True Grit remake

[Amaris]

My personal opinion is that John Wayne's best film BY FAR was "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Other than some cheap production values on some of the interior sets, there was NOTHING wrong with that movie. Lee Marvin vs John Wayne with James Stewart caught in the middle--it was BRILLIANT all the way around.

"True Grit" was a very good movie. As for remaking it? "I call that BOLD TALK for a one-eyed fat man".

Yes! "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is my favorite John Wayne movie (followed immediately by "El Dorado" and "The Sons of Katie Elder"). Brilliant all the way around, and one of my favorite westerns. That said, I am rather curious to see how this 'True Grit" remake would work out. I love Jeff Bridges, and think he can do almost anything, so I might end up seeing it and liking it.

Maybe.

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

My personal opinion is that John Wayne's best film BY FAR was "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Other than some cheap production values on some of the interior sets, there was NOTHING wrong with that movie.

My biggest complaint is that the actors were a bit long in the tooth to be playing the characters. and had this been made with Duke and Stewart just ten years earlier it would have been awesome. And I think it would have been hands down one of Duke's very best had it been made in the late 40's.

Lee Marvin vs John Wayne with James Stewart caught in the middle--it was BRILLIANT all the way around. .

In my opinion it was more of Stewart vs Marvin with Duke caught in the middle.

If they are so insistent on remaking westerns I think this would be an awesome candidate. But then again I absolutely love McQ and Brannigan so that might make my opinion a little harder to take.

 

[gh4chiefs]

We must also remember we are talking about Wayne, who made THREE versions of the Rio Bravo story with Howard Hawks.

Three? Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and...? if you mean Rio Lobo, I think it's substantially different.

Yeah I've never got the comparison between Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo but I've heard that often. El Dorado yes, but I'm not seeing it so much in Rio Lobo

Speaking for myself, I've never seen True Grit. I feel no great attachment to John Wayne as an actor. And with a few exceptions, I find most old Westerns uninteresting and even unwatchable.

BLASPHEMY!

In the book Rooster charges with two revolvers instead of a revolver and a carbine. The Duke spin-cocking that Winchester is just so damn cool,

"Fill your hands you sonofabitch!"


EDIT TO ADD: Can't believe I forgot to say this. But not no, F NO! to a remake.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I have a lot of affection for "The Sons of Katie Elder", because seeing Wayne and Dean martin on screen together just too cool. I grew up going to John Wayne films with my family. Saw a ton of them, from the Alamo to the Green Berets to True Grit.

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

I have a lot of affection for "The Sons of Katie Elder", because seeing Wayne and Dean martin on screen together just too cool.

You probably already know this but, Duke and Dino were also in Rio Bravo together. I highly recommend that one.

I grew up going to John Wayne films with my family. Saw a ton of them, from the Alamo to the Green Berets to True Grit

.

I envy you, I was born far too late to enjoy seeing any Duke films on the big screen.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Rio Bravo is cool, but nothing beats Dino and Duke as brothers!

 

[scotpens]

. . . Ford could tell a grand story, but Hawks had a real feel for dialogue. Note how people are always talking over each other in his films, as in life. That's why I have to laugh when people suggest Hawks didn't direct The Thing From Another World; this tell-tale sign is abundantly clear there.

It's been rumored for decades that Howard Hawks actually directed The Thing, but there's no conclusive proof. It's quite possible that Christian Nyby simply did a very good job of imitating his mentor's style, including Hawks' trademark use of rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue.

 

[propita]

My personal opinion is that John Wayne's best film BY FAR was "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Other than some cheap production values on some of the interior sets, there was NOTHING wrong with that movie. Lee Marvin vs John Wayne with James Stewart caught in the middle--it was BRILLIANT all the way around.

"True Grit" was a very good movie. As for remaking it? "I call that BOLD TALK for a one-eyed fat man".

Yes! "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is my favorite John Wayne movie (followed immediately by "El Dorado" and "The Sons of Katie Elder"). Brilliant all the way around, and one of my favorite westerns. That said, I am rather curious to see how this 'True Grit" remake would work out. I love Jeff Bridges, and think he can do almost anything, so I might end up seeing it and liking it.

Maybe.

I prefer "The Quiet Man." Even if the fight scene looked fake.

I think I remember that the cost of filming "The Quiet Man" was filming "Genghis Khan," which gave half the cast/crew cancer (or contributed).

 

[propita]

I coulda sworn I saw a remake on tv years ago--or rather, one announced but I never watched it. A move-of-the-week or something.

I'll have to ask Hubby. He remember everything. Annoyingly so.

Here ya go!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Grit:_A_Further_Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078422/

Oh, I thought there was a more-recent remake than the 1978 one.

