In 1836, a small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.In 1836, a small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.In 1836, a small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 8 nominations total
- Dr. Sutherland
- (as Bill Henry)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohn Wayne formed a close friendship with Laurence Harvey during filming. According to Michael Munn's 2003 biography "John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth", Wayne said Harvey should have received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor instead of Chill Wills. However the accuracy of Munn's book has been called into question, along with his other celebrity biographies.
- GoofsThe opening scene of the movie shows Sam Houston giving orders to William Barrett Travis to hold off the Mexican army until he could build an army. In truth, Houston sent Travis to the Alamo to help Jim Bowie burn it down and retreat to Gonzales, Texas. Bowie and Travis ignored the order.
- Quotes
Davy Crockett: Republic. I like the sound of the word. It means people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat - the same tightness a man gets when his baby takes his first step or his first baby shaves and makes his first sound as a man. Some words can give you a feeling that makes your heart warm. Republic is one of those words.
- Alternate versionsAfter its LA premiere the film was cut by approximately 26 minutes. It wasn't until 1992 that these scenes were restored for release on LaserDisc and VHS. As of April 2007 all DVD releases feature the shorter general release version. The following scenes were added back:
- The original overture, intermission, theatrical trailer, and end themes;
- The "Jefferson Speech" extended between Col. Travis & Cap. Dickinson;
- The death of Emil Sand;
- Conversation between Col. Travis & Col. Bowie regarding Col. Fannin;
- The death of the Parson and Scotty;
- Crockett's prayer following Parson's & Scotty's death;
- The "Philosophical Debate" when the Alamo defenders talk about God;
- More complete "Gunpowder Raid" scene;
- Crockett's night with Senora;
- Senora's brief scene with a fleeing young woman;
- Birthday Party for Dickson's child;
- Bonham's original report to Travis;
- A slightly different Crockett death scene.
- ConnectionsEdited into How the West Was Won (1962)
- SoundtracksGreen Leaves of Summer
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
Sung by an off screen chorus
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.
- planktonrules
- Sep 30, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Alamo
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $6,334
- Runtime2 hours 42 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.20 : 1
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![John Wayne, Richard Widmark, and Laurence Harvey in The Alamo (1960)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmQ1MjRmZGQtYTE1ZS00Njg4LWE4OWUtZTY2MTAwNzc3MGJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,1,90,133_.jpg)