But at least he made the guy hop off his horse in order to get him.
Posted on 03/21/2004 8:17:06 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Davy Crockett: U.S. congressman, legend in his own time, venerated hero of the Alamo who lost his life after Mexican troops overran the now fabled fort.
His final words?
"I'm a screamer."
That's according to Walt Disney Studios, whose new film, "The Alamo," premieres in San Antonio next Saturday.
The real shocker might be what comes next: the execution of Crockett by Mexican soldiers, a movie scene that's sure to be seen as sacrilege by rabid Alamophiles who like to imagine the myth-shrouded "Lion of the West" going down fighting.
Noted Alamo author Frank Thompson has seen people come to blows over how Crockett died, so dearly do they hold his memory.
With the film's release and the publication of its companion book—complete with glossy photos from the movie and dialogue from the screenplay — the controversy is almost certain to flare anew.
According to "The Alamo: The Illustrated Story of the Epic Film"—written by Thompson, with a foreword by film director John Lee Hancock — Crockett surveys the Alamo grounds after the battle and sees a Mexican soldier wearing his vest, another holding his fiddle.
Crockett chuckles wryly. Then, despite looking down the gun barrels of men ready to execute him, he proceeds to sass his captors.
"If the general here will have his men put down their weapons and peacefully assemble, I will take you to Gen. (Sam) Houston and try my best to get him to spare most of your lives," Crockett quips.
Then he adds:
"That said, Sam's a might prickly, so no promises."
Infuriated, Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna orders his men to kill Crockett by hacking him with swords.
That's when Crockett, played by Billy Bob Thornton, utters the screamer line.
'Absolute watershed'
"This is an absolute watershed in Alamo film history," said Linda Salvucci, an associate history professor at Trinity University who teaches a class called "Remember the Alamo: Myth, Mystery and History." Of the final line, however, she said: "It just seems like such an anachronism — that choice of words — I can't imagine him saying he's a screamer."
Stephen Hardin, a professor of Texas and American history at Victoria College and a consultant for the film, explained the context of being a "screamer" in the 19th century.
"I don't think people are necessarily going to get this, but in the 19th century, being a screamer meant, 'I'm an important person, I'm a stud, I'm a person to be reckoned with,'" he explained. "It doesn't mean he's screaming like a girl."
No other major Hollywood production has portrayed Crockett's end as an execution.
Some historians have, however.
The manner in which Crockett died has been debated since the diary of José Enrique de la Peña, a lieutenant in the Mexican Army at the battle, was translated into English in the 1970s.
The execution episode in de la Peña's memoirs caused a controversy that has roiled for 30 years. Historians dispute whether the diary is authentic and reliable.
The English translation was completed by Carmen Perry, director of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo. When the translation was published in 1975, Perry received threats from people who thought she was dishonoring Crockett.
Three years later, Dan Kilgore wrote a book examining the execution theory called "How did Davy Die?" Kilgore received death threats.
Trinity University can't keep Kilgore's book in its regular stacks, because it gets defaced. It's kept under lock and key with rare books.
Some think that if Crockett was captured and executed his heroic status would be degraded.
"You're dealing with a very touchy topic. You're messing with people's fantasies," said noted Alamo author Stephen Harrigan, who did minor consulting work and script revision for the film. "Somehow people twist the idea of execution to surrender and from there it's a short step to 'he lost his nerve' or gave up.
"There's no question that he's no less dead for having been executed as having gone down fighting — there's no reason to think any less of Crockett. But people are so deeply invested in this cherished notion of Crockett going down fighting that it's hard to shake it out of people's heads. And I don't know that it should be shaken out."
Legendary figure
A larger-than-life figure even in his time, Crockett's legend was stoked for generations by images of him swinging his musket against insurmountable odds. The former Tennessee congressman in the coonskin cap arrived at the Alamo with volunteers in February 1836 to help defend the fortress against the advancing Mexican army.
Along with William Travis and James Bowie, Crockett was among the most famous of the "Texian" defenders who held the Alamo for 13 days until it fell to about 4,000 Mexican troops the morning of March 6.
Harrigan, who wrote "The Gates of the Alamo," doesn't buy into the execution theory — and he's not the only respected Alamo historian in that camp.
"The evidence that he was executed was too slight," Harrigan said. "There are several documents that seem to support Crockett was executed, but there's plenty of room for scholarly dispute."
Bruce Winders, curator for the Alamo, said there's no doubt that Texian fighters were executed after the battle, but he doesn't believe that Crockett was among them.
"I am unconvinced he was executed, but I don't rule out the possibility," Winders said, adding he's not surprised the film used the execution theory. "In the evolution of the modern Alamo story, I don't see how they could have done it any other way."
Heroic either way
Thompson said he doesn't understand the hoopla over how Crockett died.
"Even if you believe de la Peña, he clearly says he died without humbling himself," said Thompson. "It's so weird to me that people get so incensed about something we don't know or will never know. It strikes me as being silly at best and deranged at worst."
Native Texan and Dallas resident Jerry Phillips, who spent a recent rainy afternoon touring the Alamo, agrees.
"The fact they were here is what's important," said Phillips, 61. "The people who died here contributed to our freedom."
Hardin clearly is frustrated by the debate over how Crockett met his end — he believes the question is more emotional than historical.
"The sacrifice is undiminished. He gave his life for a cause he believes in," Hardin said.
"For goodness sakes, isn't that enough?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- adorsett@express-news.net
Damn straight it will!
Everyone knows that Crockett died blowing up the Alamo's armory.
Oh, Please!!! This ought to be good.
Bad Crockett ?
Bad Davey ?
Bad Alamo ?
Bad Movie!
Sounds like the screenplay was written by a homosexual with an ax to grind.
That may have been true overall in Texas (I haven't checked the San Jacinto order of battle), but the list from the Alamo shows only 8 or 9 of Mexican descent. To be sure, the Grand San Antonio Families (of Mexican descent) did support the Texians.
John Wayne's 1960`s epic "The Alamo" while somewhat pretentious, was also an ambitious effort that was nominated for best picture. Billy Bob Thorton playing Davey Crockett sounds like quite a stretch in my book.
But at least he made the guy hop off his horse in order to get him.
I'll withhold judgment until the movie is released.
Viva Max! never fails to crack me up.
Not that bad really, except for the eyes!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.