The Alamo (Widescreen Edition)
by John Lee Hancock
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Emilio Echevarr?a, Jason Patric, Patrick WilsonDirector: John Lee Hancock
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 137 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Alamo (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Good Movie ... Decent Accuracy
Summary: 4 Stars
Hands down, this is the most authentic and realistic screen adaption of the Alamo story ever made. ( The second best is an IMAX film called "The Price of Freedom", which can only be seen in San Antonio,TX as far as I know.)
I have nothing against the Wayne-amo. I first saw it on TV when I was about 6 and loved it. I bashed in imaginary soldado skulls with the stock of my Red Ryder BB gun for weeks afterward. (Mom was worried.)
However, the simple fact remains that the 1960 Alamo was more a statement on John Wayne's character and political beliefs than a dramatization of a historical event. Great battle scenes, rousing score, and almost void of historical accuracy.
I have been suprised at the amount of whining concerning "revisionist history" and "political correctness" concerning the most recent Alamo film. I have met and spoken with both of the historians that worked on this film, and neither Stephen Hardin nor Col. Alan Huffines are what I consider revisionist. They have both written excellent books on the Texas Revolution, and Hardin's "Texian Iliad" is considered to be one of the finest works on the subject.
Many reviewers have mentioned "A Time to Stand" by Walter Lord as being the best book about the Alamo. It is certainly one of the best, but it is a bit dated ( written in 1961.) For my money, the best Alamo book is "Three Roads to the Alamo", by William C. Davis.
Summary of The Alamo (Widescreen Edition)
Despite a troubled production history including a switch in directors, budget overruns, and delayed release dates, The Alamo turned out to be a remarkably intelligent mini-epic of corrective historical biography. Dispensing with the grandiose myth-making of previous films on this subject (including John Wayne's gung-ho 1960 version), this well-written film breathes new, credibly dimensional life into the stodgy legends of Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), Jim Bowie (Jason Patric), and Lt. Col. William Travis (Patrick Wilson), who fought with 185 Anglo-"Texican" settlers (some historians claim their numbers were closer to 250) during the bloody 13-day siege by 5,000 Mexican soldiers at the titular San Antonio mission-turned-fortress in 1836. While Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) anguishes over military strategy and reluctantly withholds much-needed support, the Alamo defenders face the unbeatable multitudes commanded by Mexican Gen. Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria), and the screenplay (on which John Sayles was an early contributor, when Ron Howard was slated to direct) allows the central heroes to reveal a richer, more substantial humanity beneath their mythic reputations. Tackling his biggest production to date, director John Lee Hancock (who previously worked with Quaid on The Rookie) reportedly shot 100 hours of footage, so it's almost miraculous that this 135-minute battle drama is so evenly balanced in telling its oft-told tale. Thornton was deservedly singled out for his fine performance, and Dean Semler's cinematography is Oscar-worthy throughout. Of course, any film about the Alamo necessarily includes speculative history, and this one's no exception, but it's got a ring of truth that previous versions conspicuously lacked. --Jeff ShannonFrom the studio that brought you PEARL HARBOR ... Academy Award(R) winner Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1996; BAD SANTA), Dennis Quaid (THE ROOKIE), and Jason Patric (RUSH) team up for the acclaimed action epic about one of the most important events in American history! It's the heroic tale of the 200 brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom defending a small Texas fort for 13 days against an entire army! Commanded by three men -- Lt. Col. William Travis (Patrick Wilson), James Bowie (Patric), and David Crockett (Thornton) -- their against-all-odds courage at the Alamo would forever live on as a rallying cry for liberty and independence!
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