This thread convinced me to see the second one, for the first time.
I liked both. I liked the lighter ending of the first one but thought the second one had characters portrayed a little more realistically.
The end where she called Frank James "white trash" was too funny!
Probably parsing here but the exact quote IIRC was, "keep your seat, trash,".
The ending of the newer version was incredibly sad.
FWIW, the Coen brothers are just revered in Hollywood, but I think they ruin a lot of stuff. This was the best movie of theirs I've ever seen. I fully expected them to ruin it, instead they made one that is fully equal to the original, if a bit different. IMO the older guys will like the old one and the younger ones prefer the new one.
My parents hardly ever took me to see a movie growing up. Before I got my license, I probably had only seen a dozen or less movies at the theater. They took me to see True Grit when it came out though. They liked it but didn't like John Wayne cussing in it when he told Lucky Ned to fill his hand. As an aside, I always thought JW didn't emphasize it right and should've had a better coach on that part. He says, "Fill your hand, you sonofabitch,". It's hard to get this across on the computer but, he didn't say it right. It should have went more like, "Well then...fill your hand you son of a bitch." He emphasized son of a bitch wrongly. It was like they wanted to have that line in the movie but either nobody knew for sure what it meant or nobody knew how to say it. Bridges did better. It's a crucial line.
Anyway, back to what I was saying, my parents took me to see the original and then I took my two kids to see the new one. They loved it and still do. My daughter was sixteen last year and her boyfriend, who is a solid, country kid (and still with her), came over. We plugged the DVD of the new one in and he really liked it too.
One more thing...I think anybody who is not familiar with John Wayne would prefer the new one hands-down. And now at this later date, their really are kids who don't know much about JW.
I don't remember how it was said in the novel but I really prefer Bridges' version when he says, "I mean to kill you in one minute Ned, or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which will you have?" to Wayne's. JW says, "I mean to kill you in one minute Ned, or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker's convenience. Which'll it be?". The newer version just rings true.
I grew up in the KC area but spent a lot of time in Texas because my Dad's family was from Kansas and Mom's from Texas. We went right through the area True Grit was set in, eastern Oklahoma and I knew it pretty well. The old version's scenery was not bad but the new one more accurately depicts eastern Oklahoma, as Joe Bob said. In Kansas City, especially on the Missouri side, the Missouri guerrillas were heroes. My Great Uncle was an old man who lived in Independence, Missouri, a town once bigger than Kansas City itself, and he may have even known some of them. He almost certainly knew people who had known them.
We went to the re-enactment of the 150th anniversary of the battle of Lone Jack and it was awesome. "Little scrap outside of Kansas City,".
The newer version was much more accurate to the book. For that reason and others I really think the remake was the better movie, although the original is pretty good.
A bit of movie trivia. The line "Fill your hand you SOB" wasn't in the book nor the original script. In the book Cogburn issues a warning instead of a challenge and the line is "If you fill your hand you'll meet your maker". John Wayne personally struck through that line on the original script and wrote the new line in by hand.
Most people don't really want the truth.
They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
I watch both versions of True Grit as pretty much two separate movies written and cast according to what audiences wanted and expected at the time each was filmed.
The original was outstanding in my opinion and exactly what audiences wanted and got with John Wayne as, "Rooster" Cogburn.
Kim Darby was a very popular audience favorite at that time therefore a money making commodity. With Glen Campbell's huge popularity at the time too he was icing on the money cake. Several other of the "Duke's" films cast young heart throb actors and musicians current at the time (James Caan, Fabian, Rickey Nelson, come to mind), in roles in his films obviously meant to draw young audiences especially females,
The second was outstanding as well though with some pretty quirky, if not outright weird characters, dialog and additions to the story which is what audiences often want nowadays.
Personal opinion I think the young lady that played Mattie stole the whole movie. Jeff Bridges was good but over-acted his portrayal of, "Rooster", to the extreme. Matt Damon's casting was because he was a known commodity as a audience draw.
I pretty much agree with you. Maybe it's a generation gap thing, but John Wayne versus Jeff Bridges.....come on, if you don't like Wayne, you're not a real American!!!
The remake was okay, and in a time of dumbass movies like Harry Potter and Jack Reacher, it was refreshing to see Hollywood make a western. But to say that Jeff Bridges was a better Rooster Cogburn than John Wayne, just ain't right. I'll admit that I am a John Wayne fan and have watched every movie of his, and have watched most of them so many times that I know the lines by heart. However, I liked the original better in every aspect.
The newer version was much more accurate to the book. For that reason and others I really think the remake was the better movie, although the original is pretty good.
A bit of movie trivia. The line "Fill your hand you SOB" wasn't in the book nor the original script. In the book Cogburn issues a warning instead of a challenge and the line is "If you fill your hand you'll meet your maker". John Wayne personally struck through that line on the original script and wrote the new line in by hand.
I love the idea of the Duke changing the script. I couldn't find the reference online, could you post one?
P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
Arguably, my least favorite John Wayne Western with The Shootist and Cowboys close behind. I prefer the remake, probably because I like to remember the Duke in his prime.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
People don't like the original because it's a great movie.
They like it because it's a great John Wayne movie.
Travis
Fixed it
Last edited by WyColoCowboy; 11/20/17.
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
" traded two dental mirrors and a bottle of expectorant",,,,,,,,
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
"Greaser Bob,,, the ORIGINAL Greaser Bob is hunting north of the Picketwire and would not begrudge it's use."
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
Kinda ties into the cowboy president thread below, but the courthouse scenes in the new version were filmed in the "old" Blanco County CH in Blanco Texas before the county seat was moved just north to "Johnson City", Blanco county Texas.
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
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