By Peter Caranicas

Joel and Ethan Coen claim they never saw the first "True Grit," helmed by Henry Hathaway and released in 1969, earning John Wayne his only Oscar. At least, that's what they told production designer Jess Gonchor and costume designer Mary Zophres, advising them not to bother with the earlier film, but to focus instead on the Charles Portis novel on which they based their script. He followed the advice, although he admits he later snuck in some YouTube viewings of parts of the first film. Zophres also took her cues mainly from the book, which she read three times before reading the Coens' script. The Coens are more interested in creating their own mythology than in doing remakes or producing pictures that fit the mold of traditional Hollywood fare.

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