True
Grit (1969)
Paramount
Cast:
John Wayne Glen Campbell, Kim Darby.
Rating:
PG-13
Run
time: 111 mins
Genre:
Western
Verdict:
Beautiful
(see rating
system)
This
is a 2007 special collector's edition of the western that
finally landed John Wayne a “best Actor” Oscar after
almost 40 years in the saddle.
Don't
believe the myth that Wayne couldn't act - he had huge screen
presence and a suprisingly good sense of comic timing, which
is why there are always some decent laughs in his films, particularly
the later ones. Above all, he made it look easy, which it
certainly isn't.
"The
Duke" deserved an Oscar for several earlier films, among
them Red River (1948), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and The Searchers
(1956) and by the time he made this movie at age 62 must have
thought his time had passed. But the role was a beauty, and
director Henry Hathaway encouraged Wayne to add some pounds
to fit the part of marshall Rooster Cogburn, a tough, whisky
drinking rascal who brought in the bad guys dead more often
than alive. A distinctive eye patch completed the image of
a man who'd seen a fight or two.
Screen
newcomer Kim Darby plays Mattie Ross, a teenage girl whose
father has been murdered by a ranchhand. She seeks out Cogburn
to pursue the killer, but she insists she'll be coming along
for the ride to see that justice is done. Cogburn isn't happy,
but the money is good. There's an additional incentive: the
wanted man has hooked up with Ned Pepper, a notorious outlaw
Cogburn has long been pursuing.
Adding
friction to the mission is a Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell)
who joins up for some reward money and clashes often with
Cogburn and Mattie. A good performance from Campbell.
The
Colorado locations look great and there's plenty of action
after a bit of a sluggish start to the film. The solid supporting
cast includes Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.
This
new edition marks the 100th anniversary of Wayne’s birth,
and four featurettes on the making of the movie include interviews
with cast members Glen Campbell and Kim Darby.
