MovieChat Forums > True Grit (1969) Discussion > My family has property and I don't know ...

My family has property and I don't know why I'm being treated like this

posted 11 years ago by star_in_the_zenith_79
7 replies | jump to latest

First off, loved the movie. One of my all time favorites.

However, I was thinking of Mattie's line to Ned Pepper "I'm Mattie Ross of Dardnel and Yal County my family has property and I don't why I'm being treated like this." Am I the only one who thought that was extraordinarily cheesy? I mean who would actually say something like that in that situation? Granted Mattie was rather pretentious, but that is a little over the top even for her. I mean did she honestly think a bunch of scraggly bandits out in the wilderness would care about that? She was probably ignorant of the ways of outlaws but I wouldn't have thought THAT much.

I just got a laugh out of it, I thought it was sort of lame and rather an over the top thing for someone to say in that situation.

[–] porfle 10 years ago

I thought it was perfectly in character.

[–] wvsarafan 10 years ago

Owning property defined people in those days.

[–] bradford-1 9 years ago

I always thought she was letting Pepper and the boys know that so they'd realize there were people who might come after them if something happened to her; she was not just an urchin tagging along with Rooster. Also, she had the wherewithal to make it worth their while NOT to rape/kill her
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?

[–] Emory_Kris_Aaron 9 years ago

Charles Portis (the author of True Grit which the movie quotes practically line for line, but that's a good thing for me as the book was great) was treading a fine line between authenticity and parody, in my opinion. He is presenting what used to be called respectable (what a quaint concept) Christian 19th century rural Americans, exemplified by Mattie Ross. They knew what was right and they knew their place in the world. He knows this will be alien to much of his modern audience, and he eases us into their mindset with a little helping of humor. So, we end up smiling a bit at the characters, while at the same time admiring them.

[–] britika 9 years ago

Just to correct you it's DARDANELLE and its YELL COUNTY. :-)

[–] jonathanrspalding 9 years ago

I think that llne is exactly like something she would say

[–] MAGolding (1231) 7 years ago

A real place according to online maps.