Stagecoach and True Grit are both great examples of classic westerns for a number of reasons. First, both of the movies very vividly show the difference and the conflict between good and evil. Both heroes, which are portrayed by John Wayne and Jeff Bridges, are great picks for these roles. Also, the characters Ringo and Cogburn are both shown to evolve throughout the story from outlaw to respected friend. Ringo is a criminal who after proving his loyalty to the stagecoach earns his freedom when the Marshall lets him escape. Cogburn is in the same situation and is viewed as a thug and a ruthless bounty hunter. But, after several days with Mattie, he realizes that there is some good in him and he ends up being the hero at the end and saving Mattie. Lastly, the setting and basic objective of both films follow the western outline to a tee. Stagecoach has the journey to Lordsburg with a fugitive across the plains and fights with Apaches and the fight of good vs. evil. True Grit has the journey across plains to find a fugitive and fights against rebels and the constant battle of good vs. evil. So, in conclusion, True Grit and Stagecoach are basically all the same elements of a classic western; they are just jumbled around and changed a little bit to make them different movies.
Comparing Unforgiven and True Grit, I actually found them to be opposites. Unforgiven, for example, has several key points where it is clearly revisionist and not classical. First, it does not show the battle of good vs. evil. It shows the good turning into evil when Munny turns from retired killer, back to his old ways of drinking and being ruthless. Secondly, it shows vividly how violent the West can be. Classical westerns show the good times and not the corruption. Unforgiven does the exact opposite by showing Little Bill beating people up in the streets and Munny going on a killing rampage at the end. Lastly, it is revisionist because it shows the vulnerability of cowboys who were originally thought to be the tough heroes everyone knew and loved. After the Schofield Kid kills one of the two targets in the bounty, he begins to cry because deep down, he is not as strong as he acts. Conversely, when you look at True Grit, it shows the toughness of the hero, it shows the good times in the west, it has a happy ending, and there is a clear line drawn between good and evil. This is why Unforgiven is a revisionist Western and True Grit is a classical Western.
True Grit as anything besides a classical western would be incorrect. They would be missing several key points that differentiate it from a revisionist western. First off, it takes place in the west in the small towns and open plains. It also shows the clear separation from good vs. evil, as mentioned before, between Cogburn and the man who killed Mattie’s father. Also, it has the ending that is typical of all classical westerns, the bad guys get what’s coming to them, the good guys are victorious, and it ends with a long, drawn out final scene with music to end the story. Lastly, the small set of characters in the story keeps it classical as well as the fact that they never stray from their views throughout the whole movie. These and presumably other examples are reason enough for why True Grit is a classical Western and not revisionist.
