True Grit Resources

Websites

Unauthorized, Unofficial, and Uncensored: The Charles Portis Website

Want to talk Portis with other Portis lovers? This is the place to do it.

State Bird: Northern Mockingbird

If you want to know more about Arkansas, start here.

Many Voices

Did you notice a conspicuous near-absence of Native American voices in True Grit? You can find out more about Native American storytelling and art at this PBS website.

Video

True HTML

Watch the trailer and more at this flashy (LOL) website for the 2010 film adaptation.

Trailer for the 1969 Movie

The trailer quotes Time magazine: "True Grit is good enough for me; it is good enough for you, and if it isn't good enough for some movie company, then the free enterprise system is really going to hell." Yeah, we got nothing to add to that.

Hi-Def

This trailer to the 2010 movie is a lot sleeker, but is it better?

Movie or TV Productions

They Like Him, They Really Like Him

This 1969 film earned John Wayne his only Oscar.

Second Time's a Charm

This 1975 film Rooster Cogburn has Wayne reprising his role as Rooster alongside Katharine Hepburn.

It Wuz Robbed

Some say that the 2010 movie adaptation—nominated for 10 Oscars and awarded zero—preserves the spirit of the novel better than the 1969 film. Watch them both, and then drop us a line and tell us what you think.

Documents

Whet Your Appetite

Check out this preview of the novel, then pick up your very own copy.

The Interview

We italicize the The because, no joke, this is the only interview with Charles Portis we could find.

4.5 Stars!

Roger Ebert's review of the 2010 film adaptation of True Grit.

"I Don't Talk Service No More"

A short story by Charles Portis in The Atlantic Monthly.

"Combinations of Jacksons"

Interested in Charles Portis' war experience? If so, check out this autobiographical piece.

"The Guy Who Wrote True Grit"

The title says it all: some interesting history on True Grit and its author from the ever-classy New Yorker.

"True Grit: Trading the Dude for the Duke"

A review of the 2010 movie

Original? What Original?

Joel and Ethan share their experience adapting the novel to screen.

"One-Eyed Legends of the Silver Screen"

Fascinated by Rooster's eyelessness? Read on.

Audio

We Hear You

Rest your weary eyes and check out this excerpt from the audio version of the novel.

Images

Parental Advisory

What can we say? Sometimes the truly gritty smoke.

Being Rooster Cogburn

The 1969 Time magazine cover featuring John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn

A Book Cover

This isn't exactly how we picture Mattie—she never uses a shotgun and doesn't wear a dress, but good old blue jeans. But we'll let it slide.