's shoes, because he's NOT JW. He's also not Hank Fonda, or Cary Grant. He's a very fine actor who's very good at what he does - just like JW, although he'll probably never reach the level of stardom as JW.

This is about respect. Plain & simple. They feel they can do a better job than Hathaway did with the original. A more "up-to-date" approach, if you will. The BS about being faithful to the book is EXACTLY that. My issue with it all is that they aren't being open about WHY they're doing it, and they think the public is too stupid and unsophisticated to realize what's going on.

The movies will be viewed in a different way, and that's the way it should be, as they're NOT the same film.

I respect the viewpoints of others on this board who might not agree with me on this, but it's OK - my shoulders are very broad.

I don't think True Grit was his best performance.

Who's? Bridges' or JW's?

I agree it wasn't JW's best overall, but that's what I meant about it - I think Bridges is a very good actor, but not in JW's league, and I realize you might not agree.

It's not Wayne's best performance.

Q and A with the Coen Brothers,

http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/oscar-joel-and-ethan-coen-qa-on-true-grit/

It's not Wayne's best performance.

I personally think "The Shootist" was his best performance.

Shortly after I joined our group (5 or 6 years ago), I created a bit of resentment among certain members for stating my belief (and I was sincere in this belief) that the Duke wasn't a particularly gifted actor, as actors go, but that he was still my all-time favorite for the overall sense of great character that he projected both on and off screen. I just think the Duke had a charisma that puts the rest of 'em to shame.

The link is broken. It goes straight to the "reply to private message" page...

The link is fixed.

The Coens are major players.

The Coens are major players.

Unfortunately...........

May2, I never said they weren't. I said they were doing this (in part) to "strengthen their status" as major players.

That's the name of the game in any business - increasing your market share, and most of the time it's done by creating a bigger name for yourself. You can accomplish THAT by not being a cookie-cutter type company (unless you make cookie-cutters!!). This is what I was saying before.

Not everyone has the same taste in movies, so a variety is needed to allow for the biggest cross-section of movie goers possible. Personally, I loved "O brother, where art thou," even though it had a few issues regarding accuracy to the period (big deal, right? Happens all the time in movies), it's a movie I have on DVD, and try to watch whenever it's on cable...

That's a Coen Bros. movie, and I'm fine with it. I'm not sure how I'll feel about True Grit v2, but I'll be objective while watching, and try not to "think" myself out of enjoying a good movie.

I find it very hard to believe that they "never" seen the original except for when it came out and they forgot about the story. Come on!! You are remaking a movie that an actor won a Oscar for and you haven't seen it in almost 40 years and you cannot remember what it was about? Talk about blowing smoke up the public's butt!! Gees.......that is why people are sick and tired of Hollywood. They are so out of touch with real people. If they were truly students of cinema, they would have done research while writing and producing the new version which would have included watching the original.

My point exactly, SXVIper!

You almost NEVER get the straight skinny out of folks in "the biz," but that's a stretch, even for them.

Here's an interesting article comparing the two Cogburns, (http://www.asylum.com/2010/12/23/rooster-vs-rooster-which-true-grit-star-makes-cogburn-a-bigg/)

The Coens have said repeatedly they were making their movie based on the book. There was no reason in the world for them to rewatch the original film.


It looks to be a hit.

http://blog.boxofficespy.com/

Yesterday's only other new wide release, True Grit, the film directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin had a far more auspicious debut.

The Paramount Pictures released western earned $5.5 million on its first day of release, December 22, 2010, debuting in third place.

That's significantly higher than expectations, and a strong number regardless.

True Grit should be looking at a five-day extended opening weekend gross between $32-$35 million, which would be higher than even high projections.

New reports have come in that True Grit had a rather modest budget of just $40 million, which means the film doesn't have to go far to be considered a success.

Combined with the holiday season which gives way to small weekend declines, strong daily earnings, and already positive word-of-mouth, True Grit should be headed to a hefty domestic total.

In fact, the movie has an excellent chance at becoming one of the five highest grossing westerns of all-time, although that's unadjusted for inflation.

I keep reading articles about how very close to the novel the Coens stuck...and then, I read articles about this Bear Man character, part of LaBeouf's tongue getting ripped out, Mattie sleeping in a coffin at the funeral home, excerpts of dialogue which were nowhere in the novel or the original film & it just makes me wonder......what is the definition of "close"? It will be next week before I would even be able to see the new film. What are the impressions of members of this community who have seen the new film?

I keep reading articles about how very close to the novel the Coens stuck...and then, I read articles about this Bear Man character, part of LaBeouf's tongue getting ripped out, Mattie sleeping in a coffin at the funeral home, excerpts of dialogue which were nowhere in the novel or the original film & it just makes me wonder......what is the definition of "close"? It will be next week before I would even be able to see the new film. What are the impressions of members of this community who have seen the new film?

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER WARNING!

I saw True Grit today. Er, LaBeouf's tongue is NOT ripped out -- but when he's shot he nearly bites through it. But after that scene the only after-effect is he speaks a bit (just a bit) thickly.

