Post by SeventhSeal17 on May 8, 2007 22:40:38 GMT -5
True Grit (1969)
DVD Rating: 8/10 (B-)
Overall Rating: 13/15 (B)
Directed By: Henry Hathaway
Written By: Marguerite Roberts
From A Novel By: Charles Portis
Cast:
John Wayne
Glen Campbell
Kim Darby
Jeremy Slate
Robert Duvall
Dennis Hopper
1969 Academy Award Winner:
Best Actor in a Leading Role: John Wayne
Plot Synopsis:
In 1969, John Wayne won an Academy Award for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced but enthusiastic Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western that features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.
Review:
The best of John Wayne’s late era Westerns, and a roll for which he won (or rather they gave) an Academy Award that represented not only this picture, but a lifetime, of creating great cinematic performances and memories. As one can imagine Wayne is his typical self and feels right at home going the motions of this typical Western routine.
At it’s best the cinematography is breathtaking, but one can’t help to notice the lack of landscapes as they soon being to double for different locations. All around the acting is fairly top notch, while Kim Darby’s (or maybe just Kim Darby) character really, really, began to itch onto my last nerve. I was almost hoping that the rattlesnake would bite her after a tumble she took during a gunfight.
The best scene in the film comes when Kim Darby first visits Roosters at his “house” and they have an interesting little conversion, Kim Darby is annoying in this scene but all is forgiven when The Duke reaches in mid-conversation for a bottle of whiskey and takes a hearty serving. Darby aptly leaves the room feeling insulted, but hey, they don’t call him The Duke for nothing.
While it cannot even compare to Wayne’s earlier work, most notably The Searchers and other collaborations with director John Ford, but it really is a quality film that should be seen as a companion piece to Wayne’s earlier work. Besides, any movie where John Wayne says “d**n that Texan - when you need him, he's dead”, is all right in my book.
Rating:
Video: 4/5 – They mustered up a gorgeous new transfer for this release. You would think that it was just filmed yesterday.
Audio: 4/ 5 – While it had some sound level issues, the voices were crisp and the gunshots loud. Just like I like ‘em.
Acting: 4/5 – A brilliant performance by The Duke. Other than that it was lackluster.
Script: 4/5 – Some really good dialogue was injected into the script and it added to the overall old time feel of the picture.
John Wayne Lines: 5/5 – The Duke has some excellent lines in this one. Just wait until he starts talking about what to do when you bury a man.
DVD Rating: 8/10 (B-)
Overall Rating: 13/15 (B)
DVD Rating: 8/10 (B-)
Overall Rating: 13/15 (B)
Directed By: Henry Hathaway
Written By: Marguerite Roberts
From A Novel By: Charles Portis
Cast:
John Wayne
Glen Campbell
Kim Darby
Jeremy Slate
Robert Duvall
Dennis Hopper
1969 Academy Award Winner:
Best Actor in a Leading Role: John Wayne
Plot Synopsis:
In 1969, John Wayne won an Academy Award for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced but enthusiastic Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western that features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.
Review:
The best of John Wayne’s late era Westerns, and a roll for which he won (or rather they gave) an Academy Award that represented not only this picture, but a lifetime, of creating great cinematic performances and memories. As one can imagine Wayne is his typical self and feels right at home going the motions of this typical Western routine.
At it’s best the cinematography is breathtaking, but one can’t help to notice the lack of landscapes as they soon being to double for different locations. All around the acting is fairly top notch, while Kim Darby’s (or maybe just Kim Darby) character really, really, began to itch onto my last nerve. I was almost hoping that the rattlesnake would bite her after a tumble she took during a gunfight.
The best scene in the film comes when Kim Darby first visits Roosters at his “house” and they have an interesting little conversion, Kim Darby is annoying in this scene but all is forgiven when The Duke reaches in mid-conversation for a bottle of whiskey and takes a hearty serving. Darby aptly leaves the room feeling insulted, but hey, they don’t call him The Duke for nothing.
While it cannot even compare to Wayne’s earlier work, most notably The Searchers and other collaborations with director John Ford, but it really is a quality film that should be seen as a companion piece to Wayne’s earlier work. Besides, any movie where John Wayne says “d**n that Texan - when you need him, he's dead”, is all right in my book.
Rating:
Video: 4/5 – They mustered up a gorgeous new transfer for this release. You would think that it was just filmed yesterday.
Audio: 4/ 5 – While it had some sound level issues, the voices were crisp and the gunshots loud. Just like I like ‘em.
Acting: 4/5 – A brilliant performance by The Duke. Other than that it was lackluster.
Script: 4/5 – Some really good dialogue was injected into the script and it added to the overall old time feel of the picture.
John Wayne Lines: 5/5 – The Duke has some excellent lines in this one. Just wait until he starts talking about what to do when you bury a man.
DVD Rating: 8/10 (B-)
Overall Rating: 13/15 (B)