"True Grit" remake by Coen Brothers

This just doesn't strike me as their kind of material. Not that it wouldn't be interesting to see how they do with a Western, but it still doesn't strike me as material suiting their type of filmmaking.

Cormac McCarthy's novel No Country For Old Men wasn't their kind of material either and it's the biggest hit the Coen brothers have had, and 100% successful from a creative point of view.

The original True Grit is a classic and one of my most beloved films.
I don't want to see a remake.
I'm aware of the differences between the film and its source novel, but a new take is not necessary.
I hope this project fizzles out.

First official image has been released:

 

http://www.cinematical.com/2010/08/19/jeff-bridges-coen-bros-true-grit/

 

Interesting photo.

 

Hailee Steinfeld looks much younger than Kim Darby when she played the part. Kim must be taking this remake awful hard.

 

Look at Jeff Bridges small soft hands. John Wayne had big muscular hands. A sixgun looked small in Wayne's hands. You could believe in him as a frontiersman. But I know Bridges has the chops to pull it off, that's what bothers me.

 

I see that Roger Deakins is shooting it on Texas locations, Granger and elsewhere. Granger is one of those boarded up dusty old Texas towns with old-west style buildings dating back to the 1890s and with streets wide enough to turn a conestoga wagon around. I mean, they're gonna need to throw a lot of dirt over the tarmac. Of course, buildings would be fairly new when the story takes place (the west wasn't old yet). Where are they going for the mountains? Granger is flat farming country. With Deakins behind the camera and the Coens emphasizing facets of the novel that Henry Hathaway didn't, it will be something to see. Scheduled for release December 25.

 

I think it's going to be a fine film and a huge hit, but I wish they had left it alone.

I've actually never read the original novel (something I plan to do soon), but I'm always fascinated by what unexpected material the Coens take on next.  Stylistic similarities aside, they really haven't made the same movie twice, and that's why I always look forward to a new one from them.

 

I may be a little biased towards this one, though; I happen to know Hailee, and I'm really excited for her.  She's quite talented, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's done with this character.

 

I'm generally tired of all the remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings, but when they appear to have some genuine thought behind them, as this does, I'm usually up for giving them a chance.

 

" ...Small hands"?????

 

Richard, get a grip! :-)   (Erm, no pun intended). Judging someone's hand from a still and getting all bothered is...getting bothered way too easily. You're reaching (erm...pun intended).

 

Rooster Cogburn was an iconic role for Wayne, but I can't wait to see what Bridges and the Coens do with it. What will be will be. I actually thought Kim Darby was too old for the part in the original, although she did fine. Hailee is much closer physically and age-wise to the character described in the book.

 

The scenery was one of the glories of the first film, so I'll be interested to see where they shoot for th mountains.

 

I'd also recommend anyone read True Grit who is interested - it's very good, and author Charles Portis is a unique voice. If you like westerns, it's a must read, as is Thomas Berger's Little Bog Man, Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove and Danile Woodrell's Woe To Live On. All of these have been made into interesting movies - Woe To Live On was the source for Ang Lee's Ride With The Devil. 

 

 

I'll probably go and see this, but it's hard picturing Jeff Bridges replacing John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn. To me, that role really was owned by Wayne. Sort of like how George C. Scott owns Patton. They can remake it but no other actor will ever measure up, no matter how good he is.

Teaser trailer is up...

 

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/truegrit/

 

I'm excited.

It looks DAMNED good too. I'm really looking forward to this film.

note to Claire Panke: Jeff Bridges has small soft hands. Baby hands. So there! It doesn't bother me. I said he has the acting chops to pull off a Rooster Cogburn (although the trailer doesn't show it, but ...) and that bothered me because I want John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn to stand unchallenged in my movie-going memory.
 

 

By all means, everyone should read True Grit by Charles Portis. Critics compared the novel to Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and with good reason. Daniel Woodrell's Woe to Live On is a significant contribution to the literature of "Bleeding Kansas" and it also made a fine if somewhat different film, as I've said here before. McMurtry's Lonesome Dove does what it does for Texas. It's a great read. I also recommend the novels by Alan LeMay (The Searchers, The Unforgiven), Jack Schaefer (Monte Walsh), and the near-legendary Elmer Kelton. But I would discourage anyone from reading Thomas Berger's exercise in sophistry and pseudo-history in Little Big Man. His view of Indian - Anglo relations is uninformed, unsupported by historical evidence, utterly mis-guided, one-sided to the point of mania, and just plain wrong. As a comedy it's funny as hell, though, providing you haven't studied the history.
 

