[PRND21]

Did you see the recent PBS Alamo program?
If so, how did they compare?

[k2blader]

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm still fairly interested in seeing this film.

If I can (gladly) sit through "The Passion" understanding it's simply a movie, surely I can do the same for "The Alamo".

[SwyChron 101]

But from which Alamo film viewing do your speaketh?
John Wayne's or the silly one with Billy Bob Johnny Hollywood Uuhmpha Thornton playing a part that only needed a "Texan" accent?

Not to be rude, but J. Wayne did a fun job, if not maybe a bit long and over exaggerated on the heroism parts.

AS a Texas born and bred, the outrageous history is that does not relay the fact that many of the Alamo defenders were not killed in the battle on March 6, 1836, but rounded up after attempting a Gentleman's Surrender" and summarily hacked to death as if they were rabid animals.

Generalissimo Santa Anna never regained stature but lost it post haste.

[Names Ash Housewares]

I saw it too. I understand artistic license will always be utilized whenever there are historical gaps in facts. But I thought it was done well.

http://www.thealamo.org/
"Why is the Battle of the Alamo a significant historical event?
The Alamo became a rallying cry that helped the Texans defeat the Mexican Army at San Jacinto. Texas' independence laid the ground work for Texas' admission to the Union. Texas' admission to the Union led to a war between the United States and Mexico. At the end of the war, Mexico was required by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to give the United States the area that now comprises California, Arizona, New Mexico as well as the parts of other western states. Debate over whether or not the territory gained from Mexico should be open to slavery helped divide the Union and led to the Civil War. The fact that the Union was prevented from splitting apart coupled the resources gained through the Louisiana Purchase (1803), the annexation of Texas (1845), the settlement of the Oregon question (1846), and the Mexican Cession (1848) set the United States on the path of becoming a world power."

Amazing all the small acts of courage that can have such ripple effects through time. Makes you think "what if" a lot. Would America be what it is today if history had played out different then? If America had not become a super power who could have stopped monsters like Hitler?
You never know what will be important.

[dawn53]

We saw The Passion for the second time on Friday afternoon. My 16 year old son said he was once again struck by the "impact" of the film.

I watched him, at times, during the film, and my 6 foot, "macho" teenager, had his hands cupped over his mouth as if in awe (even though he had seen the movie before.)

When Mary cradled Jesus' body in her arms, toward the end of the movie, he leaned over to me and said, "The Pieta."
We had studied Michaelangelo's works (I homeschooled) but I was still surprised that he would be watching closely enough to identify that scene with the sculpture (he came home and looked up a picture of the sculpture and told me that it wasn't identical, and I explained how Gibson had used some other artworks to craft some of his scenes.)

Yesterday, he saw The Alamo with some friends. He thought it was "okay."

Usually, any movie with battle scenes would have delighted him. I think he's been spoiled by Gibson's movie.

[Caipirabob]

GET HIM!

Just kidding. Glad you enjoyed it. I saw Matrix II at our premiere theatre where we paid $16 per ticket. I hated it, and it was all the worse for what I paid. We don't go to the movies too often, so when I go and it's a "stinker", let's just leave it as "I become extemely displeased".

[Glenn]

I'm worried about the hate message this film exudes. There could be Hispanic backlash. Lawsuits for reparations. Attacks on body shops and taco stands.

[Ironsman]

I saw the movie last night and liked it. This Country was not started by saints. It was start by real people. People with failings and faults who when the moment was on them took a stand with courage and determination.

You have to see the movie to understand my wondering if faced with a situation beyond being hopeless would I have the courage to say "I thought he'd be taller"

[jimbo123]

You are one of the few. It flopped big time this weekend and Disney is going to take a huge loss on the picture and more layoffs will be their reward. The movie cost more than $100 million to make and another $25 million to market. That's what the Disney perverts get for making an inane liberal revisionist movie where Davy Crockett's last words were "I'm a screamer." What were these people thinking? "I'm a screamer?" Give me a break.

[mtbopfuyn]

Geez, the Davy Crockett thing was just to sell ficticious books. It's documented in Mexican reports that he was killed so end of story.

In the movie, did they say who captured Santa Anna? I heard they ended it with the Battle of San Jacinto so hoped they'd at least give the names of the scouts, one being granpappy Sion Bostick.

[Capriole]

Beautiful, moving, exciting--and not, as had previously been reported on this forum, P.C. Lopez de Santa Anna is made to seem disgusting, not heroic. The brief mentions of the human failings of the Americans do not in any way reduce their heroic status; nor are Crockett's musings slanted to make him appear any less than valorous. The whole thing is terrifically persuasive and involving.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I liked it.

It's just a movie. I detected no agenda other than to tell a story in such a way as to make you actually have empathy for the characters.

I especially liked the subtle way that William Travis' character was developed over the course of the movie. You have lots of things to dislike about him at the beginning, but he proves himself to be a steadfast, honorable man by his actions.

Since this is just a movie, I am sure it is full of historical innaccuracies, but if you are only interested in historical accuracy then you should not bother with movies, which are mere dramatizations meant primarily to entertain.

One other thing: this movie may well get the Chicano population stirred up.

[LS]

As I said on another post, William C. Davis, who is one of our very best U.S. historians, does not know for sure whether Crockett was killed inside or captured then executed, but there is NO doubt that he went down fighting either way, as observers (Mexican witnesses) recorded a pile of bodies around him at one point as he was fighting hand to hand. See "Three Roads to the Alamo."

[stevem]

Because of much of the pre-release publicity, I made a pact with myself to avoid the movie until I saw some of the comments on FR. This thread has convinced me to go see it.

I've been listening for years the argument about the demise of Crocket. As long as the argument doesn't involve an unsupported slanderous smear of cowardice, I could never see the point. Whether he died in the battle at the end of the siege or after capture and execution is irrelevant. Any man that put himself in the Alamo in those days could never be regarded as a coward. It was so hopeless, sort of the supreme sacrifice.

[stevem]

Who knows what makes a movie successful? I saw Disney's first effort for the first time when I was about 5 years old. That wasn't really the story of the Alamo, but was the story of Davey Crockett (Fess Parker). Disney made out quite well in that effort.

I liked John Wayne's Alamo, although thought it could have been a bit shorter. I also truly liked Widmark's portrayal of Bowie, although you would be pretty hard pressed to find much that Widmark ever did that was anything but professional. John Wayne went broke making that movie, so maybe it's tough story to sell for a profit. For Wayne it was a labor of love if I understand anything I have ever read about it. Anyway, after that movie, Wayne had to do about 3 movies per year for a number of years in order to keep out of bankruptcy court.

After reading through this thread, I'm now looking forward to taking a run at it.

[WaterDragon]

My neighbors saw the movie last night and came over specially to tell me they LOVED it!

[bayourod]

The battle for the Alamo isn't over yet. The Alamo has been under the control of the Daughters of the Texas Revolution (or something similar) for the last hundred + years.

Now Hispanic groups are demanding that they be given control of it.

[bmwcyle]

OK when I watch it for 3.99 on Dish Network it will be the right price.