True Grit (1969)

True Grit is a stylized Western about a girl (Matty Ross, played with conviction by Kim Darby) who loves her father very much. He left behind his wife and children and rode out with another man on some business. Sometime during a card game this man, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), got drunk. The father showed the man out who then brandished a rifle. While trying to get the gun away, Tom fired, killing her father, and ran off into the woods. I can certainly see how this could be upsetting for this girl but she goes through so much! Although she tries to be calm and insistent about getting her way, it's more interesting where her barrier cracks -- when she witnesses a hanging, when she sees her dad in a pine box -- and when she sees her apparent savior, in the form of Rooster Cogburn, (rough tough, and all John Wayne) betray her trust (again, apparently). It's just too much. Great story! It was fun to see this late sixties Western at a time when the western as a genre was beginning to wane. Television was full of westerns then, and they were all going off the air -- The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, etc., etc. John Wayne epitomized all these gun-toting tough guys. But what was different about John Wayne's portrayal from these gentlemen was his willingness to break the rules to get what he wanted, whether it be a criminal, another bottle of whiskey, or saving a girl from a pit of rattlers, no matter what! And Robert Duval as the bad guy -- great acting! And our girl, played by Kim Darby, was the same. "She reminds me -- of me!" The story moves at a quick pace after a bit of a slow start. The girl meets a Texas ranger and doesn't think much of him -- played by crooner Glen Campbell. I've never liked Glen, then or now. His stilted acting was a bit much. But his portrayal of a man who wanted nothing to do with this girl and giving her a good spanking -- this was realistic if unsettling. Overall, True Grit is a western, one with real human experience, some conflict, lots of gun action and horse-riding. A girl who wants revenge, a man who wants justice. A great example of the wild western justice, a bit Hollywood-ized, and fun to watch! Great film! I have yet to watch the current remake (2011) and look forward to a comparison when I check it out. Cast & Crew: The director is Henry Hathaway, maker of such hits as How The West Was Won (1962) How the West Was Won (Three-Disc Special Edition) , and Mae West's Go West, Young Man (1936) GO WEST YOUNG MAN among many American westerns over his 40 plus year career! It was surprising to me how many of the secondary characters have also appeared in the original Star Trek. Even Kim Darby was in a Star Trek episode ( Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 12: Miri [VHS ]) Check the cast list and look it up on Wikipedia. Amazing! * John Wayne as Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn * Kim Darby as Mattie Ross * Glen Campbell as La Boeuf * Jeremy Slate as Emmett Quincy * Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper * Dennis Hopper as Moon * Strother Martin as Col. G. Stonehill * Jeff Corey as Tom Chaney * Donald Woods as Barlow * James Westerfield as Judge Parker

With the passage of time True Grit has achieved a somewhat "classic western" status but when first released it was slightly offbeat. Kim Darby talked in stilted language, Glen Cambell looked ready to burst into song at any minute and got the worst of the dialogue, eg, " Bibbs was a little Senator." but the Duke furtunately was in most of important scenes and he filled the screen with his presence and brought his every fiber of his actors craft, that is, himself, to the story and filled the screen. He was not to be ignored. You chuckled at him when he demanded it, or feared for his life. It was all the same, he pulled the reactions from you,which was needed to make a fine movie, aided by an inexperienced Kim Darby and a Greenhorn Glen Campbell. The scenery of Colorado in blu ray is just spectacular and worth buying the disc even if you have just the regular DVD. The extras are mildly diapointing. There are a few words with a much older Kim Darby and the same with Glen Cambell, but both seem awed just to have been in a John Wayne movie. There is a nice spot on the town the movie was shot in an And some words with the costumer who fit the Dukes eyepatch. Worst was the movie voice over by some ernest western historians who would get excited about the shape of the horn on the saddle or a sharp's carbine. But when it came to the Duke they would argue which movie came first, True Grit ot The Green Berets. Or maybe they would wonder aloud if a certain scene (the hut scene) was shot in studio or on location or what Henry Hathaway would have thought about another scene. Wellllll, guess what ? That's what we like to knowtoo and it appears that our western experts can tell us the difference between horses and saddles and guns but not so much about the actual making of the m,ovie. One notable exception I concede there comment about Darby's fear of horses which they then took care to follow that thread through the movie whenever a double was used. Too bad we never find out why she was afraid of horses or what the Duke thought of that. But most John Wayne movies should be taken at face value, they are usually stories of good and evil, and redemption in the end. The better the writing, the cast, the location, the director, the better the picture. When all of the come together you get the AFI top movie of all time, a John Wayne western, The Searcers. True Grit had enough similarities to The Searchers it to be it's nice guy cousin, without the dark side. So get a blu ray True Grit and sit back and and enjoy the Duke at his finest, superb writing, blu ray worthy scenery , and the one against four fight scene at the end that had all Hollywood chuckling to themselves and saying,"there has never been any one ever who can pull this scene off other than Duke Wayne....Go Duke !"

