Charles Portis : An Appreciation

The Coen brothers, the pair responsible for a slew of fantastic movies, including Raising Arizona, Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, Fargo and many others available on DVD at GCL, are currently filming a remake of True Grit. The 1969 original, best known for John Wayne's performance as Rooster Cogburn-- the one-eyed, whiskey drinking Fort Smith marshal- was based on the 1968 novel by El Dorado native Charles Portis. The new version will star Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Matt Damon. While the original film was extremely popular, many of the book's admirers have felt that it didn't do justice to the Portis novel, particularly in its depiction of the spitfire teenaged protagonist, Mattie Ross. We hope the Coens will find a more believable actress to bring this great (and very funny) heroine to a new generation.

Even though Portis is best known for True Grit, some of his other works may be even better: Norwood (1966), The Dog of the South (1979), Masters of Atlantis (1985), and Gringos (1991). They all feature Portis' casts of hapless and outlandish characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and wry humor. They're all available here at GCL, so we encourage you to check out a true Arkansas original.