The Alamo
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Movie Reviews of The Alamo
Movie Review: one of the best movies ever made on the Alamo
Summary: 5 Stars
as far as historical reference, it's not a documentary, but this movie is awsome. i've been watching The Alamo since i was a little kid. i pratically have the entire movie memorized in my head. the music is great in film, the guitars and mexican sounding music is relaxing. my favorite part as music goes is when the Mexicans are surrounding the Alamo and all you hear is the drums for like 5 minutes. Sounds awsome.as far as the movie goes, this was a huge production and the Alamo still stands today! The real Alamo of course is in San Antonio, but the Alamo for this movie stands in Bracketville, TX, where other movies have been made. John Wayne stars, produces, and directs this one of a kind film. truly a great film by a great man.
of course, in every Wayne movie, there is always a love story of some sort, and the Alamo has a short love story. The Alamo centers around 185 Texans and fellow men fighting for their independence from Mexico and General Santa Anna, ruler of Mexico. the movie stars Richard Widmark (Jim Bowie) and Laurence Harvey from The Manchurian Candidate as Colonel William Barrett Travis. great movie and great cast. the actual battle scene rocks. tons of explosions and action.
there are 2 sad parts in the movie.
the first sad part is the day before the battle. all the men are together talking about life, because they know tommrrow they are going to die. the background music sets the right tone and i like Davy Crocket's quote during this scene. one of the guys asks him "What ya thinkin Davy?" and John Wayne (Davy Crockett) replies, "Not thinking, just remembering."
the second sad part is after the battle is over, and Lady Dickinson is leaving with her child and the boy. all the Mexican Soliders are standing around, there are some bodies of the men on the ground, and then Santa Anna makes his soliders stand when she's leaving. he also takes off his hat as a sign of respect.
what i liked about this movie is that John Wayne makes both sides look galiant and brave. the men of the Alamo know they are going to die, but they still stay to fight for what they believe in. then he makes the Mexican soilders look honorable twice. the first time, Santa Anna asks that all women and children be evacutated before he attacks, and this takes place.
the second instance is right after the first attack, which happens right after the women and children are released. the Tennessian boys are standing around and one of them says "even though i was killing them, i was proud of them. men dying for what they believe in."
the DVD features include about a 40 mintue feature on the making of the Alamo. this is where you really get to see how much The Alamo ment to John Wayne and just how loyal of a man he really was.
The Alamo is a classic that everybody should watch at least one time in their life. great film that to me, will always be remembered as John Wayne's greatest work.
Movie Review: The greatest film of all time
Summary: 5 Stars
It is the greatest, period. Let's start by dispensing with criticism it is historically inaccurate. This is about the legend of the Alamo. It is not a PBS documentary. So as another reviewer has said, let's move on. Now back to the Alamo. Great stars (50s giants at the peak of their powers, Wayne, Widmark, Harvey, Boone), legendary film score by Tiomkin, superb acting and dialogue. As the trailer used to say, "Four years in the making" and a cast of thousands. Perfectly framed technicolor scenes.
What got me as a 4th grader in 1960, and many more times since then, were the heroic, perhaps over the top, last stands of the Alamo's big three: Wayne's Davy run through by a bayonet yet summoning enough strength to torch the powder room and blow up half the Alamo. Bowie, laid low by a cannonball, taking out fifteen attackers with his seven barrel shotgun, then two pistols, and then his meat cleaver-sized knife, yes, the "Bowie knife." And Colonel Travis outfencing four attackers before one shoots him, but breaking his sword across his knee in a final act of defiance. I think it is the Wayne's film's depiction of the line in the sand scene (although his version does not involve the drawing of a physical line) that sets it apart from other Alamo films. Wayne's gets right what other Alamo films get wrong. Others show the Alamo defenders shamed or bullied into staying after the news the Alamo is about to fall. In the Wayne film, Travis tells his troops, "Go not with your heads hung low. You are brave and noble soldiers." In Wayne's version, whether they stay or flee will be totally left up to them. Their decision to stay thus is clearly an act of courage. Watching Bowie, crippled by a horse fall, get off of his horse and walk over (to, in effect, cross the line in the sand) as the first man to stand 'side Travis, a man Bowie had despised (at least in the movie), is one of the most dramatic scenes of all time. It does not matter what version you see by the way: the DVD shows the cut version which deletes Tiomkin's legendary overture, intermission, entre'acte, and exit music and leaves out scenes such as Parsons's powerful death scene from the longer so-called road show version (which is shown on VHS and several times a year on cable's TCM or public television). But the cut version does move faster and works better as an action film. Both versions are five stars. Now that the swirl of politics which prevented any rational evaluation of the film during Wayne's lifetime has passed, we can fully appreciate this cinematic achievement. Enjoy the film's greatness for it will never be duplicated. No? Just ask the makers of the unfortunate Billy Bob Alamo remake.
