If you aren't excited for the Coen Brother's adaptation of True Grit, I'm not sure there's anything anyone can do to help you. The film has a stellar cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper; a solid, "pulls no punches" script; and is a return to the genre that got the brothers their first best picture and best director Oscars. The film also has Joel and Ethan reteaming with composer Carter Burwell, who has been working with them since Blood Simple, and lucky for us, he was feeling talkative at the Nashville Film Festival.
Speaking with the audience as part of a special event, Burwell gave some details regarding the music that he is currently writing for the film and, as strange as it sounds, the key to the score might be protestant hymns. Starting by saying that the directors and he don't always "see eye to eye," the three men quickly determined that the songs that thousands hear in church every Sunday would be perfect for the film, particularly its lead character, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who is described as being "convinced of her own righteousness" and possess "misplaced rectitude." He did, however, warn that the entire score could be abandoned by the time it is ready to be put on film.
While this could certainly be interesting provided they find the right hymns, Burwell also stated that he won't pay attention to the original film sc
