True Grip —Coen brother ’s Addition and Subtraction


As a highly stylized director, when he start to remake a classic film, he probably always use his personal style and idea to subvert original film, it’s like a fashion designer go through tailoring to make a old clothes to be a new fashion, so when Coen brothers start to remake “Ture Grip” I think nobody would suspect they will bring a totally different “ outside system ” work for us. So I wanna bring you guys to discover how many personalized addition and subtraction have used in this new version by Coen brothers, especially to watch how do they combine their black style and traditional western film in this new version of True Grip.
Subtraction.
  1. 1 In visual style, the background of warm colors have weeded out,he bright sunshine,yellow and green of the wild,an oasis in the western plains, every bright things have replaced by overcast sky and night. I think this difference is caused by different shooting condition, the old version was made in 1969, the camera had lighting can’t compare with modern film so that filmmaker glad to choose good enough natural light to make film. However, in modern film industry, people no longer be limited in these problem, moreover, for Coen brothers, they always prefer to use dark style to be their symbolic style, in order to increase the unpredictability of events, even if you compare old version and new version’s costume style, most of people’s consume are all replaced by dead color.
  2. 2 New version cut off the old version’s beginning and girl’s mother and sisters, even Coen brothers change her personality, old version is a lovely girl and her pain of lost father is not obviously, even she has little bit shameless in my opinion because she alway eats food in
others home. But new version’s girl seem like more mature and prudent, her eyes are strong and fearless, even when her arm has to be cut, the picture still dissolve with her smile into the next shot, this is a typical Coen’s style.
3. 3. New version use girl’s monologue instead of old version’s beginning and girl’s mother and sister, especially Coen brother cancel the part of Tom Chaney kill her father, the director make the film close to a revenge story more than old one, especially when the girl chase the Tom Chaney, only one thing we know about him is the guy has a little piece of black spot on his face so that when he appears on the screen in the end of the film, that black spot really contain a strong shock power. On the other hand, new version delate some scenes about have meal I think the director just wanna increase intense and rise the rhythm for film.
Cohen's addition:
  1. Greatly increase the new version of the main character portrayed, and strengthen the
    character's personality, to make the characters look vivid and cool, we have already know what girl’s different between the old version and new one,the old version of the Texas Rangers LaBoeuf is incompetent playboy, and the new image which Matt Damon is no hope to become Playboy, so his garrulous more prominent, sensitive and empress gas, private thought Mate Da Mongolia is very suitable for this type of image, in the "informers" in which he would play live a long-winded, cowardly uncle. However, the biggest change is new version makes Rooster and Leboeuf break their relationship when they start to chase for a while Tom Chaney, I think this change can stress these two guys personal charisma, also their strong personality make them fall in more huge of dilemma, they still have strong justice sense in heart.
  2. The new version’s style is typical Coen’s ending. Rooster did not charge girl’s money and spent a lifetime of drift from place to place in a circus, actually the circus is Fellini’s favorite, to express clutter and go with the flow of life, perhaps this fate can represent Rooster’s

whole life——cosmopolitan, lonely and strong, but also create a sense of sadness. Texans LaBoeuf survived, but with girls between life and death, actually the old version LaBoeuf was knocked head to die, Rooster and the girls make a agreement which they would bury in together after they died, the old version is the family's warmth, the new version has more lonely and sadness, each of styles have different features, the audience make the right decision.
In short, from the artistic attainments of view, the new version really have made more progress in all areas, but this does not erase the old version of the classic status, and the old version if not exciting, how to attract the attention of the Coen brothers, the old version if not exciting, how did Wayne can be the best actor? The best thing is to see the two works put together, the experience is one difference, at the same time try to figure out the director's intentions, experience movie-style tilt, it is a pleasure not less than viewing things. 

           -Dean Wu

3 comments:

  1. I like the way you listed out your points! It's also very interesting that you connect the Coen brothers to Fellini. Although they have different styles, they both have worlds that are circus-like with their characters and situations.

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  2. I like your point about how modern technology allows people to use more natural lighting and less forced lighting because of newer camera technology. Cameras today seem to pick up so much more dynamic range than they did in the film era, especially with these RED and DSLR cameras. I can imagine how much more cumbersome it is to only use studio lighting rather than natural lighting!

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