Stagecoach and True Grit
Stagecoach is a classic western and True Grit exemplifies several characteristics seen in Stagecoach and other classic western films. Rooster Cogburn is the classic reluctant and independent hero. At first Cogburn is unwilling to help Mattie, the classic reluctant hero. But soon Cogburn tells Mattie that he will kill Chaney, but that she can't come with him on his hunt for Tom, reinforcing the idea that he is independent. In Stagecoach, the hero Ringo is a very independent. He doesn't want any help when it comes to killing the men who killed his family, he kills the three men on his own with only three bullets. Another commonality between the two films, and other classic westerns, is that they are about revenge and personal forms of justice. Mattie wants Chaney dead for killing her father and Ringo wants to kill the men who killed his family. This idea of revenge is consistent in all classic westerns and provides motivation for characters and plots. Another classic part of westerns is the action and use of guns. In True Grit there is especially a lot of gun shots near the end when they shoot the men on the horses and Mattie finally kills Chaney. In Stagecoach basically the only scenes with guns are the one when the Indians are attacking the stagecoach and when Ringo kills the men, but that isn't really an action scene it is just the sound of the gun shots. The use of action scenes with guns that aren't overly violent, are a classic element of westerns and are present in both Stagecoach and True Grit.
Unforgiven and True Grit
Unforgiven is a revisionist western film and True Grit shares many of the same qualities. First of all, in both films women are given bigger roles. In Unforgiven Alice plays the defiant feminist who will not back down when it comes to getting justice for Delilah who was attacked by two cowboys. In True Grit Mattie, at least to me, is the main character. Mattie is the one who convinces Cogburn to kill Chaney and forces Rooster to let her come on the hunt. Mattie seems more like the hero of the story because she is the one that seeks out the revenge and in the end she is the one who actually kills Chaney. Another similarity between the two films is that the journey is begun because one person begs another to help them kill a criminal. In Unforgiven it is the Kid who asks Will Munny to come with him and kill the two cowboys who attacked Delilah and in True Grit it is Mattie who never backs down on Cogburn, convincing him to help her kill Chaney. Also, in these films it seems as if the main male characters are very forceful and clever when trying to complete their task. There are several scenes that stick out that show this similar behavior. In True Grit Cogburn cuts off a mans fingers to get information and smokes people out of their house. Both of these measures seem extreme, but Cogburn felt that the end (killing Chaney) justified all of his actions. In Unforgiven Munny is able to kill all of the people in the bar, even though it is one against many. Although Munny didn't really need to kill all of the men, he felt that he needed to defend Ned, an innocent man, so to him his actions were justified.
True Grit: a classic western theme through the eyes of a revisionist hero
Overall I think that True Grit is a classic western. The motivation of the characters, along with the theme of the film, is revenge and taking justice into their own hands. I also think that the setting was very classic with its flatness and wide open feel. I think that a lot of the shots were also very classic, especially all of the long shots establishing and showing off the setting, which is important to westerns. I also think that the characters, especially Cogburn with his reluctance to be a hero, are reminiscent of classic westerns. Also, in this film it doesn't seem to be focused on the civilization of the frontier, so because civilization isn't necessarily shown as a negative, it is a classic western element. The only reason that I think that True Grit has a little bit of revisionist in it is because of Mattie Ross. Mattie, a thirteen year old girl seeks out her fathers murderer and in the end is the one to kill him. To me this proves that Mattie is the hero because although she had Cogburn and LaBoeuf to kill Chaney, she is the one that did it. This extremely strong female hero is a very revisionist element of westerns. I think that the Coen brothers wanted to make a classic western, but through the eyes of a revisionist hero in order to give the otherwise classic western a new point of view, introducing a new way to connect with the characters.
