Wuchak
Released in 1960 and produced/directed by John Wayne, "The Alamo" is a Western about the 1836 siege and fall of the famous Spanish mission-turned-fortress by Santa Anna's army of a couple thousand disciplined troops. The Alamo is defended by a ragtag assortment of roughly 200 soldiers, militia men and volunteers, including the famous frontiersman & politician Davy Crockett, loose cannon Jim Bowie and by-the-book militarist Colonel William Travis, the latter two regularly butting heads. Sam Houston (Richard Boone) is on hand as a significant peripheral character. As early as 1945 it was Wayne's goal to film a picture about the Alamo and James Edward Grant was hired to write the screenplay, but Wayne and the president of Republic Pictures, Herbert Yates, clashed over the estimated high cost and the fact that Yates only wanted John to star in the movie, not produce & direct. Wayne left Republic over the feud while the studio took the script and released 1955's "The Last Command," which I've never seen. Meanwhile, John started his own production company with Robert Fellows to forge "The Alamo," which came out five years later and naturally shares many elements of "The Last Command." The first two-thirds of "The Alamo" is a steady build-up culminating in the thrilling and utterly savage attack on the Alamo in the final act. The movie is surprisingly evenhanded with the events (considering it was 1960) and works despite inaccuracies, like the death of Bowie's wife, which actually took place a YEAR before Santa Anna's siege, not to mention the final assault, which took place in the dark of the pre-dawn hours. In the movie's defense, it does show the attack taking place at first light, which would make it only about 2-3 hours off from when it really happened. Wayne obviously made the decision to shoot in the daytime so viewers could actually SEE what was going on, rather than deal with the numerous negatives that come with shooting in the dark. As far as the story goes, it's all about the characters because, if we don't care about the protagonists, the final assault falls flat, despite the awesome action. Thankfully, Wayne as Crockett, Richard Widmark as Bowie, and Laurence Harvey as William Travis deliver the goods, not to mention the script. All three are phenomenal in their own unique way. They're doomed to die, of course, but when their deaths occur they're both shocking and moving. This version is just all-around more entertaining than the dreary 2004 version, although that rendition earns points for being way more realistic and giving Santa Anna considerable screen time, which this version doesn't do at all. Not to mention, the 2004 film ends with the humiliating defeat of Santa Anna & his army in a mere 18 minutes just six weeks after the fall of the Alamo. The rallying cry of Sam Houston & the Texian Army was naturally "Remember the Alamo!" Basically, Wayne filmed the Spirit of the Alamo with everything that goes with it, like big historical speeches, while the newer film tries for a more accurate telling.But keep this in mind: No movie has ever been made, or will ever be made, about the Alamo that's thoroughly accurate, except for the obvious gist of things. Why? Because ALL of the defenders were killed. Even the Mexican eyewitnesses who were there disagreed on the major events that took place. For example, there are those who claim Davy Crockett was killed in the assault, as shown in this version, while others say he survived the battle along with 5-6 others only to be captured, lined up, and executed, as depicted in the 2004 film. So any movie you see about the Alamo is going to contain a lot of conjecture.Dimitri Tiomkin's score is a dramatic, thrilling and tragic multifaceted piece that captures the slow build-up, eventual battle and aftermath. Carter Burwell's score for the 2004 version is mediocre by comparison; while certainly adept and adequate, it puts a dreary overcast over the proceedings. The short version of the film, which is the only one I've seen, runs 161 minutes and was shot in Brackettville, Texas. The long version runs 40 minutes longer, but 10 minutes of that consists of (unnecessary) overture, intermission, and exit music, which leaves 30 minutes of deleted scenes. Naturally, some of these scenes help make sense of certain sequences in the shorter version, such as a fight in the church where the arms are discovered and the leader of the non-patriots is killed; that is, the man who tried to force Mexican beauty Flaca (Linda Crystal) to marry him. In the short version he just seems to disappear into thin air. Another scene that should've never been cut is the death of the Parson (Hank Worden) because it ties into the earlier conversation that Crockett had with him: When Flaca leaves and the Parson asks Davy if he ever prayed Crockett responds that he never had the time. In Parson's death scene Crockett takes the time. Another significant cut scene involves the birthday party of Captain Dickinson's daughter, which I've heard is moving.Aside from Linda Crystal in the female department, Joan O'Brien appears as stunning blond Sue Dickinson, one of the surviving non-combatants who supplied one significant account of events inside the fort. GRADE: Borderline A- or B+ (7.5/10)
Tad Pole
" . . . he was an abrasive, stubborn, hard-headed Irishman," son Colin says of ALAMO and John Wayne's "favorite screenwriter" and "other" chess-partner best friend, James Edward Grant. "Jimmy" was Jeff to Wayne's Mutt, this extra on the 2005 HONDO DVD release--PROFILE: JAMES EDWARD GRANT--says. Apparently, Wayne and Grant were NOT best men at each other's weddings (as were Wayne and fellow Western actor Ward Bond), though Wayne, at least, was married often enough to have had several such best buddies. Though Wayne, Bond, and their off-screen cohorts such as Grant and director John Ford may not strike the average fan as Bobby Fischer types, those who have seen the recent film biography of that American chess prodigy will recognize that this quartet was equally as irrational as Mr. Fischer. For instance, Bond and Wayne thought that RIO BRAVO was comparable to Gary Cooper's masterful Western Classic, HIGH NOON. Similarly, Colin Grant says that his dad was SHOCKED not to be Oscar-nominated for THE ALAMO screenplay, one of the many Wayne vehicles for which Jimmy served as mechanic. Being from Chicago, the Grant Family obviously lacked a grasp of Texas History 101. This movie omits the hallowed "Line in the Sand" drawn by Col. William Barrett Travis, a fault which the Academy knew enough to place at the screenwriter's doorstep.
JohnLeeT
This is indeed motion picture greatness as seldom achieved. The passion of director/producer/actor John Wayne for his project is as profound as any other auteur in cinematic history. His triumph as a first time director is astounding and his masterful work behind the camera leaves the unprepared viewer breathless. The cinematography, film score, and set design are stunningly beautiful and the performances Wayne inspires from his cast are nothing less than superb. The battle scenes are choreographed with incredible skill and epic in their scope, bringing audiences to the edge of their seats. However, the intimacy and character development are equally amazing and it is in the tension filled time leading up to the final conflict that we come to know and care for those who are about to die. John Wayne captures the glory and tragedy of the Alamo as no other film maker has and this motion picture will be viewed forever as the ultimate depiction of this dramatic moment in history. If Wayne had lived longer and received a bit more encouragement from film critics who badly reviewed him as a director purely because of his conservative politics, he may well have become a film maker of Clint Eastwood or John Ford's stature, perhaps another David Lean, expressing his personal cinematic vision and passion in even greater fashion as his directing career matured. Alas, we lost this wonderful, beloved talent far too soon and the potential so clearly seen in The Alamo would never be completely realized in films never to be made. Yet, students of cinema will study and celebrate the screen performances of John Wayne for many generations to come and eventually his gifts as a director will be recognized as well. For now, The Alamo stands as an artistic achievement of epic proportions, a testament to the sacrifice of true heroes, and a celluloid monument to John Wayne, Director.
