bkoganbing I will fully admit to prejudice as far as Houston: The Legend Of Texas is concerned. Sam Houston is one of my favorite characters from American history. To do full justice to his life and all the events of it and all history that he was part of would require a mini-series. Maybe someone will do one some fine day.But for now this film will do insofar as the years of 1829 to 1836 are concerned. This is as scrupulously accurate account of Houston's life as we're likely to get being that his years with the Cherokee and his scandalous divorce are concerned. Especially the latter since Eliza Allen destroyed all her correspondence and Houston never spoke publicly of the split between them.Sam Elliott plays Sam Houston and he completely fills my conception of the role. Lean and rangy Elliott has the requisite background and skills to bring the character of Houston to life. The women in his life up to that point are played by Claudia Christian as Eliza Allen and Devon Ericson as Cherokee princess Tiana Rogers.Rogers by the way was of the same family that later gave us Will Rogers, a noted Cherokee himself. She was Houston's common law wife and sad to say he deserted her as he reinvents himself for a political comeback in Texas. Though he was one of the few frontier characters who respected and fought for American Indians, he knew that was a minority opinion. Though he stood up to Andrew Jackson himself on the subject, when Houston went to Texas he never saw Rogers again.Jackson by the way is played by G.D. Spradlin who steps into a place occupied by Lionel Barrymore and Charlton Heston as our screen image of the 7th president. His part is brief, but memorable.Of course the battle of San Jacinto is the highlight of the film, again recreated with scrupulous accuracy. With that the Republic of Texas is secure and Houston is elected its first president. But even after this there is still so much more to the Houston story. Knowing that you wish the film wasn't ending.As for his personal life, it was on a visit to Alabama while Texas was a Republic that Sam Houston met Margaret Lea, a southern belle from a rich plantation family who was a generation and a half younger than him, but whom he married. They had a whole bunch of kids so his personal life was fulfilled eventually. But that was a few years after the action of this film ended.This is a well crafted look at one of our greatest Americans and I highly recommend it for all audiences, for children of all ages, especially if they reside in the Lone Star State.

ftsam16 Saw this over the weekend. The story of the founding of the Republic of Texas (the Battle of the Alamo, the Battle of San Jacinto) and all the real people who were involved is extremely dramatic in itself. Therefore, no matter how it is treated, it is always going to look "over the top"; in the light of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, that "drama" will seem hokey. But Sam Elliott deserves an acknowledgement of at least trying to portray Sam Houston was an actual human being (Houston was a true statesman- one who looked at the future consequences); Sam Elliott did the same sort of "humanizing" for Wild Bill Hickock, another person who can easily be overdone because that was how he was. Katharine Ross did well as Mrs. Dickinson, the woman who was buried with the sobriquet: The Only Survivor of the Alamo. Maybe someday, people will also know the importance of Emily Morgan (the real Yellow Rose of Texas). Factually, this was a correct filmplay, not as bloody as it could have been. Somewhat cheesy, but all-in-all, not too bad.

kborahjr I thought I would really like this movie. Perhaps it is because I am fan of all things Texan, or perhaps it was because it starred Sam Elliott. Either way, I was, sorry to say, disappointed. First, you should be warned that this was a TV movie. I did not realize this when I rented it, but it became apparent quite quickly! Second, if you were expecting the Sam Elliott of "We Were Soldiers", "Tombstone", or "Gettysburg", he's not in this movie. However, Elliott is not only in the sub-standard performance category. The acting overall reminded me not of a TV special, but rather of those made-for-middle school history class productions. Finally, if you are a student of history, this is not the movie to watch. The producers and/or writers took some liberties that did not have to be taken, especially in dealing with a larger-than-life figure like Sam Houston. If you still feel inclined to rent this movie, save it for a rainy or snowy day!

nasfan This movie is very cheezy. The acting isn't perfect, but it is (sort of) accurate. I especially liked the way they portrayed the Cherokee and the Osage. It shows a little research on the producer's part, but they didn't really portray Sam Houston's life so accurately. A lot of his life was over dramatized, but I can look over that.If you look at the movie in a whole view, it is ok... for TV. Recommended for viewing if you are bored and have an hour and a half to spare.6/10