The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory

13 days to Glory tells the traditional tale with sympathy toward the Mexican viewpoint. The major problem in this movie was that while cowboy actor James Arness played the part of Jim Bowie persuasively, the rest of the name actors in the cast Brian Keith (Davy Crocket) and Lorne Greene (Sam Houston) were too old.

Raul Julia played General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna with grace and dignity owed to the professional soldier who after all won the battle. The scene where he upbraids his officers for failing to mount a guard and prevent a sortee is one the scriptwriters did not understand. Failing to keep watch is a major remiss in the military. Santa Anna was within his prerogatives to be angry. Raul Julia magnificently carried poor writing through the scene.

Kathleen York was an impressive Susannah Dickinson, a woman who deserves to be remembered for her courage. However, Kathleen York might have been reminded that as Dickinsons hailed from Pennsylvania they probable dis not sound very Southron.

The problem with all movies about the Alamo is when you have a battle where one side is essentially wiped out, you will never know what happened to the detail shown in all the movies and this one is no exception. But there are somethings we do know. For example, the final assault on the morning of March 6 occurred before dawn and the battle was over as the sun was rising. This movie shows the final assault in broad daylight. Also, there were three assaults that morning (not two as shown in this version), the first two repulsed, the third made it over the walls.

But there is one mystery regarding the actors. Kathleen York played Mrs. Susanna Dickinson. IMDB shows her as being born in 1975, which means she would have been 12 in 1987 when she played Mrs. Dickinson! Something is not right on IMDB!

I was very surprised as to how disappointed I was with this film because of all the big name actors it had. I'm not really sure why it didn't seem to work for me because at least a half-dozen actors in this I've enjoyed in other things. Perhaps it boils down to inter chemistry, that being, that the actors' mix simply didn't provide the boom. Listening to Baldwin in this, part of it may be the attempted accents they tried to use which especially in Baldwin's case did not work at all and only served to make him seem like a clown. And this may be it as so often I would rather the actor just deliver their lines and not try and force an accent they can't deliver on.

THE ALAMO: THIRTEEN DAYS TO GLORY, James Arness' variation of his mentor John Wayne's 1960 classic, attempts to present the famous 1836 Texas siege in human terms, utilizing the more 'intimate' medium of television to make the story of the defenders more understandable. Eschewing the 'living legend' portrayals of the earlier film, a sincere effort is made to make the famous personalities of the battle more realistic, with both good and bad qualities, thus making their heroism more personal, and ultimately profound.

While this is certainly an admirable intention (it would also be the motivation behind the 2004 ALAMO), the TV-film fails, and isn't held in high regard by either Alamo historians or fans of the small collection of films concerning that pivotal moment in Texas history.

A major problem is that THIRTEEN DAYS TO GLORY is seriously miscast. Other than the inspired choices of Alec Baldwin as William Barret Travis, and Raul Julia, who nearly steals the film as Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (offering what is probably the most accurate portrayal of the 'Napoleon of the West', ever), virtually every actor is wrong for their role. Arness, at 64, lacks the dynamic, corrupt vitality of the historical Bowie, 40, prior to his physical collapse at the start of the siege (caused, historians now believe, by advanced tuberculosis, or another fatal lung disease). The filmmakers choose, rather, the LAST COMMAND approach to Bowie, injuring him during the battle, instead, and giving him enough energy to cling to a lamp and wall, and to die 'on his feet', his famous knife in his hand. Arness' portrayal is closer in spirit to his outdoorsman 'Zeb Macahan' in the TV "How the West Was Won", than the charismatic swindler/slaver. Even worse is Brian Keith, 66, as 49-year old David ('Davy') Crockett. The frail-looking, silver-haired Keith, while correctly emphasizing Crockett's heritage as a politician, appears acutely uncomfortable in the physically demanding role, and totally lacks the magnetism that made Crockett legendary. As for 68-year old Lorne Greene as 43-year old Sam Houston, the less that is said, the better. In trying to be more 'honest', the film chose acting 'legends', forgetting that performers of legendary status tend to make their characters 'larger-than-life'.

Shot at the '60 ALAMO movie set in Brackettville, Texas, in the 110-degree heat of late summer, the cold dampness of March, 1836 was never achieved. Compounding the problem was a budget that was too small to hire the 'army' of extras required to give lopsided battle some scope. Instead, the production liberally 'lifted' shots from 1955's THE LAST COMMAND, filmed at yet another location (with budget restrictions of it's own), and the differences of the sets, and the film stock, are occasionally jarring.

THE ALAMO: THIRTEEN DAYS TO GLORY, for all of it's ambitions, is, ultimately, no more than a 'B' movie with higher aspirations!

First off, I must confess that I am an Alamo junky. So my review might be a bit skewed. I've seen most films dealing with the Alamo or the Texas revolution (The Alamo (1960), The Alamo (2004), The Last Command, Gone to Texas, Heroes of the Alamo (930 B.C.), Davy Crockett at the Alamo, Texas, etc.) I just watched this one all the way through today for the first time since I was about ten.

I think this adaptation, despite it's flaws, probably ranks in the top three Alamo films. Strictly from a film perspective, it certainly has problems. The lack of budget makes for a handful of extras playing both armies. The Mexican army, which is suppose to number in the thousands, looks to consist of little more than ten soldiers the majority of the time. The battle scenes are laughable for the most part. Most of the footage, as has been noted many times, is lifted from the Last Command. The rest of the scenes feature rubber bayonets and men appearing to wrestle, rather than fight for their lives, in the background.

That said, I think with some money behind it, this could have been a great film. While every review I have read seems to praise the actor who played Santa Anna, Raul Julia I believe was his name, I find his constant yelling to be a bit over the top. I actually thought Brian Keith was a wonderful Davy Crockett. His down home yarns and backwoods twang comes across as entirely genuine. Also, note his expression as he swings his hunting knife just before his death. It is such a convincing portrayal of a last stand by a man. It is a pity that he is about thirty years to old to play Crockett. My hat goes off to him nonetheless. The same can be said for James Arness. His massive build and piercing eyes gives him that sort of John Wayne screen presence, to a far lesser degree of course. Again, a bit too old for the role. Alec Baldwin actually makes for a very convincing Travis. He is much closer in age and does a brilliant job. Highlights would be his last speech to the men as well as his conversation with James Bonham before hand.

I also thought the screenplay was very good. Minus some of the exchange between Daniel Cloud and his Mexican love interest. Although, it is more the acting and less the writing that hurts those scenes. The script moves the story along at a steady pace and is concerned more with telling the story and less with giving a history lesson, a flaw that haunts many Alamo films and period pieces in general.

Overall, I think this is a good "Alamo" film. It is probably not a good "film" film. That is to say unless you like the Alamo, you may not enjoy this movie. As made for t.v. movies go, especially in the eighties, it is not that bad. You have two great icons in Keith and Arness playing lead roles, as well as the upstart Alec Baldwin. Not a bad cast at all for a low budget film. Burt Kennedy does a good job of directing considered what he is given. As an "Alamo" film, I would probably rate this as a 7 or 8 out of 10. But as a "film" film goes it gets about a 5 out of 10. With a bigger budget and a younger Brian Keith and James Arness, this could have been a great film. It might have won Oscars in the Golden Age of Hollywood!