Movie Review: Great Wayne Film
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Alamo" released in 1960, represents Wayne at his best. Duke and action/adventure film aficionados will love this fictional account of the fight for Texas independence at the Alamo in 1836. Both funny at times and moving, one gets a bit of a feel for the seriousness of this historical event, especially with the great musical score. I ditto remarks by other reviewers on the entertainment value of this great film. I include here a couple of warnings. I suggest you get this film in the 2 tape VHS format, as the DVD version is missing some scenes, as stated by other reviewers. Also, if you are looking for historical accuracy, you'll have to go elsewhere to find it, perhaps the History Channel's VHS "The Battle of the Alamo", as well as other documentaries out on VHS. On this subject, Leonard Maltin has a short review on "The Alamo" DVD jacket stating; "historically accurate account of the Alamo battle, where 189 defenders faced 7,000 enemy soldiers." It seems Mr. Maltin has been reviewing too many films and not reading enough history books. There were some 1,800 Mexican soldiers who participated in the charge, of which some 600 were killed by the defenders. For history buffs, "The Alamo" could be a jump off to a great reading and discovery adventure. How, who and what really happened at the Alamo? What became of James Bowie's black slave Joe? What became of Susannah Dickinson and her infant daughter Angelina, known as "The Babe of the Alamo", after being released by Santa Anna? What became of Santa Anna? What about the bodies of Davy Crockett and James Bowie? What became of James Bowie's Mexican wife Ursula Veramendi? So many great and interesting stories. On this note I recommend the book "Duel of Eagles" by Jeff Long, no doubt available at amazon.com. It is a factual easy to read account of the events leading to, and the battle and the aftermath, answering the above questions. John Wayne's "The Alamo" could open up some great reading. I highly recommend the film. (on 2 tape VHS)Movie Review: The Alamo
Summary: 5 Stars
Great movie. I like how the music sounds. I like when he says "fire the signal boy" then he fires then you say Davy's men and they stop and look and one guy says it must be the boy then Davy says I think so then they ride then you hear that music that I love. I also like when Sam Houston is talking to William Travis and Sam Houston says (mister Travis I would trust Jim Bowie with my life more than that I would trust him with the lifes of my family more than that I would trust him with the life of texas.Travis I have never been able to like you but you are another one of those men I will trust in the life of Texas.) Then Sam Houston walks away. I also love that part. How people say things in the movie is what I love the most.
The dvd is not the uncut one only on the vhs is the uncut but I don't care I love this movie so it's good enough and long enough for me. I like the battle when the wall comes down then Travis gets out his sword and goes at them and he is killing the mexicans with the sword. Then he gets shot in the side of his stomach. Then he breaks the sword and he dies. I also like when Crockett is running in the church and he has a torch with him and he gets stab by a boynett and he gets free and then he goes to the gun powder and throws the torch to the gun powder and then the church blows up. I also like how Bowie dies he is in the bed and you see his slave shoot a mexican then bowies gun shoots six mexicans all together then he gets two pistols and shoots and they are gonna kill him but his slave jumps in front and they kill his slave then bowie gets his knife and cuts a mexicans throat then they kill him with the boynetts.
The dvd has a trailer. And a 40 minute documentary.
The dvd has nice and clear quality picture. And quality sound.This is a great little dvd with a big adventure in the dvd.
Movie Review: Still Waiting For the 2-Disc Special Edition
Summary: 5 Stars
One could easily say that seeing this film for the first time was a turning point in my life (it probably had a great impact on a lot of other 6-year old boys, too). To this day, John Wayne's "The Alamo" still has a firm grip on me emotionally.
True, the film is not accurate to history, but I dare anyone to name a movie that is! As I stated in my review of "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc", Hollywood makes "movies", not documentaries (and most documentaries don't agree on the details of the Alamo, anyway). Movie producers, like John Wayne, try to make an "entertainment", to sell tickets and make money. People who think film makers are honor-bound to tell only the truth on the screen are kidding themselves.
So the question is: Does this movie entertain? Speaking subjectively, I say a resounding "Yes!". I guess there's still a lot of 6-year old in me.
One suggestion I have for Ted Turner (or whoever makes the DVD decisions over at MGM) is to release the roadshow Director's Cut version on a 2-Disc Special Edition. Include the 40-minute documentary found on the current disc, and any other archival footage pertaining to the film (Oscars, premiere, interviews). I would also like to see the television special, "Spirit of the Alamo", that John Wayne hosted in 1960. A part of it was used in the aforementioned documentary, but it would be nice to see the program complete for a change. Perhaps the discs could also include a printed history of the Alamo and other events during the Texas Revolution, so viewers won't come away from the film thinking they just witnessed the truth.
As a personal added bonus to yours truly, it would be nice to see the original poster art on the DVD cover for a change, showing a fine painting of the battle in full fury.