The Last Command (1955)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Warren Duff (screenplay)
Sy Bartlett (story)

Release Date:

3 August 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

ERNEST BORGNINE as Mike the Bull --- a living legend, slashing master of the long knife...until he crossed blades with Colonel Jim Bowie!

Plot:

Moderate Jim Bowie leads rebellious Texicans--and Davy Crockett--in a last-ditch stand against his old friend, Santa Anna. |

Plot Keywords:

Trucolor | Alamo | Adventurer | Orchestral Music Score

Cast

Sterling Hayden	...	Jim Bowie
Anna Maria Alberghetti	...	Consuela de Quesada
Richard Carlson	...	William B. Travis
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Davy Crockett
Ernest Borgnine	...	Mike Radin
J. Carrol Naish	...	General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana
Ben Cooper	...	Jeb Lacey
John Russell	...	Lt. Dickinson
Virginia Grey	...	Mrs. Dickinson
Jim Davis	...	Ben Evans
Eduard Franz	...	Lorenzo de Quesada
Otto Kruger	...	Steven F. Austin
Russell Simpson	...	The Parson
Roy Roberts	...	Dr. Summerfield
Slim Pickens	...	Abe

Also Known As:

San Antonio de Bexar (USA)
The Texas Legionnaires (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Iceland:12 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Brackettville, Texas, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When General Santa Ana's men and horses charge toward the Alamo, the tire tracks of the camera truck are visible in front of the horses.

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Action (1977)

Soundtrack:

Jim Bowie

One of Republic's best

Frank Lloyd's career stretched back to the silent era--he was a major director and made films for the top studios in Hollywood. Winding up at a B studio like Republic would seem to be a step down the career ladder, but this film is actually one of Lloyd's best and one of the best to ever come out of Republic.

The studio didn't often get the services of directors of the calibre of Frank Lloyd--although John Ford and Fritz Lang had occasionally made films there--and it spared no expense on this one. The subject matter demanded a big budget, and Republic didn't stint. Thousands of extras, big sets, spectacular action scenes, robust performances--all combined to make a first-rate action picture. Sterling Hayden makes a good Jim Bowie, the always underrated Arthur Hunnicutt personifies Davy Crockett, and the cast is filled with familiar character actors--Roy Roberts, Slim Pickens, John Russell, Jim Davis--who contribute much to the overall atmosphere of the film. The setpiece of the movie, though, is the final siege of the Alamo itself, and it is spectacular. It compares well to the John Wayne version made five years later, and ranks right up there with the final battle scene in 1964's "Zulu"--expertly edited with top-notch stunt-work and special effects. Very highly recommended.