I won't lie to you, I'm getting all kinds of fan-boy giddy in anticipation of the Coens' remake of True Grit. For those who are unfamiliar, 1969's True Grit (based on the 1968 novel) was something of a swan song for the era of John Wayne westerns. Sure, he'd star in a few more until his death in 1979, but True Grit was something of a final bow for that classic, slow-talking lug who'd been refining his iconic persona since his first acting gig in 1926.
The '69 adaptation of "Grit" was also significant as it earned Wayne his first Best Actor Oscar. In retrospect, this was probably more of a life-achievement award honoring Wayne for his long and storied career. In my humble opinion, John Wayne's performance in True Grit is perfectly fine, but it doesn't come close to the heights he reached in 1956's The Searchers. Upon accepting the gold statue, Wayne famously remarked: "If I had known this, I would've put that patch on thirty-five years earlier!"Anyway, come December we will see if The Coen Brothers are up to the task of one-upping John Wayne. I'm optimistic, considering they cast the "can-do-no-wrong" Jeff Bridges in the role formerly occupied by Wayne. Take a look at the trailer.
Matt Damon with a moustache. Righteous.
Considering the tone of the original film was relatively light, it'll be interesting to see how the Coens' seemingly darker adaptation will compare. Bridges seems like the only man alive who could fill John Wayne's rather sizeable shoes. But more than anything, I hope that this film holds up just for the sake of reviving the western, a genre sorely overlooked in the last decade. Here's hoping.
I've seen a few of John Wayne's films as part of my history of film classes and what not. But I have never seen True Grit, I don't think that I've ever even heard of it. I'm not a diehard John Wayne fan, but I've really enjoyed the films that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteAfter compering both trailers, I might be tempted to watch both of them since they both look so well done.
Like you said, the remake by the Coen Brothers does seem a little more dark, but that's something that I've come to enjoy about their work. I remember watching No Country for Old Men in one of my Film Classes and I was just amazed. I'm sure that this one won't disappoint.
I am so excited to see this movie. I am a huge fan of westerns, from Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid to 3:10 to Yuma. This decade has truly been over looked as far as the western genre. It needs to be revived. There are no true western actors that play the western role so well anymore like John Wayne. I hope that Jeff Bridges can fill those shoes. I also find it amazing that Jeff is coming out with two Huge movies at once, True Grit and Tron. I want some of that money. I know the Coen Brothers won't disappoint with this one.
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