The Alamo

I love this movie as much as anyone, but the recently released DVD is inexplicably almost half an hour shorter than the version of this film that has been in release on video and laserdisc for years. Why, oh why MGM/UA did this, I don't know, but I know I am not keeping my copy of it. I got worried when this new version didn't have an overture...but I can live without that. However, when Richard Widmark's first scene occurred and over half of it was missing, I could only groan.

Shame on you MGM/UA. This movie is more than a classic for a good many of us. You should release the cut that you have been putting out for years now, the one that is 3 hours, 10 mins.

Corny? At times long-winded and stilted? Touching, poignant and inspiring? John Wayne's "The Alamo" is all of these things; and, of this, I'm certain John Wayne would agree. For, unlike the lessor men who make up most of Wayne's critics, Wayne was fair. This is clear even in "The Alamo," in his depiction of Santana's army. Wayne believed in the basic nobility of men, much like those heroes depicted in "Rio Bravo". That his life and memory is treated more like that of Marshal Sam Kane's in the Wayne-despised "High Noon," or even in Wayne's own "The Shootist" is testimony that Wayne HOPED men were better than they are.

I'd never seen the full-length version of "The Alamo" until it was released on VHS in the early 90s. I realized then the greatest scene in the movie is "The Birthday Party," which was cut from the general release version of the film. NOTE: For those that don't remember, during the 50s and 60s, Hollywood would release long, big budget movies as reserved seat attractions. The film would show at a "roadshow" theater for several months before general release. Since "roadshow" theaters showed the movies only twice a day, running time was restricted pretty much to the patience of audiences. However, when the same film was shown general release, time restrictions became important, so films were cut to maximize theater owner profits. It still happens today, except now the "director's cut" reaches the home audience via DVD. In any event, the short version of "The Alamo," while impressive, is still a pale shadow of the Wayne's original cut. Most importantly, to see "The Alamo" is to understand John Wayne as a man, not an idol or actor. Wayne generously gave virtually all the big scenes to his costars. Certainly, Lawrence Harvey, Richard Widmark, Ken Curtis, Joan O'Brian and Richard Boone get better scenes. Also certainly, Chill Wills, Jester Hairston (Jethro) Hank Worden (Parson) and Veda Ann Borg (Blind Nell Robertson) have showier ones than Wayne. The scenes between Wayne and Linda Crystal in the first hour seem out of a different movie, though neither Wayne's nor Cristals are as big or showy as the ones I've mentioned. One thing I hope to suffer again was the "reunion" video attached to the VHS. The same old garbage about Wayne not being able to direct actors (by his SON, no less), that he really wasn't a very good director (Wayne's action scenes will match or beat anybody's in Hollywood). Especially rude was Richard Widmark's idea of impressing Wayne by insisting Wayne call him "Richard" and not "Dick" during their first meeting. Widmark came across as a pompous ass. However, the rudest cut was from Ken "Festis" Curtis. Curtis never had a better, more respectful part in ANY movie, but he didn't miss an opportunity to try to soil Wayne's memory.

Forget that "The Alamo" is a topnotch, if not entirely historically accurate historical western. Forget that Wayne directs action better than his mentor, John Ford, or that Chill Wills got an Oscar nomination, the only of his career, thanks to this "lousy director/actor". Remember this, Wayne risked EVERYTHING on "The Alamo" and lost. He was broke for years afterward. Wayne's continued success on the "A" list was by no means assured. He was 54 years old and raising a second family. Wayne had recently been swindled by a business manager and recently lost a best friend to suicide (Grant Withers). Wayne had to take a role in "The Alamo" to secure financing, and "The Alamo" is probably STILL the biggest movie ever directed by one of its stars. During filming, Wayne had to contend with interference from mentor John Ford and a murder investigation of one of his actresses. That same year Wayne's house was severely damaged by fire. Yet Wayne took continued carping by lessor men, those "artists" in Hollywood who ridiculed his acting and his directing. I'm sure they sneered in satisfaction when "The Alamo" failed to break even. However, it's reported the movie eventually made a small profit, probably part of it through sale of "Alamo Village" in Bracketville, Texas.

