Having read the story back in 1968, the movie was a let down for me. The movie took place in the Rockies, where the book has it al happening in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Indian Territory. The movie all took place in 1880s, where in the book it took place in 1920s with Mattie telling of her life experience back when she was 14. And after falling into the pit of human remains and snakes she lost her arm. How she lived out her life, never marrying there on her Arkansas farm.
While I love the Duke, his potrayal of Rooster Cogburn was far too flamboyant. They just dropped the story line at the end of the movie and did not tell anything about their later years. Then they turned around and did the sequal with Rooster, which was total fiction and ruined the charector totally for me. Glen Campbell did a horriable performance, as did Robert Duvall. Kim Darby and the actor that played the Charector "Channey" I thought did the best jobs of the entire movie.
After reading the comments on the remake, it looks like they are going to stick more closely to the original story line. At least they are using an adult Mattie Ross.
