Stage Coach vs True Grit
Although Many may say that Stagecoach and True Grit follow a completely different storyline, really the basic themes and "drive" in the story are quite similar. Both revolve around revenge and how it drives people to do things. In True Grit, Mattie wanted revenge on Tom, the man who killed her dad. In True Grit it was Ringo wanting revenge on the ones who killed his family members. A similarity I can see is how both films are for the majority of the time slow moving as the plot evolves over time, with a few fast paced action scenes. Another, smaller detail is how both are lit; very bright, direct light. This gives off a feeling like you are really with them out in the beating sun of the desert.
Unforgiven vs True Grit
These two stories also revolve around revenge; Will going back to kill Little Bill over Ned's death, and Mattie over her father's. Both films have strong revisionist characteristics. Some of the characters such as Mattie, being a young girl, and English Bob being, well, English. These were not typically seen in what you would call a "Classic Western". Unforgiven's lighting techniques broke away form the classic, as many shots were very dark and back-lighting techniques were used often, as opposed to the much brighter shots used in True Grit.
In my eyes, True Grit seemed to have more traits of a revisionist western than that of a classic. As I pointed out earlier, a young girl as the main role was pretty uncommon for the classic style. Women in classic westerns did not typically have as much of a "backbone". In the classic western the plot and outcome seemed to entail a much more "romantic" ending, everything going well and justice met. In True Grit the outcome is much more realistic; everything does not go as planned and Mattie ends up getting her arm cut off and never being able to see Rooster again due to his death. This is not the typical "Classic" ending.