Wayne continued to make fine movies for sixteen more years after "The Alamo." In 1969 he was finally awarded by his peers an Oscar for "Rooster Cogburn." However, by then, Wayne had P.O.d them again with "The Green Berets". War service or not, NOBODY can say the man ever ran from a fight.

I'm not sure I would have liked John Wayne had I known him. I'm not a drinker and I'm not obsessively patriotic about this country, particularly since we started picking fights in the Middle East. However, as Wayne proved with Lawrence Harvey and Rock Hudson, Wayne didn't have to agree with someone's lifestyle or even their personal views to treat them with respect. I most certainly would respect him better than the "friends" he gave jobs in "The Alamo;" at least, those who slandered him.

Oh, and by the way, "RICHARD Widmark never won an Oscar."

I give "The Alamo" a solid 8.

John Wayne's directorial tribute to the struggle for "The Alamo" symbolized the spirit of resistance of a small group of determined fighters for Texan independence from Mexico...

Texans established a provisional government in 1835 and appointed Sam Houston (Richard Boone) commander in chief of their army... There followed a seesaw battle for control of San Antonio, including the ill-advised defense of the Alamo by a force of fewer than 200 Texas volunteers... General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna was determined to take this key location in order to impress upon the Texans the futility of further resistance to Mexican ruler...

After a 13-day siege, every fighting man perished under the onslaught of 7,000 Mexican troops... Among the fallen defenders were Cols. William B. Travis, James Bowie and the legendary Davy Crockett... Only Mrs. Dickinson (Joan O'Brien), her little daughter and a black boy survive to provide the eyewitness story of the Siege and the Battle of the Alamo...

John Wayne portrays Davy Crockett, a frontiersman and politician, who saw the future of an independent Texas as his future and he loved a good fight... Crockett and his brave combatants - the Tennesseans, expert marksmen, held their position until death...

Richard Widmark is cast as Colonel Jim Bowie, a reckless adventurer, known for his famous 'Bowie knife'. Bowie has come to fight for Texas independence with a small force of volunteers. He had strong personal friction with Travis which threatens to develop into a private war... The difference in their personalities resulted in the two men sharing a somewhat antagonistic competition for command of the entire garrison... On one point they did agree: "The Alamo" is the most important stronghold of Texas...

Laurence Harvey plays Colonel Travis, "the grand Canyon of Texas," who arrives with 25 men to establish the first line of defense against Santa Anna... Travis is a disciplinarian officer who commanded the Texas defenders during the siege and battle of the Alamo, a genuine hero who anticipated a battle to the death, a polite gentleman who gave the men an opportunity to retreat with honor the ill-fated garrison but explained how important their defense of the Alamo is... His appeal from the Alamo of reinforcements becomes an American symbol of unyielding courage, heroism and self-sacrifice... Travis high moment in the film was when he fired his answer to Santa Anna with a cannon blast: Victory or Death!

With its seven Oscar nominations, including the Oscar-nominated hit song "The Green Leaves of Summer" and a superb score written by Dmitri Tiomkin and song-writer Paul Webster, and featuring some of the most spectacular battle sequences ever seen, "The Alamo," - a sacrifice on the altar of liberty - becomes the 'Battle Cry' that broke Santa Anna's back...

