True Grit (1969) – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

It’s the one that The Duke won the Oscar for. After slumming it in a few films like The Conqueror where the great American cowboy played Genghis Khan of all people, and after losing nearly two lungs, The Duke’s American icon status was returned in 1969′s True Grit, a film that played up to his persona of the decades, yet offered him a chance to twist it, with his drunken Rooster Cogburn, one of his best characters. “If I’d have known that, I would have put that patch on thirty-five years earlier,” joked John Wayne during his Oscar speech, a clever spin on a long deserved award, but also in tune with the character of Rooster Cogburn.

The great thing about True Grit, is the to whom the title describes. We obviously associate it Wayne’s Cogburn. The character is vintage Wayne: rough, tough, gun-toting, quick to a witty comment. His cowboy hat, gimp walk, and eye patch are all traits of his 40 years of acting, just vintage iconic Americana. Yet, as the young girl seeks his help out, knowing that he has “true grit”, something in a guide she needs to exact revenge of the man who killed her Pa, it’s her who ultimately has the “true grit”, maybe just as deep as Cogburn.

Mattie (played by Kim Darby) is a progressive 14-year old in 1880. She knows laws, entitlements, and doesn’t back down. The murder of her Pa has left her family in shambles, maybe penniless, and it’s cinema’s age old tale of vengeance that just might help. Does it? Does it ever? True Grit is the American Western at its best, although as great and thrilling as it is, it’s really not near Wayne’s best, due to the fact he has some classics under his belt in Stagecoach and The Searchers, but his performance is the film, and for that, it’s clearly a fan favorite. Fill your hands, you son of a bitch! Rooster Cogburn is the definitive Wayne character in his latter half of his career: rough and tumble, yet warm and touching, a swan song for an American legend who’s see it all and been through it all, in cinema and in life.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: I wasn’t expecting much from Paramount’s HD presentation and it certainly doesn’t marvel like Criterion’s Stagecoach (here) and Warner Bros.’s The Searchers, but the transfer is still really good. Colors pop, especially in the day time scenes, that features a bright image, full of detail and dimensionality. Night scenes are a little too bright, but overall, Wayne/western fans should be pleased with its HD look.

The DTS track is warm and filling, yet it doesn’t explode in your speakers, obviously. The mono mix is flat, yet clear, but go with the limited 5.1 mix, since it fills the sound experience better.

All of the extras have been ported over from the 2007 Special Edition and are in standard definition. Sadly, no new extras, unless you count the HD version of the Trailer.

Commentary: Jeb Rosebrook, Bob Boze Bell, and J. Stuart Rosebrook are film historians and offer up a great look at the film, with subtext, character angles, talks on the book, all of which should be a must listens for western fans.

Working with the Duke: A good extra filled with interviews with the cast and crew, who all tell about working with the actor. Plenty of good stories and talk of his Oscar win.

True Writing: This looks at the book, which is now being adapted closely in the upcoming remake, than this film did.

Aspen Gold is a brief feature on the locations seen in the film and The Law and the Lawless takes a cool little look about the wild west and the men who roamed the land back then.

Conclusion: The film’s title clearly is the film, and Wayne fans should be pleased with its HD debut.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: