Alamo: 13 days of ........ (1987)

[Scott]

This played on Encore yesterday also. The worst cast I ever seen, but I remained interested all the way through. I think they were going for the spirit and historical. (not sure if they did, but ....) Don't ask me how, but it kept my interest all the way through. It starred aged Brian Keith and some others that I have seen before, but couldn't remember their names. Some of the action scenes were horrendous, like something out of an AIRPLANE type movie. Almost comical, but that is still not why I finished it. Don't run out and get it. Wait wait wait wait and still wait and if you find yourself watching it let me know why. Forget this was posted. Thank You. Forget this particular Alamo movie.

[Apostic]

Aye, but then there's that upcoming Alamo thing from Disney...

Regards,

Apostic

[jmc]

They made me watch this in high school US history class!  I don't remember the bad movie aspects of it back then, since my sensitivity to crap wasn't as refined as it is now, but I do remember Jim Bowie looking kinda goofy, killing the invaders with his knife.

[Deej]

Oh yeah, I remember this one. It starred James Arness and Brian Keith, the Mutt and Jeff of John Wayne impersonators. In my opinion this is kinda like the Bing Crosby Remake of Stagecoach. There was really no damned reason to do it.

This movie was to similar to the 1960 Alamo starring JW, as far as the over the top flag waving and all that silliness. The 1960 version, however, had a good cast to keep me interested though. Very sad.

[Scott]

Yep, that was the one Deej. I stuck through till the end though.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Living in Texas and visiting the actual Alamo in San Antonio, any film about it  is of interest to me, and it didn't take them long to do a film about the Alamo. The first one being the 1911 silent film "The Immortal Alamo." The ones I have seen, including "13 Days of Glory" are 1955's "The Last Command" w/ Arthur Hunnicutt as Crockett and of course 1960's "The Alamo w/ John Wayne as Crockett. If one is looking for one with some great action, that is the one to watch (IMHO) Even on TV and over 40 years later, whatever one thinks of the rest of the film, the action scenes still resonate.
The newest version is coming out at Christmas, 2003, w/ Patrick Wilson as Travis, Jason Patric as Bowie, Emilio Echevarria as Santa Anna, Dennis Quaid as Houston, and Billy Bob Thornton as Crockett. It is suppose to be the most accurate version yet. That we will see. I like to see how they handle the controversy as to whether Crockett surrendered and was klilled after the battle was over. One thing gives me hope. The director is John Lee Hancock, who directed last years's "The Rookie. And if one is familiar with west Texas, where the film was partially set, that was a dead on accurate representation of that part of Texas.
Of course, that does not include the films where the Battle of the Alamo plays only a peripheral role such as "The Man from the Alamo" w/ Glenn Ford,. "Viva Max" w/ Peter Ustinov, and, of course, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" w/ Fess Parker as Crockett.
One more thing. If one is familair with "Star Trek: Deep Space 9," one of the historical events re-enacted by Bashir (Alexander Siddiq) and O'Brien (Colm Meaney) in the holosuites of the station, was the Battle of the Alamo, along with the Battle of Britain. Enjoy all the film versions.
 w

[Scott]

Thanks BoyScoutKevin. I couldn't remember the last word in the title of that movie. Your right about the ALAMO that John Wayne did. Its great, most notable the battle scenes. It was on TV just a couple nights ago also.

The new one sounds good. I think people should just leave some parts of history alone. Like Columbus, Davie Crockett, and the rest. In the case of Columbus they are looking at the wrong aspect of him and not focusing on the historic voyage itself. Sure I think it was a tragedy what happened to the Native American, but the revisionist would like to thow any positive aspect away just please someone who dosn't understand what we are looking at. On the subject of Davie Crockett they better be 100%. Even if Crockett were leave the Alamo, they don't really know why or what they were doing when captured outside the Alamo. Some people just have to mess with what is good just to make some kinda point. 20 years from now someone will prove the opposite and then they will have clouded the glory of the event, because some nit wit had to prove the event wrong. I seen the documentary on the subject of Crocketts capture and death that goes against our childhood history. Nobody is aloud to have a hero anymore or to have a meaningful life. What a shame. Thats how the "educated" want it these days. Unless they were actually there let our traditions hold true. Hopefully something will change one day soon. Theres an old saying that goes "a good story deserves to be embellished a bit."

[Apostic]

Y'know, it's a funny thing.  I finally got around to seeing The Alamo (1960) when it played on TCM yesterday.  I seemed to have missed all that over-the-top flag  waving everyone insists is in this movie.  No, wait.  Lots of Mexican flags waved.  And the "1824" flag fluttered in the breeze in a couple of shots.

I've also been told it's an exercise in rabid jingoism.  I somehow missed that, too.  Perhaps I saw the wrong movie called The Alamo with John Wayne made in 1960.  Yeah.  Must've been more than one.

regards,

Mark
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[jmc]

That was THE REVENGE OF THE ALAMO (1962)