 

[flandry84]

As someone said previously,once they're making westerns at all...
I just hope that the Coen's can leave aside their trademark darkness and find that lightness of touch found in most of The Dukes movies.Westerns have had their bleak revisionist period(almost killing the genre)maybe it's time for a simple actioner.

 

[Goliath]

Speaking for myself, I've never seen True Grit. I feel no great attachment to John Wayne as an actor. And with a few exceptions, I find most old Westerns uninteresting and even unwatchable.

BLASPHEMY!

 

[scotpens]

I think I remember that the cost of filming “The Quiet Man” was filming “Genghis Khan,” which gave half the cast/crew cancer (or contributed).

I assuming you're referring to The Conqueror (1956). The myth that working on that picture “gave half the cast/crew cancer” has been effectively debunked.

Excerpted from the linked article:

(T)he November 10, 1980 issue of People magazine . . . stated that “Of The Conqueror's 220 cast and crew members from Hollywood, an astonishing 91 have contracted cancer.”

This sounds impressive until you do some basic research. According to the National Cancer Institute, at the time the article was written, the overall incidence of being diagnosed with cancer in a person's lifetime (age-adjusted) was about 40%. As it happens, this number still holds today. Thus, in a cohort of 220 people, 88 would be diagnosed with cancer at some point.

Was The Movie The Conqueror Really Cursed? A Look At Radiation Paranoia

It's also a fact that Dick Powell, Agnes Moorehead, Pedro Armendáriz, Susan Hayward, and John Wayne (at five packs a day) were all heavy smokers.

 

[J.T.B.]

I think I remember that the cost of filming "The Quiet Man" was filming "Genghis Khan," which gave half the cast/crew cancer (or contributed).

I believe the deal was Republic would make The Quiet Man if Ford made them a western first, because they figured The Quiet Man would flop. So Ford gave them Rio Grande, the third film of what would become known as the "Cavalry Trilogy," and also the first pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. I don't think The Conqueror, directed by Dick Powell for RKO, had anything to do with it.

--Justin

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

I believe the deal was Republic would make The Quiet Man if Ford made them a western first, because they figured The Quiet Man would flop. So Ford gave them Rio Grande, the third film of what would become known as the "Cavalry Trilogy," and also the first pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. I don't think The Conqueror, directed by Dick Powell for RKO, had anything to do with it.

--Justin

This is absolutely correct. Herbert J. Yates would only agree to doing the Quiet Man if Ford would make a western that would counter the huge flop that he thought The Quiet Man would be.

 

[caisson2delta]

I was surprised that no one has mentioned "Big Jake", when mentioning other films by the Duke. It has always been one of my favorites and thoroughly enjoyable. I tend to agree, I see no real reason to remake "True Grit" or many of John Wayne's other westerns. If any of his films stood to be remade, I think some of the cheesier war films would be the ones. Some that come to mind right away are "The Green Berets", "The Flying Tigers", and "The Fighting SeeBees".

If someone was wanting to remake some of these films, out of tribute, that might be a great honor. However, I think the story shouldn't be altered and they would need some seriously strong names to fill in the memorable roles. I too love westerns and would love to see more of them. I think "Big Jake" would be great as a remake simply because I loved the storyline so much.

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

Big Jake is indeed one of Duke's best of his final 10 films, and there is so much potential in the story that they could set it in any time period and it would be a fun film to see.

 

[propita]

I totally love the repeated, "I thought you were dead" and "Not hardly" from Big Jake, though when I first saw it, the death of Dog terribly upset me as a child.

Sorry about "The Conqueror"/cancer errors.

But "The Quiet Man" still ranks among his best films.

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

I totally love the repeated, "I thought you were dead" and "Not hardly" from Big Jake, though when I first saw it, the death of Dog terribly upset me as a child.

I hated the movie for years on the basis of that death.. I first saw that when I was 5 years old and it broke my heart that they killed him.

 

[flandry84]

drtu

 

[flandry84]

Reading back the thread I tend to concur that the Rooster Cogburn character was probably the seediest that Wayne ever played...Coens,Bridges,seedy...God,I hope this isn't "The Dude" playing "The Duke".
Bridges himslf has a rather checquered history with the western,the rather dreary "Wild Bill"and "Heavens gate".(gulp).

It has always surprised me that two actors who have in turn been identified as all-American heroes,Harrrison Ford and Tom Hanks have never associated with the western,perhaps the most American of genres.

I was thinking that of all the great westerns that needed or deserved a remake it would be those of James Stewart rather than John Wayne.Movies like "Winchester 73" "Bend of the river"etc might have more to say to a modern audience than Waynes movies which are more star-vehicles than the character-driven movies Stewart made in the 50's.