The Day in History - Feb 23, 1836 The Alamo

This Day In History February 23 1836 in San Antonio, Texas, Mexican dictator General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his troops arrive at San Antonio and begin siege preparations at the Alamo. Colonel William Travis issues a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress under attack by the Mexican army.

Thus began a moment that some could argue as the bleakest in US History, and others the greatest.

Over the years, there have been several depictions of those 13 days that the siege took place, and many accounts of how things transpired. So, I thought I would take a minute and point out some of the best (and worst) renditions as a honor to those brave men.

1. The Alamo (2004)

I would never think that Billy Bob Thornton would be the star in a western ranked higher than John Wayne, but this one is the case. With a focus on accuracy and scope - this is probably my favorite version of the events that transpired. Billy Bob’s acting is excellent, along with Jason Patric and Patrick Wilson. Set design and costumes are also superb. You can definately see where the $107Million budget went, but sadly the movie was a bust at the box office. Part if this probably due to opening opposite Passion of the Christ, and partially due to people not being interested in these types of movies anymore.

As I said, the overall acting is great (Dennis Quaid being the lone turd in the punchbowl), and I liked how they used historical documents to line up events, such as Crockett’s capture and death. To me, the best scene in the movie is Croockett playing fiddle while the Mexican retiring of the colors (for the evening). The palette, the music….hell, even Billy Bob’s smirk. Damn near perfect.

2. The Alamo (1960) - Growing up, this was THE way kids learned about the Alamo. The movie is full of inaccuracies, at times the acting is poor and politics pervades the film. The cinematography is great, and the battle scenes are worth the price of admission alone. My personal favorite scene is the one where Wayne (as Crockett) describes what a republic is. Man that was some solid dialog. Even with its inaccuracies, The Alamo was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, and won one - Best Sound. The movie is flawed and great at the same time. It was a project that Wayne believed in so much, that he invested $1.5 Million of his own money into the movie, taking a loss and selling his rights back to the studio to recoup the loss. In the end, The Alamo IS a great film - just not the most accurate one.

3. Martyrs of the Alamo (1915)

This silent film is one of the oldest depictions of the Battle of the Alamo, and in many cases, historically accurate. The battle scenes are pretty epic for the time period, and I have a soft spot for silent movies. That said, there are some scenes depicting Mexican soldiers in a poor light, and those can only be attributed to racist stereotypes of the age.

The Alamo : Thirteen Day to Glory (1987)

Shot at the Alamo Village built by John Wayne for his version of the movie, This movie fails where so many 80’s mini-series (such as Shogun) thrived, due to the low budget approach (recycled sets and battle footage), and poorly written dialog…..something that is a bit of a surprise considering the cast : James Arness as James Bowie, Brian Keith as Davy Crockett, Alec Baldwin as William Barrett Travis, Raul Julia as Antonio López de Santa Anna, and featuring a single scene cameo by Lorne Greene as Sam Houston. It should be noted that this is an early role for Baldwin, and Greene passed away after shooting his scenes.

What makes this movie stand out from the others, is that the focus of the film is focus on Bowie vs Crockett. No offense to Arness, but Brian Keith is a far superior actor - and if they were going the Bowie route, they should have flipped the casting.

In closing - The Alamo is an interesting part of American and Texas history. Its sad that we cannot get great media representation of how these brave men fought and died for what they believe in. I had an opportunity to visit the Alamo myself and experience just how small the courtyard and chapel complex really is. Its only a matter of time before this too will be erased from history books - so I encourage everyone to visit and learn from this historic site. As I close, I want to recognize and remember those brother Masons who answered the call as well. RIP Brothers!