-
"We are rough men and used to rough ways." — Bob Younger
Cowboys, stage coaches, gunfighters, saloons... it's hard to imagine anything more American than the trappings of Westerns, yet many of the most memorable movies of the genre were actually shot in Europe with mostly European casts and crews. In fact, the enduring popularity of Westerns owes a great deal to Italian director Sergio Leone, who not only introduced the world to a then-unknown squinty-eyed TV actor named Clint Eastwood, but started a craze with his "Spaghetti Westerns" that resulted in more than 600 Westerns being produced in Europe between 1960 and 1980 while American movie studios slowed down or stopped producing Westerns altogether.
Whatever the origin of the movie or the nationality of the director behind the camera, a good Western is one that transports us back to a wild, dangerous time, to a place where the people are nearly as harsh as the landscape and there were still amazing discoveries to be made by those with an adventurous spirit. Help us choose those movies that deserve to be called Westerns, those with true grit.
Rate the Top 10 Best Western Movies >>
counting more than bulletsFriday 12:00p ET / 9:00a PT
Posted 12.06.12 by BrentJS -
Jeff Bridges has been nominated for an Academy Award five times, starting almost 40 years ago with 1971's The Last Picture Show and most recently with last year's Crazy Heart. In between, Bridges was nominated for 1974's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, 1986's Starman, and 2000's The Contender. However, Bridges has yet to win.
He told Movieline that Oscar campaigning has changed since his first nomination.
Well, you know, 40 years ago there really wasn't — or I wasn't part of — any campaign. It was pretty much you just wake up at 5 o'clock and somebody says, "You've been nominated for an Academy Award." Nowadays it seems more and more like the "business" in "show business" is underlined, and there are campaigns, and it's all part of getting people in to see the movies. Which is a good, important thing — especially for a movie like this, where you don't have a big budget to buy commercials and ads and that sort of thing. It brings attention tothe movie and gets people to go see it. So that's a good thing. It's quite a bit different.
Before Crazy Heart, Bridges was well known for his role as The Dude in 1998's The Big Lebowski, a role he is very proud of. Bridges is finally reuniting with Lebowski creators Joel and Ethan Coen in the upcoming True Grit, which Bridges reminds is not a remake of the 1969 movie starring John Wayne. Though playing the same role, Bridges says Wayne's performance will not influence how he approaches the part.
It doesn't, really, because the brothers are basing their script on the novel by Charles Portis. I don't think they're really considering it a remake of that film, but rather a remake of that book. So I'm looking at the book and the character who's written in the book. I admire John Wayne; I think he's a wonderful actor, but I'm not going to reference him, really. I'm just going to do the book.
Bridges says he's "looking forward to working" with fellow cast members Matt Damon and Josh Brolin in Grit, and that the role of the 14-year-old girl who aids Damon and Bridges in finding her father's murderer has not been cast.
Well, it's a large role. Any role that big is going to be a challengefor any actor, but for an actor of a young age, it's going to be even tougher. But we know it can be done; look at Tatum O'Neal [Oscar winner for 1973's Paper Moon]. She did a wonderful job. There are lot of terrific young actors, and as a matter of fact, I might even take my statement back because I've worked with some really wonderful child actors who've had no trainingwhatsoever, and they turn out to be great. A lot of acting is just about pretending, and kids are certainly good at that.
Bridges will also appear in the upcoming sequel Tron Legacy later this year.
Posted 02.11.10 by Ryan -
Joel and Ethan Coen's next movie, the black comedy A Serious Man, opens October 2, but their follow-up to that, True Grit, seems like an unusual choice for the genre-hopping duo. Both Coens maintain that their version won't be a traditional remake of the John Wayne Western of the same name.
"It's not really a remake, it's an adaptation," Ethan told ComingSoon. The Coens explained that they are returning to the original source material, the novel by Charles Portis, rather than rely on the 1969 feature. While Wayne won an Oscar for his performance in it, True Grit is rarely considered his best movie. The Coens agree:
"We did see it as kids. I don't know if Joel's seen it since," said Ethan. "It made very little impression on me, the movie. We subsequently both read the book and the book made a huge impression and I guess that's kind of why we're interested in doing the movie."
"It's not a great movie but it is a great book, actually," agreed Joel.
The Coens are hoping to make Grit next, though it's not certain. Likewise, Jeff Bridges is rumored to be up for the Wayne role, but The Coens wouldn't confirm the casting, only commenting that they're "talking to somebody."
Posted 09.15.09 by Ryan -
Not only are Joel Coen and Ethan Coen remaking the 1969 Western True Grit, but The Dude may be cast in the role originally played by The Duke.
Variety reports that Jeff Bridges, who played El Duderino in the Coens' The Big Lebowski, is in talks to star as U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn, the role that won John Wayne an Oscar in the original. In the story, Cogburn aids a young girl in search of the man who killed her father. While the original movie was more focused on Cogburn's point of view, the Coens' take will apparently focus more on the girl, which is more in keeping with the novel of same name by Charles Portis.
The thought of remaking a Wayne movie with another actor in his role may seem like blasphemy, but hopefully we can trust the Coens to come up with a reimagining, not a rehash. And we imagine Bridges would make the role his own and not simply imitate all the trademark Wayne mannerisms.
No other details about the cast have leaked yet as the movie's still a long way from release. As of now, it's currently expected for 2011.
Posted 09.11.09 by reelz