Stagecoach is considered by mane to be an example of a classic Western movie. I believe that there are a lot of similarities between this movie and True Grit. On of the key components to the classic western is a well defined view of right and wrong. In Stagecoach this definition between the two is clear. The almost animal like portrayal of the Indians is a good example of this. In fact in True Grit the Indians receive a similar treatment because we find out that the clearly evil Tom Chaney is hiding in Indian territory. Another similarity between the two films is the theme of revenge and avenging the death of a family member. The Ringo kid's entire reason to get to Lordsburg is to find and kill the men who shot his brother. In the same way Mattie goes all the way out to the frontier to kill Tom Chaney the man who killed her father. Another characteristic of the classic western that is present in both films but approached from different angles is the clash between the civilized world and the raw world of the frontier. In Stagecoach Mrs. Mallory is a bastion of civility occasionally accompanied by Hatfield. Though these characters clash with the "collar"-blind other characters of the movie such as Ringo and Dallas, they ultimately pale and fade away in the wake of Ringo and Dallas's actions. The clash of between frontier and civilized world also is presented in True Grit through Mattie. Mattie represents the civilized world throughout the movie and it is interesting when she is the last remaining heroine of the movie because she was not truly a western hero.
I would have to say that I draw less similarities from True Grit and Unforgiven. Unforgiven has a much too real feeling about it. The actions and emotions of the characters don't seem to be something of myth or legend but the actions and emotions of a very rough and unhappy lot of people. This is the very opposite in True Grit. The language is so strange and otherworldly that I could not imagine a story like this happening today whereas I can with Unforgiven. Not to say that the acting in True Grit didn't feel real but it seemed to be acting that was classically western. Another difference that I found between True Grit and Unforgiven was the portrayal of the hero and the portrayal of justice. In Unforgiven we find no solace or sense of justice at the end of the movie. It was just a blood bath. With morally ambiguous characters like Will Munny and Silent Bill there is no one who seems to be right in the end, which is a truly revisionist approach to the Western. Not to say that Cogburn was a perfect citizen but the viewer only got his side of the story and sympathized strongly with it. One thing that I did find that the two movies had in common was the representation and influence of old cowboy vs. new cowboy. In Unforgiven Will is balanced out and contrasted with the Scholfield Kid. There is the contrast of what old cowboys were like and a sort of demystification of a Western hero with this approach. In True Grit Rooster is juxtaposed with LaBoeuf and the even younger Mattie. Mattie realizes that over time Rooster isn't always someone with "true grit" as his many weak moments are displayed. In the same way Will has trouble firing his gun and mounting his horse.
I think that True Grit doesn't lie firmly as either a classic or Revisionist Western. I believed that for the most part, save some extreme violence, the movie is filmed and acted in a very classic western way. I also believe that a large amount of the storyline is true to the classic western. But I must say that there are some very strong revisionist elements as well. I think that these element carry over from the book version which I believe to have a lot of Revisionist ideas and elements to it. But in the way the the Coens created the film the movie is more classic than revisionist. This is supported by classic scenery, the classic portrayal of characters, and a somewhat mythic rather than realistic feeling about the plot.
