The Coen Brothers' Alice inspiration for True Grit

The Coen Brothers were inspired by 'Alice In Wonderland' when making 'True Grit'.

The filmmakers insist their new movie - which stars Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges and 14-year-iold Mattie Ross -is not a remake of the 1969 John Wayne Oscar-winning western because they have given it a more fairytale-like feel.

Joel Coen said: "We never got real close to thinking about it in terms of the western. If anything we were thinking about it more in terms of 'Alice In Wonderland'. She goes across the river into a place where she sees all these weird things, weird landscapes and then it becomes weirder, pushing it more towards a fairytale thing, in the sense of the landscape becoming increasingly more self-consciously poetic."

Joel and his brother Ethan also admit they find their mainstream success "frightening" and unexpected.

Ethan said: "Suddenly this great hand reaches down and deposits you at the Academy awards. It's frightening. And disconcerting. You wonder what you did wrong."

Joel added: "One day you wake up and realise what's happened and it's a shock."