It's been years since I've read the book so I can't really say how much more faithful the new version is, other than this time Mattie is played by an age-appropriate actress, thus highlighting to a much greater degree how very very young she is (and making the disparity of age between her and Rooster Cogburn even more noticeable... and LaBeouf's declaration about thinking of stealing a kiss from her even more creepier) and this time she does lose her arm at the end, as in the book.

Now that that's out of the way, I thought this was a terrific film and I really enjoyed it. My only complaint really is that compared to the original, the actors just don't have that larger than life, colorful quality that the actors in the 1968 version have -- especially Rooster. I have been a big Jeff Bridges fan for years but he's up against a National Monument in the form of John Wayne, who is so singular and iconic a presence that there's just no way he can top Wayne's performance, or make Rooster as memorable by going in another direction. Plus Wayne, in playing Rooster, was playfully subverting an image he'd inhabited for decades and brought a huge amount of subtext to the role simply by being who he was. That's not there with Bridges simply because he's never been THE western hero that Wayne was.

But taken on its own, trying not to compare it to the first one, this is a most excellent film. That final sequence where Rooster desperately races towards town with the snake-bit Mattie in his arms is a real gut-wrencher. Definitely on my thumbs up and recommended list.

P.S. The new version is definitely more violent and gorier than the original.

Thanks for the clarification & I'm glad to see someone who's seen the new film post on it. (I wonder about some of the professional movie reviewers....) Here's the article I read about LaBeouf's tongue... Anyway, thanks for the insight & I intend to see the remake next week.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-matt-damon-20101226,0,6384690.story

Thanks for the link! It's true (I vaguely recall) that Cogburn suggests just ripping out (or cutting out? can't remember) LaBeouf's tongue -- and yes, there is a lot of blood -- but LaBeouf rejects the offer. ;)

That shootout with Ned's gang, staged mostly in longshot, is done masterfully. I also loved Barry Pepper as Ned Pepper. Obviously Barry was born for the role! ;)

May2 -

Others of us are trying really hard to keep an open mind about all of this, but you can't seem to. We know you like Bridges as an actor, as you've stated before, and that's perfectly fine.

Your defense of the Coens in nearly aspect of this film, from it's inception until now has been REALLY intense, even in the face of very clear evidence about their misrepresentations regarding WHY they made the film.

As a composer/arranger, if I were to undertake completing a new arrangement that was based on...let's say "White Christmas," further stating I was going to stick closer to Irving Berlin's original composition that how Big Crosby (you know, the guy who's most famous for doing it - AND selling all those records of it for all those years) performed it....

I would be a FOOL to attempt this without:

1). Listening to the most famous rendering of the song of ALL-TIME, to see how close IT was to Berlin's original before I made the claim that MINE would be closer (BTW - more than once, to be sure I knew what I was looking for...), AND

2). I wouldn't SAY I'd never listened to the original, because everyone in the industry would know I was lying. It's too well known, and too closely associated with a single artist for me to be able to back that up.

The same is true in ANY profession. If you want to be good, you study the past to see what made others good, and WHY you got into the industry to start with. You don't start making hits in movies without seeing how others did it before you, then try to avoid making critical mistakes that caused films to flop.

If anything, this movie will cause a new generation to go back to the OTG and look at it with new eyes, and say "I like the '10 version better," or "I like the '69 version better." maybe they'll want to see more JW movies...win/win in my book!

he's up against a National Monument in the form of John Wayne, who is so singular and iconic a presence that there's just no way he can top Wayne's performance, or make Rooster as memorable by going in another direction. Plus Wayne, in playing Rooster, was playfully subverting an image he'd inhabited for decades and brought a huge amount of subtext to the role simply by being who he was. That's not there with Bridges simply because he's never been THE western hero that Wayne was.

This says it all - well said, Paula.

The Coen Brothers have been major players for a long time. They live in NYC and don't play the Hollywood fame game. They make small personal films that mean something to them not $100 million dollar films filled with special effects. Remaking a 40-year old films doesn't impress Hollywood.

They have no reason to lie about why they made the film of if they rewatched the original.

No one is going to hate Jeff Bridges for playing Rooster Cogburn.

The 2010 True Grit is not going to damage the 1969 True Grit or chip into the "monument" that is John Wayne.

One of the Coens said in an interview that the original is an iconic film for people his age but not for 18-year old film goers of today.

I worked at a college bookstore. College kids are idiots. One day the name John Wayne came up and a girl I worked with had no idea who he was, so we had a poll that day and asked every customer who John Wayne was. About a third of them had no clue or they thought he was a Vegas entertainer.

The 2010 True Grit is going to make people aware of the 1969 True Grit. They'll seek it out, watch it and some of them will become John Wayne fans because of it.

TCM never would have run a day of Wayne films 3 day before Xmas if the new True Grit hadn't been released that day.

The new movie is a good film and it's good for John Wayne.

TCM runs John Wayne movie marathons quite often & generally around the holidays. But, I do agree with your assessment that most college kids are idiots in that they are painfully unaware of anything which has happened in the past & we all know that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

True Grit was originally supposed to open Xmas day. They changed the release date in early November. I don't think that day was originally planned.

