Sunday, June 04, 2006

Pelecanos on TRUE GRIT

Here's a nice little article by George Pelecanos about Charles Portis's novel TRUE GRIT, which also touches on the movie verson of the novel. I've read the novel and seen the movie, and they're both wonderful, no doubt about that. I'm the opposite of Pelecanos in that I probably like the movie a little better. Rooster's shootout with Ned Pepper's gang, prefaced by that famous exchange of dialogue Pelecanos quotes, is one of my favorite moments in all of film. But what the hey, they're both great. Thanks to Duane Spurlock for the link.

Pelecanos is a well-respected author of mystery fiction, but he's one of those writers I haven't gotten around to trying yet. I figure anybody who likes TRUE GRIT, though, deserves to be jumped up closer to the top of the stack.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you James. I like both, but even though I don't care for Glen Campbell's performance I think I like the movie a little better.

Danny

Flip Dixon said...

Wow, I didn't even know that True Grit was a novel. But then again, I'm probably one of the few people under the age of 40 who's seen the movie.

Graham Powell said...

Hey! I'm only 37!

Flip Dixon said...

Close enough.

Anonymous said...

I'm only 30, but then again, I'm from Arkansas and have been a Portis fan since junior high... more on the movie and the novel here:
http://theoverlookpress.blogspot.com/2006/06/george-pelecanos-talks-about-true-grit.html

Take care,
John Mark

Sidney said...

I think both the book and movie are great. I have to agree the gun battle is spectacular as is the dialog in that scene. I love the scene toward the end of the book where Mattie encounters famous wild West show cowboys and tells them off