Book vs. Film: True Grit

[For an overview of the scoring system, see yesterday's post, and for my earlier review of the film itself, click here.]

What stands out most to me about the movie is the way Jeff Bridges embodies Rooster Cogburn.  In the Charles Portis novel, the character is conveyed mostly through dialogue, but Bridges brings Cogburn to life with a full repertoire of mannerisms.  Nobody does scruffy and drunken better than Bridges.

The novel does a much better job of establishing the historical/
political context, providing a clear understanding of the state of affairs not just in the Indian Territory but also in Washington, D.C.  Readers learn plenty about Civil War-fare, not to mention real-life outlaws like the James brothers.

The film's directors, the Coen Brothers, are faithful to the key scenes from the novel, but still manage to add their personal touch (e.g., the undertaker is transformed into a true grotesque by his repeated point to Mattie that she can kiss the corpse of her father; the hanging scene offers some black comedy when the Indian's speech is preempted by the hangman).

In the novel, Cogburn and LaBoeuf remain together throughout the hunt for the murderous Tom Chaney.  This lack of separation precludes some of the suspenseful moments and surprises that work so well in the film.

On the other hand, the climax is even more rousing in the book version of the narrative (two words: more snakes!).  To me, there also seemed to be less of an anti-climax in the novel--Cogburn's desperate ride on Little Blackie to save the snakebitten Mattie does not play out as long as it does in the film.

Perhaps the key distinction between the two versions is that Mattie Ross (wonderfully played by Hailee Steinfeld) is a more endearing figure in the film.  Because of its respective, first-person narration, the novel foregrounds Mattie's adult voice, and she accordingly comes across as more opinionated than precocious, more grouchy than plucky.  The romantic feelings that LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) sparks in Mattie in the film are also noticeably absent in Portis's text.

For these reasons, I give a slight edge to the cinematic incarnation of True Grit (a film that I would love to see rack up awards at tonight's Oscars).


Book: 4
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                       Film: 6