True Grit Themes and Film Elements - Essay Example

? Visual Arts and Film Studies True Grit Themes and Film Elements By Due The movie “True Grit” is a western style movie that emphasizes the values of justice, pride, and courage. The narrator of the story is Mattie Ross, a 14 year old girl whose father has been murdered by Tom Chaney. After killing him, he had taken off with her father's horse and his two California gold pieces. Mattie Ross is told by the Sheriff that Tom Chaney fled to Indian Territory which is out of his jurisdiction. The Sheriff has no authority to track a fugitive there and no search for Chaney is being conducted. She asks the Sheriff if she can hire a Deputy U.S. Marshal to track down Chaney and bring him to justice. The Sheriff recommends three of them and Mattie chooses to hire Rooster Cogburn. Mattie’s first conversation with Cogburn occurs when he is in a toilet out of a saloon. Mattie waits for him to come out but he takes too long. This is to show that Cogburn drinks a lot and is sort of nonchalant of what goes on in the world. Until the first appearance of Cogburn, the camera focuses a lot on Mattie. She has been shot from low angles and when three criminals are hanged in the beginning, the camera follows Mattie in a way that makes her presence prominent. This shows that Mattie is a very important character in the movie. Cogburn’s first appearance in the movie is like that of a title or a very important character. He is called as a witness in a courtroom and everybody is listening to his testimony very carefully. He explains to the court that his fellows and he had tried to talk about the situation with the Wharton boys who had allegedly murdered an old man and a woman for some money. He explains that they tried “to talk some sense into him” but they chose to attack his group and Cogburn had to shot them and their father to save his life. Also, when asked about how many men he has shot in his 4 year career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, he says that he has “never shot anybody he didn’t have to.” In this scene, a whole new opinion can be formed about Cogburn which is quite different from him being a drunkard. It can be easily construed that Cogburn is man of good judgment and reason who is not afraid to use violence when it is necessary. When Mattie has first real and face to face meeting with Cogburn, she says to him she has heard that he is “a man with true grit.” From this statement, it seems that Cogburn is the central character but he shares it with Mattie. He refuses to believe that Mattie would be able to pay the reward of $50 that she offers to him for the capture of Tom Chaney. However, when Mattie raises the money by horse-trading with Colonel Stonehill, she is able to convince Cogburn to pursue Tom Chaney. He agrees but has some qualms about Mattie accompanying him. Another very important development before Mattie successfully secures Cogburn’s services is the introduction of Texas Ranger LaBoeuf who is also after Chaney who has murdered a state senator in Texas. LaBeouf is a strong character in the movie and is noticeable how the camera follows him when he is talking to Mattie as she wakes up. When he stands up from his chair, the camera shows his boots and the spurs on his boots are prominent. Although he tells himself after a little while that he is a Texas Ranger, the focus on his shoes and the guessing eyes of Mattie at the same time show that he is an accomplished individual. He is beyond his jurisdiction but he is pursuing Chaney for a big reward that is offered for Chaney in Texas. His entrance into the movie is also like that of a very important character. He is shot from a low angle when he looks at Mattie when she is going inside to spend the night. He tells Mattie of her business and offers to join forces with Cogburn in pursuit of Chaney as Cogburn knows the area very well and LaBoeuf knows hoe habits and reactions of Chaney. Mattie proves to be very firm in her resolve and insists that she wants to see Chaney hang in Fort Smith because only that seems to be an adequate punishment for his crime. LaBoeuf’s argument and offer seems to be very rational and reasonable but Mattie seems to be driven by a feeling of revenge which makes LaBoeuf angry and he leaves disgruntled. Mattie is a very young girl and refuses to listen to some good advices by Cogburn and LaBoeuf. Cogburn quickly assesses that although he has asked her personally not to accompany him, she will try to join him anyway. He makes preparations to keep her from joining him as he crosses the river and reaches into Indian Nation on a ferry and tells the man in charge of the ferry to take Mattie to the Sheriff when she arrives. She manages to take her horse across the river without a ferry by making her horse swim. Cogburn is accompanied by LaBoeuf who birches Mattie to show his anger and disapproval of her accompaniment. An extreme negative side of LaBoeuf is shown in this scene as he beats a girl without sufficient reason. A good and positive side of Cogburn is depicted when he, however a little slowly, stops LaBoeuf from doing that to Mattie at gunpoint. This again proves that Cogburn can use violence when it is necessary. The scene where the trio camps at night is very important where LaBoeuf is telling Mattie about himself and the fact that