I'll be really surprised if anything other than The Social Network wins the Academy awards for picture and director.

The Covered Wagon was the 8th highest grosser of the 1920's (though I doubt you were going back that far.

Duel In the Sun was the 8th highest grosser in the 1940's.

That's an interesting take. I've heard nothing but praise for Steinfeld, and her interpretation seems to be taken as a major female empowerment moment. I'm somewhat reminded (this will probably seem weird) of the way everyone responded to Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams (well, they dress alike, anyway).

The original True Grit looks terrible from the little bits I've seen. A typical later bad Wayne Western (long after he stopped caring to associate himself with quality craftsmen). I should read the book.

For the record, I'd be quite happy to see The Social Network win. I liked it a lot, and it was surprisingly interesting considering the subject. But I think Billy you're probably right both about it not winning and the reason why.

Billy,

the two "real" people I was with, Mirgun and my Uncle Richard, also loved True Grit. The audience in Dallas also seemed to be digging it.

You've, I think, gotten my point wrong. I think The Social Network will win, but I wouldn't bet on it due to the strong support for The King's Speech.

For obvious reasons, the Western is (or was) the most uniquely American and iconic movie genres. At a time when most of the world was not free or were econimically and socially constrained, the apparent freedom and excitement of the frontier must have been beguiling. Also, for all their apparent hardships, people were rarely portrayed as cold or underfed.

And for all its lawlessness, the films were usually characterised by an almost Utopian equality, were underpinned by a strong moral code, and the law applied to protect the vulnerable. It's difficult for us to realise how powerful these concepts may have been.