Good movie

Obviously, everyone will have their favorite for the Oscar in this year 1969. As far as I am concerned Wayne will have deserved it. His performance was disarmingly natural. Of course, he will have refined this role throughout his immense career. And when the lead role is good, the entire rest of the cast is inspired by the lead. Kim Darby is magnificent and not only faces the great Duke, but also gives a convincing response to some professional actors such as Jeff Corey, Srother Martin or Elizabeth Harrower. Glenn Campbell does well too, and was not the first singer/performer to face Big John, if we think of Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo. For the excellent blu-ray of True Grit, I had the chance to find it in Steelbook version with bonuses in addition to the film. My childhood memory is now fulfilled. :-) And I'm hardly the only one to say this.

Love the this movie

Good movie. No problem with the DVD.

This is the first time we've seen a "steelbook" BluRay; we thought the whole idea was great. Instead of a typical plastic case, the movie arrives in something more "collectible" or interesting, a tin box, or steel box, some might say a "keepsake," emblazoned with the glossy material normally part of a typical DVD or BluRay package. Especially as there was no obvious added cost, we like it a lot! Probably would have paid more for this packaging, but we're certainly not going to tell the studios that! The film itself is terrific, filmed near Telluride, Colorado, the ski resort where we live and work -- mostly in Ridgway, partly in nearby Ouray, both of which are very special little towns near Telluride, easy day trip using Telluride as "base camp" to see them both and immerse yourselves in the genuine locations for an iconic film. John Wayne finally got an Oscar® for this film, and his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn, U.S. Marshal. The bad guys include a young Robert Duvall, and a young Dennis Hopper, both are terrific in the film, and add real interest for film buffs. The long views of the San Juan mountain range, mostly from Hastings Mesa above Telluride and Ridgway, are unforgettable, and easily attainable by travellers today, looks just the same, by visiting our area of Southwest Colorado. And I can't remember John Wayne in a more appealing role, although it's certainly worth seeing his performance, along with Ron Howard, and Lauren Bacall, in "The Shootist"; if you haven't seen that one, you should. Mighty fine, and I believe, John Wayne's last film. Kim Darby is on BluRay extras in interviews, great to see her after all these years; she plays the female lead, a young woman with plenty of her own "true grit" seeking justice for the senseless murder of her father. The great singing star Glen Campbell also has a leading role, on the trail of the murderer along with John Wayne and Kim Darby. Glen is interviewed too; very touching, particularly in light of recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's and the end of Glen Campbell's touring career. Panned by critics at the time, Glen is just fine as a Texas Ranger. But more important: his stunning singing on the title track, i.e., "True Grit" which is played over the opening credits. I confess, as a kid, I saw the movie more than once in theaters just to hear Glen sing the title song. (Not on albums at the time, we recently found it on a terrific CD purchased here on amazon, "The Essential Glen Campbell," check it out!) This was Glen in his prime; the version in the movie is slightly different than the one on the CD, but both are great. To me, as a kid, and a budding musician, hearing this was literally worth the price of admission in the movies. In his interview, Glen comments what a thrill it was to ride alongside the great John Wayne in a western. How many of us, when we were young, imagined just the same thing? For Glen, from Delight, Arkansas, a dream come true. The exterior of the general store in this film with period advertising in the custom of the day is now the interior wall of the True Grit Café, a popular restaurant and bar in Ridgway, CO, so movie fans will have fun "connecting the dots" and seeing this, and the town, and Ouray just a few miles up the road, in person sometime. Great fun for the whole family. Highly recommended. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

great movie great price