how lucky they are to have plenty of water around them. Cogburn says that he has heard stories like that of LaBoeuf so many times that he does not believe them to be true anymore. They have a verbal argument which is intelligently ended by Mattie. This scene shows that the three characters are of different dispositions and would have never teamed up with eah other in normal circumstances. Mattie learns on the next morning that Cogburn has made a deal with LaBoeuf according to which they are going to capture Chaney and bring him to Texas instead of Arkansas and split the reward offered by the murdered senator’s family. Mattie accuses Cogburn of fraud and says that their agreement was made under the force of law. LaBoeuf ends the deal with Cogburn and rides away. At that time, as LaBoeuf has made some accusations on some of the people that Cogburn used to work with, Cogburn is very angry and seems have no worries about LaBoeuf’s parting ways. However, Mattie looks to be very concerned. They move together and guided by a trail doctor on their way, reach a shelter. There, they find two outlaws occupying the cabin, Quincey and Moon. Cogburn talks Moon into telling him about the whereabouts of he "Lucky" Ned Pepper with whom Chaney is believed to be traveling. Moon is stabbed by Quincey after he fails to stop him from telling the truth. Cogburn shoots Quincey and before his death, Moon tells Cogburn that the gang is expected to gather at the cabin on the same night. Cogburn sets himself up at a vantage point and plans to snipe three of the members of the gang and make the rest surrender. He discloses to Mattie that he used to be a bank robber in New Mexico. Unexpectedly, LaBoeuf shows up and before he can be warned, the "Lucky" Ned Pepper and his gang arrive. Cogburn saves LaBoeuf but accidently wounds him too. He drinks a lot of whisky on the next day and LaBoeuf departs again after another argument. Mattie confronts Chaney when she goes to the river to draw some water and gets abducted by him after failing to shoot him. Chaney takes her to Ned who uses her to force Cogburn to leave. His horse has been killed by Cogburn during the previous encounter. Therefore, he cannot take Mattie with him and leaves her in Chaney’s custody ordering him not to kill her or he would not get paid. Chaney disobeys and tries to kill her but he is stopped by LaBoeuf. He tells Mattie that he has devised a plan with Cogburn. They watch Cogburn’s confrontation with Ned’s gang from about 400 meters away. Cogburn kills two members and mortally wounds Ned before his horse gets shot and his leg is caught. Before Ned could shoot Cogburn, LaBoeuf shoots Ned from 400 meters away and saves Cogburn. Chaney hits Laboeuf on his head with a rock and knocks him out. Mattie manages to grab the gun before Chaney and shoots him but the recoil of the gun knocks her into a deep pit. She gets bitten by a snake on her hand and calls for help. Cogburns comes into the pit to save her and sucks and spits some of the poison out of her hand. Cogburn carries Mattie on her horse and rides night and day to get her to a doctor. When her horse is not able to ride anymore, he euthanizes it by shooting it and then carries Mattie in his arms. Mattie gets saved but loses her arm because the poison is spread to much. Before she regains consciousness, Cogburn leaves. Twenty-five years later, Mattie is invited to a Wild West Show by Cogburn. She reaches there only to learn that she had just missed him as he had passed away just three days before her arrival. She requests that his body must be moved to her farm plot and buries him there. She explains that she never heard from LaBoeuf again but she would be glad to hear from him. The movie initially tends to associate the title True Grit with only Cogburn but as it moves towards the end, it is learned that LaBoeuf also has the true grit. A lot of heroes in Western movies have been seen to have taken on multiple opponents and succeeding. It takes courage to do that too but to stand up for what is right at all times is also something that demands a great deal of courage. Cogburn could have left the girl at the end of the movie but he chooses to get her to a doctor as quickly as possible. LaBoeuf almost gives up on the hunt for Chaney when Cogburn drinks too much but he comes back when hears shots. He plays a vital role in saving Mattie. The movie shows both positive and negative sides of the characters involved. Cogburn has a capability of doing what is right but his drinking problem is a hurdle in the performance of his duties. LaBoeuf is driven by the greed for reward in the pursuit of Chaney and his anger does not serve him well but he values justice and law and order. Mattie starts out looking for justice but the thought of avenging her father overwhelms everything else. She refuses to listen to good advices given by experienced people. She gets her revenge in the end but loses an arm in the process. This is to show that revenge must not be valued above justice. Overall, the movie focuses more on courage to do the right thing. If there is a true grit, vengeance is wreaked and justice is served automatically. Works Cited True Grit. Dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen. Perf. Jeff Bidges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Paramount, 2010. DVD. Read More