The Alamo
by John Lee Hancock
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Emilio Echevarr?a, Jason Patric, Patrick WilsonDirector: John Lee Hancock
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 137 minutes
Release Date: 2004-09-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
VHS Movie Reviews of The Alamo
Movie Review: The Legend Retold
Summary: 5 Stars
The Alamo was originally an adobe mission compound on the outskirts of San Antonio. The film starts at the end of the battle. News of its fall reaches the Texans. Then the story begins one year earlier. Sam Houston wants to go to Texas. David Crockett, former Congressman, is a legend in his own time. [The show "Lion of the West" is a pun on Crockett's story-telling.] The Texicans (like other Mexican states) oppose the military rule of Santa Anna (who worked for the big bankers and landowners). There are personality conflicts between the Texians, and the conflicting policies for the defense of the state. [You need to know the history to understand some of the scenes.] The Alamo is the sole defense against the Mexican Army. Santa Anna made a winter march for a surprise attack. Captured rebels (or freedom fighters) are executed by Santa Anna.
The militia vote for their leader. Travis commands the regulars, Bowie the volunteers. There were no sentinels watching for the expected return of Santa Anna's forces, which greatly outnumbered the Texians. The defenders prepare for the worst. The Mexican artillery fires at night to deprive the defenders of sleep. Colonel Travis bravely recycles a cannon ball. Sam Houston wants a unified command. Houston doesn't have enough soldiers to relieve the siege of the Alamo. Santa Anna allows some to leave the Alamo. There is a red sky at evening. Some write letters to home. Santa Anna will take no prisoners.
Santa Anna ordered a simultaneous attack on all sides to overwhelm the defenders with numerically superior forces. [The Texans had better quality gunpowder.] After a while the battle is over. David Crockett resists to the bitter end. The Texians retreat east. Santa Anna splits his forces to pursue the refugees. General Houston knows the Mexican forces will become weaker, and the opportunity to attack will come. The battle of San Jacinto was over in 18 minutes. Santa Anna signed a treaty recognizing the independence of the Republic of Texas. Nine years later Texas became the 28th state. The war with Mexico followed and led to the expansion of America.
This film was said to be more historically correct than John Wayne's 1960 film, but it is less dramatic. This version correctly ends with the victory at San Jacinto, but skips over the massacre at Goliad. As entertainment, the 1960 film is better. You should read a book to best understand any historical film. Neither film did well at the box office, few historical dramas do well. Its difficult to pack weeks of history into a few hours without skimming over facts. This film shows the character of Santa Anna better than the 1960 film.
Summary of The Alamo
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 ShannonAction & Adventure VHS Video
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