True Grit- Old and New

My apologies for my absence from the blogging world over the past 2 weeks; I have been quite preoccupied, as most of you probably have been, with all things Christmas; most importantly for me as a college student home on break, relaxation (or more accurately, laziness).

Last week I went and saw True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin, and then that night watched the 1969 version of that same film, starring John Wayne. Though the overall storyline and plot progression were the same between both versions, the movies were quite different (though both were excellent). The story centers around Rooster Cogburn, a rough-around-the-edges U.S Marshall hot on the trail of a murderer named Tom Cheney, who has escaped into Indian territory. Cogburn is assisted by a Texas Ranger named La Boeuf, and Mattie, the daughter of the murdered man. Here are my thoughts on the films-

The original 1969 version of the film is everything you would expect a John Wayne western to be. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't much of a suprise. Plenty of old fashioned gun-slinging, horse chases, scenic backdrops, and " what in tarnation!"-esque 1 liners. Waynes' portrayl of Cogburn is a far strech from the updated Jeff Bridges character, but it was still quite good. As usual, his character has a larger than life air about him, which is what made John Wayne the timeless movie star he has become. La Boeuf (played by Glen Campbell), was a bit too clean cut for me. Lawmen of the old west are supposed to be gritty, dirty, mean, and fearless, right? Well, if you're using Campbell as your template, wrong. Quite the polar opposite of John Wayne, Campbell is glistening, blonde, handsome, charming, and way too pretty to be on a horse. If old west lawmen carried hairdryers in their saddlebags and Garnier Fructis in their boots, Campbell would have been the most believable character in the movie. Kim Darbys portrayl of Mattie made up for what Campbell left us lacking. Her sassiness was just as believable as her more heartfelt scenes. All in all, the original True Grit didn't win me over as much as the remake, but it was a good film nontheless.

41 years later, and the Coen Brothers have created yet another masterpiece. These brilliant directors took everything about this movie that was stale, cliche', outdated, and cheesy and made it fresh, unique, quirky, and original. If more film makers made westerns like this one, westerns would probably be more dominant on the big screen today then they were 50 years ago. In the 2010 version of the film, Rooster Cogburn is played by Jeff Bridges, who managed to "out-grit" the original John Wayne version of the character by leaps and bounds. Bridges' Cogburn is dirtier, smellier, meaner, and more sarcastic than Waynes. He talks in a gravely drawl that is sometimes hard to understand, but somehow makes him likeable and even comedic at times. The updated La Boeuf is played by Matt Damon. Damon did the character the way it SHOULD have been done. Instead of a Herbal Essence model dressed as a cowboy (as Glen Campbell was), Damon was authentic. Everything from his moustache to his pipe, spurs to his overall demenor made him a perfect supporting actor for this role. And if the acting wasn't good enough, the Coen Brothers did a perfect job of mixing dialouge with action, making the movie move at the perfect pace. If you only see one movie before the year is up, see True Grit.

An interesting sidenote- John Wayne won his only Academy Award (Best Actor in a Leading Role) for his role as Rooster Cogburn in the original True Grit. Many movie critics and buffs predict that Jeff Bridges will be nominated for that same category in the 2011 Oscars. If he wins, I think it will be the first time that 2 different portrayls of the same character win the same academy award. Also, If Bridges wins the oscar, he will be the first actor to win the Best Actor oscar 2 years in a row since Tom Hanks won it for Philadelphia and then Forrest Gump in 1994 and then 1995 (Bridges won the oscar last year for Crazy Heart).