Yeah, I mentioned I'd like to try and catch this on a nother thread. I'ma fan of most of the Coen's work. Even No Country For Old Men (in which Brolin was very good too.) When I saw it, the theater was no more than 1/4 full and when it sunk in that it was over, every one could hear one guy say, "What the fuck?!"

Shale, have you ever seen Unforgiven? I thought Eastwood did a fantastic job along with his cast. Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman isn't your typical western.

For what it's worth...my favorite Westerns:

1) Shane
2) The Magnificent Seven
3) The Gunfighter
4) Stagecoach
5) The Good the Bad and the Ugly



Jack

True Grit - 1969
Movie Blurb by Shale
January 1, 2011

I just got the DVD and watched it today. It cost me a couple bucks more than the matinee price of the new movie. As I mentioned before, I was too "busy" in 1969 to see many movies, especially another Western.



But, gotta say this movie with John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, Kim Darby (who turned 22 when the movie was released in July) as 14-year-old Mattie Ross and Glen Campbell as La Boeuf was fun to watch some 40 years later.

This G-Rated movie had much the same script as the new PG-13 movie except for the ending. I haven't read the 1968 Charles Portis book but from reviews I have read it appears that the new movie follows it more closely than the '69 movie.

The gruesome and violent scenes were also included in the '69 film. In fact, the hanging was more accurately portrayed in the original with the dead person kicking in the air, tho the scene where fingers are cut off wasn't quite as graphic.

This was an excellent movie - and now I have to ask as so many others have, why a remake? The 2010 version has current actors but it was still a period piece with late 19th Century dialogue and tho Jeff Bridges did an excellent job of conveying that dialogue, John Wayne was closer to that era. The classic movie will still retain its place as a well done and entertaining Western but the 2010 movie will likely become the definitive one that follows closely the original story. Both were good.

I'm glad you liked Unforgiven, Shale. It's only the third western in history to win an Academy Award as Best Picture (Dances With Wolves & Cimmaron are the 2nd & 1st). You're quite right about the blurring of the line between "good" and "evil". Since the audience never knows the Bill Munny when he was a drunk and a killer it’s much easier to see him as the “hero”. Likewise, we only see the brutality of Little Bill Daggett who is supposed to represent law and order, so many would consider him as the “villain”. Gene Hackman was so good in that role. Ironically, he was very put off by the violence and was concerned that the movie would glorify gun violence.