“True Grit”: Take Two
Movie-going audiences have a fickle relationship with the remake. Most of the time, they offer one of two criticisms:1. The original film was already great, and a remake is simply an excuse to try to draw more money from itOR2.The original film wasn’t that great, and a remake is simply an excuse to try to draw more money from it.Either way, most remakes don’t get associated with artistic merit. That means that, despite the fact that directors Joel & Ethan Coen call their upcoming film “True Grit” a “second adaptation” of the 1968 novel, most people are simply going to see it as a remake of the 1969 John Wayne film. The original definitely falls in the “already great” category, with a rating of 88 on the movie consensus site Rotten Tomatoes. It seems an odd choice for the Coens, who have made their career on individualistic and original films like “Miller’s Crossing” (1990), “Barton Fink” (1991), and “Fargo” (1996). However, the pair is no stranger to adaptations. Their 2004 film “The Ladykillers” was directly based on the 1955 film of the same name, and their 2007 film “No Country for Old Men” (based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel) won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Picture. Still, this is the first time the boys are tackling a film generally considered a classic. What’s their plan?There’s no doubt that the plotline includes some of the Coens’ favorite themes, including vengeance and the effects of violence. The story follows a young 14-year-old girl named Mattie Ross who teams up with an alcoholic U.S. Marshal named Rooster Cogburn to track down the man who killed her father. Rooster, played by John Wayne in the original, is played by Jeff Bridges in this version. Mattie, originally played by Kim Darby, is here played by unknown Hailee Steinfeld. The brothers have emphasized their choice to make their film hew more closely to the original novel. In their own words, that includes capturing “the voice of the 14-year-old girl,” being “much funnier than the original movie was,” and being “a lot tougher and more violent than the original movie reflects.” Despite this, the film is one of the few Coen films to receive a PG-13 rating.The film will be released on December 22, 2010, but previews have seen unanimously positive reviews. If you have a fascination with either westerns or the Coens, you should definitely check out the film. Just remember to check out the original as well, if you haven’t already.