Edited by Richard--W - 9/28/10 at 2:09am

Found it on youtube:

 

The trailer shows a glimpse of a woman walking out a door with one arm missing.

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Oh my!  That gave me chills.  I'll be going to see this.

Wow, Richard...I don't mean to be rude, but spoiler warning, please?

Second trailer. This looks fantastic.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVi5J8Vzk5g

Thanks for reminding me of Alan LeMay - I've been meaning to get around to him and other reading simply got in the way. Good to see him so strongly recommended. I'm not familiar with Elmer Kelton's books so will look his work up as well. I haven't read Berger's book in 20 years, but my recollection was that it was not intended to be a history or even realistic - more along the lines of an epic American tall tale. The movie was rather different in tone and affect IMO from the novel.

 

I love Daniel Woodrell's novels and need to see Ang Lee's Ride With The Devil again.

 

Have you read Ron Hansen (The Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Desperadoes)?

 

Bridge's hands don't worry me one way or the other, and I suspect he will be a memorable Rooster Cogburn, which will in no way diminish or displace Wayne's original portrayal in my affections.

 

 

Great trailers. Hope it goes wide at Christmas so we wont have to wait until January to see see it.

It's nice to see Matt Damon in a comedic presence. Old school westerns always had a certain amount of humor to balance out the darker themes of their stories, and it looks like that will be the case here.

The early reviews on this are stellar.  Really looking forward to it, and the PG-13 rating makes it pretty ideal family fare for the Holidays:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/true-grit-2010/

What film is that?   I know Gulliver's Travels is also now opening on Christmas Day.. looks terrible, but

Going to see it Wed. the 15th. in Austin!

Yes.

 

Going in, I'm a Coen Brother's fan. My favorites still being the theatrical version of Blood Simple and also, Miller's Crossing.

 

From the very first frames I felt I was in the presence of cinema greatness  while viewing this new version of True Grit.

 

It was a special treat, as always, to ID the various central Texas locations.

If you haven't screened Night Of The Hunter in a while, you'd do well to refresh yourself on Charles Laughton's only piece of film direction.

 

Camera work, costumes, writing, strong actors, music; I can't wait to see it again. Sadly, mostly due to my increasingly poor hearing, I missed much dialague, OK, mostly Jeff's. I'm also looking forward to the disc so I can turn on the subtitles.

 

 

 

Don't want to add more than this, you really should see this, on the big screen, ASAP.

I can't wait to get the disc.

If you were in Austin, you could see it tonight.

It's running at SEVERAL theaters at midnight.

 

http://events.austin360.com/movies/show/324545-true-gritQuote:

Oh, the keen dialogue in "True Grit" was delievered quite well, even if half of it was spit out by a precocious 14-year, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), whose father is killed by Tom Chaney and she wants justice against the backdrop of the wild wild west.  Mattie's determination to avenge her father's death leads her to Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a federal marshall with his own storied history on the manhunt trail, and LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who is a Texas Ranger on the same trail for a different murder. 

 

The Coen Brothers do a fine job with the script, and directing this film filled with entertaining performances from the main 3 characters in the film.  Roger Deakins works his cinematography magic once again, albeit in a more subtle manner.  While it probably won't win them Oscars this go-around, it's a worthy addition to the genre of the Cowboy Westerns.  Could Jeff Bridges get another Best Actor Oscar nomination for this role, it remains to be seen, but he got a lot of mileage out of the role/script.

 

I give it 3.75 stars, or a grade of A-.

Official True Grit discussion thread

I just got back from watching this.  I knew going in that I would probably enjoy this movie, but I had no idea leaving the theater that I would have a new "all time favorite" film.  Easily the best Western film I have ever seen.  The Coen Brothers have done it again.  I'd be shocked if this doesn't get the best picture Oscar. 

 

Edit:  I see my thread got moved to this one.

Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.  I just wanted to discuss the film with others that have seen it without spoiler tags.  I guess I should have contacted a moderator first.

Bryan

Edited by Bryan^H - 12/22/10 at 8:49pm