Texas Rising

It's laughable the number of reviews on this site from people whinging about inaccurate Texan history. It's the old story folks. When something is advertised as a 10 hour mini-series emanating from the History Channel and not classified as a documentary, I'm expecting, historical fiction, not an encyclopaedic regurgitation of a bunch of historical names and events. Texas Rising is a piece of historical fiction, based on the Texas Revolution against Mexico and how the Texas Rangers were created. If you like decent westerns, well produced with good acting and plenty of action, you should enjoy Texas Rising. If you were genuinely expecting some sort of doco, such as The Civil War, you'll be disappointed.

I've never quite understood why so many so-called educated people continually have this issue. Historical fiction is a recognised genre of literature and readers rarely raise an eyebrow when authors play fast and loose with the facts to achieve dramatic outcomes. The same thing occurs in Texas Rising, where plenty of liberties are taken for poetic licence. This includes characters being created, who sit alongside real historical figures in the narrative. At the end of the final episode, the production scrolled through the major real life characters represented in the series adding brief bios about their lives, during and after the events we see detailed in the show. Persona not represented were obviously fictional, for those viewers who were gnashing teeth worrying about that sort of thing, while continuing to watch what was clearly a non-documentary. But for one with a half-way educated mind, let's just say it's not rocket science difficult to generally discern between fact and fiction as to what you are watching.

I appreciated the opportunity to get a bit of an insight into the events occurring after the fall of The Alamo and to be introduced to President Andrew Jackson, General Sam Houston, the early rag-tag Texas Rangers led by the delightfully named Captain Deaf Smith and the legendary "Yellow Rose of Texas". I should mention Jeffrey Dean Morgan's outstanding and affecting turn as the consumptive, but quietly inspiring leader Smith and the terrific chemistry displayed between his character and Bill Paxton's salty, but confidently intelligent Houston. For those used to seeing Morgan bulked up in "tough guy action mode", your eyes may pop out, as you witness Smith's (real life) physical deterioration during the course of the series.

Dramatically and thematically I will agree with those critics who suggest that the overall tone of Texas Rising does appear to almost constitute "a love letter to the Lone Star State"and a conservative mainstream view of Texan history. In other words, there are few sympathetic perspectives to be seen from the Mexican or Native American fronts. They are largely depicted one dimensionally, as the villains of the piece, dispossessing the determined white settlers with their friendly, contented black slaves (some who were supposedly "free"). I did think this was a little unusual in an extended mini-series. There was a footnote after the final episode that a follow-up series concentrating on the Comanche Wars was planned, where one would think alternative frames of reference should well be approached.

Nevertheless, keeping the above in mind, I think those interested in a dramatic western perspective of lead-up events to the establishment of the Republic of Texas will not fail to be entertained by Texas Rising.

First I must say it was well shot and decent to good acting. And I do plan on watching the entire thing. But to enjoy this film you MUST forget everything you know about Texas history.

It is as inaccurate as it gets. It might as well be set in space... I really don't understand why they did this, because they "mess up" on some of the most basic and common knowledge history. And the true story itself is already such a strong story to begin with.

I mean if they wanted to do something fictional they could have based it around a fictional person within the historical events themselves. Instead they tell the story as if that's what happened. When in reality it's pure fiction.

From the opening scene it is entirely false. The whole thing... The Alamo didn't even look like that. They have the Alamo with a domed roof, which wasn't added until long after the war. That was not he flag that was flying at the Alamo... How do we know this? Because the flag the production used is FICTIONAL. That flag never existed prior to this show. They just made it up.

They also have the barracks the same height as the Alamo, it wasn't. They also have it right next to the Alamo, again it wasn't. The walls don't have palisades, which they did have during the siege.

More disturbing is that they have Emily West at the Alamo, she wasn't and that she had a brother who was both free and died at the Alamo. As far as we know she did not have a brother, nor do we know of any freed Black men who fought at the Alamo. And Emily West did NOT have any relations with Sam Houston... utter nonsense.

In fact, if she did have a brother he would have been in Connecticut where she was from and not Texas. She was an indentured servant under a 1 year contract of employment to James Morgan at a hotel in Morgan's Point on the Gulf Coast of Texas outside of Houston at the time the Alamo fell. She was captured by the Mexican Army in Mid April, over a month after the Alamo and held as a sex slave by Santa Anna. She was not a spy for the Texas army...

Then there is the entirely fictional character Lorca... Who survives the siege and goes on a murderous revenge killing spree... He never existed.

They go even further from reality when they have the "survivors" of the Alamo being transported to who knows where by the Mexican Army. That didn't happen. They were just left there. And they weren't attacked by Kiowa Indians. And the Rangers didn't rescue them.

I must mention that someone stated "this is East Texas" in reference to where Sam Houston was... the mountains and such. No, that is not East Texas... But Sam Houston wasn't in East Texas when the Alamo Fell. He was in between Gonzalez and Austin in the hill country. So that's actually accurate.

Originally he was to travel from Washington on the Brazos (Austin) to meet up with the forces from Goliad to come to the defense of the forces surrounded by the Mexican Army at the Alamo. But Fannin had some troubles enroute with wagons and cannons so he turned around and went back to Goliad. Houston then sent word to the Alamo that no forces would relieve them and orders to Fannin to retreat East and awaited their reply somewhere around Gonzalez. That's what's going on when that scene took place.

The History Channel took a historical event and rewrote the basic facts of the Alamo, Goliad, events leading up the the Battle of San Jacinto and the characters involved and has presented them as fact to an audience who may not know what actually happened.

Now anyone who doesn't know the facts will think that:

1. Lorca survived the Alamo. 2. Emily was sleeping with Sam Houston. 3. Central and East Texas are full of mountains with hundred foot high cliffs. 4. etc.

Shame on you History Channel. You were to report History, not rewrite it. What will you do next, create a mini-series about how Adolf Hitler was really a secret spy for the American Army during WWII while sleeping with a British official's wife?

Can I trust anything else I see on the History Channel anymore?

History Channel has presented some great historically-based miniseries in the past (Hatfields & McCoys for example), but Texas Rising is not a good example and it's not even interesting. I can hardly watch it...boring, bad acting, bad dialog and accents, even fake-looking "Texas" scenery. When previews began, I could not wait to watch this series, but I felt as though this series was thrown together to meet some kind of internal deadline. Most of the characters are unsympathetic and rigid. The only redeeming aspect to this series and the reason I rated it a 5 and not a 1 is the deliciously evil performance of Ray Liotta. Let's hope the next "History Channel Presents" is better than this one.

Acting is fine, story is ok, history is meh Was expecting quite a bit more, but from the network of Ancient Aliens I may need to lower the bar. Worth a background watch while working at home.