Movie Remakes--More Thoughts

Several weeks ago, I wrote about being aggravated at the thought of the Coen brothers remaking a wonderful old movie. Many years ago, John Wayne starred in True Grit which became a classic. Maybe because it was one of Wayne's last movies and his thousands of fans wanted to hold on to it. Why mess with success? was my take on remaking the film.Leave my pleasant memories alone.

But this morning's newspaper had a review of the Coen's True Grit. They gave it four stars. Rarely does a film critic award four stars, so when I saw those four sharp-pointed symbols, I decided I'd better read the review.The headline on the review also drew me in. True Excellence was printed in very large and bold letters. I've written often enough about the importance of titles, and here was a perfect example. There was no way I could ignore it.

The original movie script was based on Charles Portis' novel of the same name, published in 1968. That's nearly 43 years ago. Wouldn't any novelist be pleased to have a story that was still in the public eye that far down the line?

The movie debuts at midnight tonight. Since there were no Christmas movies made for this holiday season of 2010 (most unusual), maybe you'd like to go see True Grit this week. If you do, while you watch the movie, think of the man who wrote the story so many years ago. It's his story you're watching, even if a different adaptation by the outstanding brother team of Ethan and Joel Coen.

If you'd like to read the sparkling review from the Kansas City Star, go to  http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/20/2533429/true-grit-true-excellence-4-stars.html

I'm intrigued enough by the review that I am considering going to see the movie. I may have to retract all I said in that first posting about remakes of old films.

Movie Remakes

I read in this morning's paper that the Coen brothers are remaking "True Grit." John Wayne starred in the original  movie which has become a classic. It's a compelling story of an old gunfighter who is dying of cancer. He returns to spend his final days in a boarding house of a woman he'd known earlier. A young girl approaches him for help. She can't go searching out the bad guys on her own, and Rooster Cogburn is the man she knows can help in her quest. Of course, Rooster doesn't want to take on a new job, but he does and it all makes for a great film with a star who is still remembered fondly by his many fans.

Now, Jeff Bridges is going to play Rooster Cogburn. I have nothing against Jeff Bridges. He's a fine actor and will probably do the role justice, but he isn't John Wayne. And my take on this is why try to make a really good movie over again? Why not let the original stand alone? But apparently, the producer/director brothers think they can do it better. I know one thing--it will probably be more violent as movies about the old West tend to be today.

It made me think about the idea of a remake. There are lots of remakes on movies, but I don't ever remember someone trying to remake a book. Copyright privilege comes into play there, I'm sure. Plus who would want to try and rewrite some classic novel? It would never work as the same, that's just plain plagarizing, and to write it differently doesn't make sense. It's not the same story any longer.

On the other hand, look at how many times someone has taken the classic poem "The Night Before Christmas" and rewritten it about Thanksgiivng or Halloween or some other far-fetched subject while keeping the idea and rhythm of the original intact. But that's a poem, not a novel.

I vote for leaving the original "True Grit" alone. Maybe the Coen brothers have run out of ideas of their own. Too bad, as they're a talented pair. I'd much rather they found a brand new script for Jeff Bridges.