Westerns

Unforgiven and True Grit

These films share an important element of revisionist Westerns, both have multi-dimensional females holding a prominent role.  In True Grit, Mattie starts off in what seems to be a role that is the catalyst for the action and plot, but ends up remaining a very important character.  She is generally strong and toughened, but she definitely has moments where she shows her fear and youth.  From when Mattie sees all the shooting on, she seems less tough.  After she is bit by the snake, her tough one-sidedness completely disappears. In Unforgiven, the women in the story fit the classic western idea of either “good girls” or whores.  While most of the women are the latter, the women have characters that develop enough to show another side of them.  The women themselves have a strong sense of justice, as shown by their putting together a bounty to catch the cowboys who cut up Delilah.  The remorse and confusion that all the women, but Delilah in particular, feel after seeing Will’s character change so much and his killing of so many people, points to them as complex people. 

            In addition to these, both films were very violent- perhaps more so than they needed to be to convey their points.  These violent scenes were used to bring people to justice.  In True Grit, Mattie’s father’s killer is put to justice in an overly violent scene.  In Unforgiven, many people are killed in many violent scenes.  We watch as the first cowboy lays there, mortally wounded.  We see Will shoot many men in the bar.  All these men are purposely killed by Will, it is by no means random fire.  Both these films have very violent scenes, but those hurt or killed are targeted for a reason.

Stagecoach and True Grit

            The prevalence of the law and civilization in both of these films is very important.  In Stagecoach, when the coach is traveling, everyone is trying to reach the military, at which point they feel they will be safe.  Ringo is also an outlaw, and his arrest is portrayed as the right thing to do for most of the film, as it is the law.  In True Grit, Mattie takes advantage of the legal system to get what she needs.  She threatens the banker with her lawyer and gets her money and sells the horses.  She talks to the marshall to find a bounty hunter.  The use of the legal system and civilization being viewed so positively makes these films classic westerns.

            The motivation in both these films is well known to the viewer.  Mattie is out to find and kill her father’s murderer, no matter what it takes. She is willing to go to all means to make this happen.  In Stagecoach, Ringo is out to kill the men who killed his family, again no matter what it takes.  We know this from the beginning. 

True Grit: Revisionist Western

True Grit fits more into the category of revisionist western.  I feel this way primarily because of Mattie’s huge role as a multi-dimensional female and an integral part of the plot.  Females simply don’t have such strong characters in classic westerns.  Also, there are many violent scenes in the film, but they are viewed as “deserved”.  The man who killed Mattie’s father deserves to die, thus explaining the gruesome scenes.  The film also criticizes civilization in a way, as Mattie is disgusted by the lack of effort to find her father’s killer.  She also doesn’t seem impressed by the court proceedings she sees, causing her to take matters into her own hands.  Thematically, I think the Coen brothers are trying to give a different perspective on the story.  By telling this story from a revisionist perspective, they can give extra prominence to Mattie’s roll and add to the sense of justice when Mattie’s father’s murderer is killed.