I first saw "The Alamo" in 1960 and loved it. I loved it for several reasons, one was because like countless other kids {I was 11} I had been raised on Fess Parker's treatment of Davy Crockett and was fascinated by the story and two I've been a John Wayne fan since I can remember. I have copies of both the theatrical and the uncut versions. I prefer the theatrical because I feel that the scenes that were cut were unnecessary and in some cases tedious and painful to watch. Historically speaking the movie was a hit and miss affair but that's okay with me because as a package it was a direct hit on the action sequences and since that basically was what the Alamo was about I can forgive the inaccuracies. Some of the most glaring; the battle was over just before dawn on a rather cold day {the temperature ranged between the 30's and mid 50's and was probably on the low end of that spectrum at that time of day} and yet the movie shows up bright blue cloudless skies and the participants in less than cold weather attire,; the film portrayed Bowie as being in bed because of a leg injury suffered in a fall from his horse later aggravated by shrapnel during a bombardment when the truth was that he was sick. He had practically drunk himself to death for 3 years because of the loss of his wife and children to cholera and probably had TB. On that note the movie shows Bowie receiving the news during the siege. Another case of license. On the other hand the film was accurate in a lot of cases too, for example, the locations of Travis and Bowie at the times of their deaths and depending on whether you believe that Crockett fell where Suzanna Dickinson and several others said they saw him or that he survived the battle with five others only to be executed we may be able to make a case for his actual location too. But the most wonderful example of historical fact is in the location of the filming. This was a painstakingly assembled replica of the area and is breathtaking in its realistic appearance. There was one fact that was mistreated, though, that took me some time to accept as dramatic license. James Butler Bonham {Patrick Wayne} reports to the garrison that Col James Fannin and his men will not be reinforcing them because the were "ambushed, murdered". This is sort of true but not until after the Alamo had fallen. The fact was that Fannin had started out to reach the Alamo but while still within view of his own garrison at Goliad he had a wagon break down and some oxen run off and by the time he repaired those problems he changed his mind about going and returned to his command. He and his men were captured and about 600 of them, including Fannin, marched into a river and shot down. All things considered though I can still watch this movie again and again 39 years later. Besides, who can deny that the opening credits complete with some of the most beautiful music in cinematic history {Dimitri Tiomkin} constitute one of the most unforgettable movie beginnings of all time? I think I'll go watch it right now.

Considering that THE ALAMO lost a ton of money when it debuted, I was amazed that despite its faults, the film is worth watching--though historically speaking, the film is far from perfect.

Let's talk about the historical problems with the film. It is true that General Santa Ana was indeed an idiot and one of the most inept leaders you could imagine (read up about "the Pastry War" and his leg's subsequent lavish funeral and you'll know what I mean). Nevertheless, one of the problems that Texans had with Mexican rule was that it would not allow slavery--not just that the General was a dumb dictator. This important fact was never mentioned and there was a rather insulting character of a slave who was given his freedom just before the Mexicans slaughtered everyone. In the film, he chose to stay and die and even went so far as to throw his body across his master's to try to prevent the master's death. While I suppose this could have happened, it is very doubtful. I think this was distorted because John Wayne (who bankrolled and directed the film) wanted to make a super-patriotic film and talking about the slavery debate would have definitely weakened his narrative--though I am sure the Black Americans who saw the film were offended. The Texans were patriots, but flawed as well.

An interesting contrast is how the Mexicans were portrayed in the film. Santa Ana's troops were portrayed as brave and loyal and Hispanics were humanized in the movie. In addition, John Wayne took quite a fancy to a lovely Mexican lady in the first half of the film. This sympathetic view is not surprising, though, as Wayne's real life wives were Mexican.

Despite the hyperbole and sentimentality that abounds in the film, you really do have to applaud the film for several reasons. The battle sequences are rather amazing and well-done. Also, some of the many little vignettes were rather moving and interesting. However, all these little touches did make the movie very, very long--probably about 10-20 minutes too long. Had it been tightened up a bit, it might have flowed better and prevented "butt fatigue" in the audience! The film just wasn't compelling enough during the first 3/4 of the film--though the movie did end on a very high note with the final battle. I actually love long films--but this one just didn't need to be.

I think overall that the film is a mixed bag--not nearly as bad as its reputation would suggest, is very exciting and has some excellent performances, though its rather one-dimensional view of the conflict and its extreme length have to be considered before you watch it.