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.
- GoofsSam Houston refers to the Alamo as being on the Rio Bravo (aka Rio Grande). The Alamo is located on the San Antonio River over 200 miles away.
- 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
The first half certainly lives up to the self-indulgent label with endless scenes of Wayne and pals getting drunk, mouthing off, and punching one another; Jim Bowie and Colonel Travis' constant bickering, leading to Bowie's quitting at least twice; and a fairly useless subplot with Davey Crockett romancing a pretty young Mexican widow. (She was pretty hot.)
Instead of all that, we should have rode a bit with Santa Anna and/or visited some of the other battles and skirmishes that led up to the siege at the Alamo.
I thought that Richard Widmark was miscast as Jim Bowie. My preference would have been that Widmark and Richard Boone switch roles with Boone as Bowie and Widmark as Sam Houston, though I'll admit that it would be awfully hard to see Richard Boone cry like a baby in the scene where Bowie finds out his wife has died.
The second half is much better with great scenes of macho speech-making and awesome battle sequences that put the climaxes to other films I recently watched (Custer Of The West, El Condor, Two Mules For Sister Sara) to shame. Overall, the second part makes the movie worth watching.
I would be doing a great disservice if I didn't mention the excellent score by Dimitri Tiomkin.
- FightingWesterner
- Sep 1, 2009
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $6,334
- Runtime2 hours 42 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.20 : 1