Michael Wilmington on the movie

http://moviecitynews.com/2010/12/mw-on-movies-true-grit/

May2 refuses to see the forest for all the trees in the way...

There was an article in my local newspaper that reviewed TG. I don't know who wrote this review, but what was told about this movie was if you've seen the OTG many times over the years, you may want to wait until it comes out on cable. If you have never seen the OTG, or seen it many years ago, then you should see it.

The reviewer in my opinion is suggesting that if you are a follower of Duke then you will never accept this new version. You will be better off not spending your money. They did rate the movie three out of four stars. Still debating about seeing it but it will be after Christmas.

By the way, I bought the book and started to reading it. It has been a long time since I read it, so having fun reading this again. I am remembering some of the things in the book. Very interesting book, the OTG seems to follow it real close from what I have read so far.

Cheers :cool: Hondo

My wife and I planed to see it next week,but when I see the clips on tv and hear the dialog. It is so hard not to compare to the Dukes. It has gotten good reviews ,but I think I'm to bias to enjoy it with out saying something negative in the theater. But I do love westerns.

I don't like Coen brothers...
The girl point of view? What means? A feminist vision?
Rubbish..
That's all...

Merry Christmas to all friends here.

My wife and I went to it last night. I have to admit, it was quite good. It seems to follow the Duke's version for the most part except for a few differences. The main one being the ending, which both my wife and I didn't like. I will not talk to much about the film as I would like to hear what the rest of you think once you see it. It is not your typical Coen brothers movie, not lot of weird, over the top things going on. The acting was good and the movie was not too violent, except for maybe 1 scene but it is PG-13, which I would agree with. As a fan of western's I would go see it and try to hold back your judgement until you do. I like Duke's version alittle better probably because of the ending but they did do a good job with the remake.

I would not recommend waiting until cable to see the new True Grit. I think a TV viewing would diminish it a lot, especially that nighttime sequence in longshot at the cabin where Cogburn et al. first encounter Ned and his gang, or the sequence where Rooster desperately gallops Little Blackie full out through the night to take an injured Mattie back to where she can be tended to. In fact, this latter sequence is much more drawn out and emotionally fraught than in the first film and, er, I actually liked it better in the remake.

Stumpy, I'm glad you like what I said about the Duke and True Grit, but I do want to add that I've been a big fan of Jeff Bridges for literally decades -- pretty much since he first began making films -- and his Rooster is an interesting alternative take on the character.

But nobody can step into Duke's boots and expect to fill them the same way. :)

Well, we took the whole family (a group of 12) to see the movie today (and met another family there).

We all enjoyed it. Our kids watched JW's True Grit last night with friends, in anticipation of going to the theater today.

While I may not be a particular fan of the Coen brothers, I have to say they really did a good job with this movie. Hailee Steinfeld did an outstanding job as the never-say-a-contraction Mattie Ross (as much as I love the OTG, Kim Darby's portrayal was so annoying!). Matt Damon's portrayal of LeBoeuf was understated, and very different from Glen Campbell's. Jeff Bridges did a credible job of playing Rooster Cogburn - different than JW's, but well done. The cinematography is excellent.

Yes, it is definitely gorier than the original. Yes, the endings are quite different, and the new TG's ending is more closely aligned with the original novel. Some of the minor characters (Col. Stonehill and Ned Pepper, for example) who also appear in the OTG, are excellent (especially if you are familiar with the original). It's difficult to believe the Coens have NOT seen JW's version, when you see those characters in particular. Their voices and mannerisms seem almost identical to the original movie's characters.

The bottom line here is - we liked the movie! It doesn't cause JW's True Grit to diminish in our estimation one tiny bit, it just means the Coens did a good job with their version of the story.

Chester :newyear:

Well, we took the whole family (a group of 12) to see the movie today (and met another family there).

We all enjoyed it. Our kids watched JW's True Grit last night with friends, in anticipation of going to the theater today.

While I may not be a particular fan of the Coen brothers, I have to say they really did a good job with this movie. Hailee Steinfeld did an outstanding job as the never-say-a-contraction Mattie Ross (as much as I love the OTG, Kim Darby's portrayal was so annoying!). Matt Damon's portrayal of LeBoeuf was understated, and very different from Glen Campbell's. Jeff Bridges did a credible job of playing Rooster Cogburn - different than JW's, but well done. The cinematography is excellent.

Yes, it is definitely gorier than the original. Yes, the endings are quite different, and the new TG's ending is more closely aligned with the original novel. Some of the minor characters (Col. Stonehill and Ned Pepper, for example) who also appear in the OTG, are excellent (especially if you are familiar with the original). It's difficult to believe the Coens have NOT seen JW's version, when you see those characters in particular. Their voices and mannerisms seem almost identical to the original movie's characters.

The bottom line here is - we liked the movie! It doesn't cause JW's True Grit to diminish in our estimation one tiny bit, it just means the Coens did a good job with their version of the story.

Chester :newyear:


Well said Chester, and like I stated above, if you are a western film fan you have to go see it. We rarely get new films and this is one not to miss.

And I also wanted to reiterate what Chester said, it doesn't, in my eyes, diminish Duke's version at all.