I like John Wayne. He had done some impressive work but not all his movies hit the heights. This be one of them and I am sad to say that he acted, directed and produced and one suspects his ego got the best of him and no one around him could say otherwise. This says a lot about Wayne. I tried to watch this but had to speed it up at times. It drags, over-emphasizes and gets silly which for a film this long is the kiss of death. The movie and the subject is what legends are made of but this version is a legend in Wayne's mind. Watch if you must and & can and hold the...

I was born on the 113th anniversary of the Alamo's fall, so this momentous event, not only in local Texas history but in American history, has been of interest to me from the very start of my existence in this world. My brother, Allen Wiener, authored two different, excellent books about the Alamo, so, beyond my noteworthy birth date, the appeal of the subject may run deep within my blood as well.I watched the full 3 hour and 22 minute version on TCM, and my interest in the action here never waned, even having stayed with it after 4 am, which is WAY past my normal bedtime, and having known the ultimate outcome from the very start. Furthermore, I remained wide awake, not an easy fete for a man of my advanced age.Much has been written about historical inaccuracies in this film, but I found many of them to be trivial when balanced against the much more important themes of courage to sacrifice one's life for the cause of freedom, the ability to maintain faith in the face of a brutally violent death, and the personal, final acceptance of the inevitable reality of death itself. As with any work based on an extraordinary historical event, the film motivated me to discover the true historical facts on my own.As the producer, director, and star of this highly engaging film, much of the credit goes to John Wayne. His passion for the subject and for its value to the history of our nation is evident from beginning to end. The replica of the Alamo, painstakingly reconstructed by Alfred Ybarra, has been acclaimed by several knowledgeable historians as to its authenticity. By itself, this accomplishment should never be underestimated, as it has. The musical score of Dimitri Tiomkin ("High Noon", "High and the Mighty") was magnificent. The heartrending tune and lyrics of "The Green Leaves of Summer", the central theme song, emphasized the precious value of the lives that were about to be sacrificed by the defenders for a cause that they believed to be greater than life itself. In addition, the mariachi inspired music that surged whenever the Mexican opponents were present effectively suggested a clash of two cultures, not only two conflicting national interests.I was also impressed by the manner in which the Mexican opponents were portrayed, not as stereotyped, cardboard characters but as men who were courageous in their own right and who believed in their own cause. The presence of their own families, including women and children, on the battlefield depicted them as equal human beings who placed their lives on the line just as bravely as the Texians did.As to the acting, the performance of Laurence Harvey as Lieutenant Colonel William Travis, the commander at the Alamo, was exceptional. Much has already been written about his undeniable South African/British accent. For the first few moments, I was conscious of it, but it faded fast behind the intensity of the character and the action that revolved around him. The expression on Harvey's face when Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) finally demonstrated his decision to stay and fight by physically standing with Travis was a very special moment in American cinema, at least to me. Until observing Harvey here, I mostly witnessed him typecast as a disagreeable or brooding character ("Room at the Top", "Butterfield 8") or, even worse, as a miserable, brainwashed psychopath ("Manchurian Candidate"). As the psychologically tormented Travis, Harvey exhibited the full range of his acting ability. As to Widmark, I have read that he was very displeased on the set with just about everything, mostly with the director himself, and his obvious annoyance, in an odd way, seemed to contribute substantially to his fine performance as the often irritated and frustrated Bowie. While others have written of the superficiality of Crockett's character, to the contrary, I was impressed by John Wayne's portrayal of a man who outwardly appealed to the masses while also possessing an inner intellectual depth, especially considering all of the other aspects of the film with which Wayne had to contend during its production. No wonder the Duke was seen smoking so much throughout its making. The pressure exerted upon him by the investors alone must have been quite intense, even for a man of the Duke's legendary tough stature. And how does one direct oneself? I always wondered about that. Although I am not an expert of war films, I thought that the battle scenes were very credible, especially the final confrontation in which 257 free spirited, undisciplined Texians were overwhelmed by thousands of trained, uniformed Mexican troops, moved to action by the rousing roll of relentless, military drums."Twas so good to be young then,To be close to the earth,Now the green leaves of summerAre calling me home."

Beneath the on-screen machismo and bravado, John Wayne was by all accounts a down-to-earth guy, and this almost always comes through in his performances. It comes through in "The Alamo" not only in his typically John Waynian portrayal of Davy Crockett but in his simple, unchallenging directorial style. John Ford, had he been at the helm, may have opted for a few more sweeping landscape shots or evocative silhouettes to give the visuals more flavor. Still, I doubt even Ford could have turned this bland script into a really high-quality film. "The Alamo" is a likable enough movie, with surprisingly even-handed treatment of the Mexican army, but nothing about it rises above average except perhaps Laurence Harvey's performance as the upper-crust Colonel Travis.

Just for the record I like John Wayne and his films, I love The Searchers, The Quiet Man, El Dorado, The Shootist, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and quite like Red River and Rio Bravo. The Alamo is not Wayne's worst movie, not even close, that dishonour to me is still The Conqueror, but again it's not among his best either.Before I point out what I didn't like very much about The Alamo, I noticed several things I liked and admired. The Alamo is a beautifully made film with great colour, magnificent scenery and strong cinematography. Dmitri Tiomkin has penned some wonderful scores, such as It's a Wonderful Life, Red River and The High and the Mighty, and the score for The Alamo was no exception, with its melodious and rousing themes.Some assets showed some good and bad things. One was the script, the second half in written quality is actually stirring stuff. I wish I could say the same for the first half, sadly I found it rather leaden. Another was the direction, in the second half it shows signs of brilliance however in the first it is somewhat self-indulgent with scenes going on too long. This paragraph especially applies to the cast. John Wayne is charismatic enough and does a better job at acting here I feel than directing and Richard Widmark once again gives a solid performance. One of the most disappointing things of this picture is the performance of Laurence Harvey, who's very stiff with an accent that is both inconsistent and obvious.There are also some assets that didn't do much for me. In terms of story, the second half is much better than the first. The second half has some good writing and picks up the pace, the first half on the other hand is in my opinion unexciting and pedestrian with too many overlong scenes that could've been trimmed easily. The Alamo is perhaps 15 minutes too long, the pace is often dull particularly at the start and for a lengthy movie you'd expect more character development than this. Widmark's is probably the most well developed, Harvey's character is very awkward and perhaps even out of place throughout.Overall, too uneven and just didn't engage me. 5/10 Bethany Cox