The Alamo

• Produced and Directed by John Wayne
• October 24, 1960

A small group of soldiers give their lives in hopeless battle against the Mexican army in order to prevent General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna from destroying the new Republic of Texas.

Having watched numerous yet not all John Wayne films I certainly had to check out his directorial effort of The Alamo. This is probably closer to reality than his film The Conqueror but having said that every Hollywood historical production takes liberties with the facts. Yes, I know the story about the advisors wanting their names removed. Enjoy this for what it is-an action filled drama with perhaps more than a few messages about the day and age in which it was made and not of the time in which the story was set. 

You can’t help but see all the Wayne regulars in this. There is Richard Boone as General Sam Houston, Patrick Wayne as Capt. James Butler Bonham, Ken Curtis as Capt. Almaron Dickinson, Denver Pyle as Thimblerig, Hank Worden as Parson, Big John Hamilton as one of Jim Bowie’s men, and though not a Wayne regular but here for the young ladies we have Frankie Avalon as Smitty. That there is a small slice of a very expansive cast designed to tell an epic story.

Despite Wayne being the biggest star of the day here, it takes about 20 minutes before we actually see his character of Col. Davy Crockett (yes, that Col. Davy Crockett) but then again at 2+ hours two hours plus there’s no need to rush. Wayne wanted to play the smaller part of Sam Houston so he could focus on directing but investors so “Nope!” And his presence is significant. Yet despite Wayne taking a good chunk of the time no character is really short changed. Real or fictional they all get fleshed out enough that you couldn’t eliminate one or transfer lines to another. And more often than not the performances are good to fantastic.

It doesn’t take long for Crockett being the manliest man there to start hitting on the hottest Latina in the area who is named Graciela Carmela María ‘Flaca’ de López y Vejar (Linda Cristal) whom he ultimately saves from an arranged marriage. But his character also provides many inspirational speeches about independence and freedom that highlight the struggle, but also allude to his beliefs about things during the 1960s. There is more than a tinge of anti-Communism in them.

Wayne really should have been Houston. He clearly could not give it his all here. Some of Wayne’s usual swagger and confidence was missing from his Crockett. Not gone entirely but not nearly as strong as in other films. He was perfect in delivering the speeches though. Wayne knew how to be inspirational on cue.

There are elements that one would expect in movies of those days. There’s humor, there’s some light romance, but The Alamo is more about making a political statement on the politics of the day. But it doesn’t beat you necessarily over the head with that task. Wayne and pals decided to tell an exciting story with plenty of mythmaking that sells you the message. It’s all about getting you excited and cheering for the heroes of the story.

This is accomplished in large part via creating camaraderie among the characters. Sometimes as fisticuffs as fun and sometimes via hashing out ideas and differences through dialogue that is as much about illustrating themes as it is about uniting the group. These are people largely united in a single cause. It is something they want more than life. It’s their legacy almost. Accurate or not it fits with the mythmaking that this film is aiming for.

There’s a slave character in this named Jethro (Jester Hairston). Not a major individual but one with some screentime. His presence is a very poor illusion to civil rights. Maybe not perfect but the attempt is worthwhile for the time. Just before the attack on the Alamo he is freed but decides to stay because his continued freedom is worth fighting for.

Despite how this ended in real life and even in the film events are often treated like war as an adventure rather than war as serious business. An example of movies at the time, but they don’t do much to make it feel down beat even for the era. Then again, Wayne was trying to sell patriotism and duty and honor. The Alamo is a story of sacrifice. It’s a story of doing your duty. It’s a story of fighting for freedom. This is playing into the myth and the feelings that the Alamo evokes to this day. Being factual is secondary as demonstrated by a mentioning of one event which occurred two weeks after the events of the Alamo.

What is an epic film without an epic villain. The Mexicans are portrayed as brutal fighters. They fight ferociously. The action is exciting. There are explosions and bullets. Maybe not brutal by today’s standards but certainly relatively intense for the era. These are heroic defenders against an evil force.

There are some more soapy elements but those are few and far between. Those are just to give The Alamo a little more meat than other historical dramas. The men are manly men and fist fighting and stupid competitions are portrayed as friendly competitions.

This is well over two hours long or over three depending on which cut you might encounter. That is one heck of a time investment for a movie yet it never feels like it. There’s always something going on. The story is always moving forward. There may be a minor lull here and there but there’s nothing so long and so down in energy that you start to feel the length of the film.

The Alamo is a great film. It has action and drama and just general excitement. For fans of all stripes this is worthwhile viewing.