The Alamo **** (1960, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Richard Boone) – Classic Movie Review 1904

John Wayne produces, directs and stars as frontiersman-soldier Davy Crockett (1783-1836) in this stirring 1960 patriotic tribute to the small band of 180 Texans who face attack and death at the hands of up to 7,000 soldiers of the Mexican army under General Santa Anna in March 1836.

Helping Wayne out are Richard Widmark as scout Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as Col William Travis, commander of Fort Alamo, whose heroic stand enables General Sam Houston (Richard Boone) eventually to vanquish the Mexicans and make Texas independent.

Made in the full monty of Todd-AO, 65mm and thee-channel stereo, this hugely expensive super-movie is a rousing but overlong and messy saga, and James Edward Grant’s screenplay is packed with its full complement of clichés. But overall the movie remains strong Western entertainment, with splendid visuals in William H Clothier’s Technicolor cinematography, a rousing score by Dimitri Tiomkin and a big finish in a walloping battle finale. There are also songs from 60s popster Frankie Avalon (who appears, as Smitty) and a hit tune in The Green Leaves of Summer (by Paul Francis Webster [lyrics] and Dimitri Tiomkin), which certainly may be diverting but they’re totally out of place here.

Also in the cast are Patrick Wayne as Captain James Butler Bonham, Aissa Wayne, Linda Cristal, Chill Wills, Joseph Calleia, Carlos Arruza, Joan O’Brien, Ken Curtis, Denver Pyle, Jester Hairston, Veda Ann Borg, John Dierkes and Hank Worden.

After seven nominations, at the 1961 Academy Awards, it won just the one Oscar for the sound (Gordon E Sawyer, Fred Hynes). There was a feeling in certain quarters that Wayne had been snubbed, not even nominated as Best Director, and not winning Best Picture. Tiomkin won the one Golden Globe for Best Original Score.

Various versions exist:  the roadshow version at 192 minutes, the original release at 167 minutes, the 140-minute 1967 re-release) and the mammoth 203-minute director’s cut (for the 1993 video release).

The Ybarra set was later used in several films, each making changes, but it fell into disrepair by the mid-80s. It was rebuilt to full scale for Alamo: The Price of Freedom (1988) on its old foundations. Both Lonesome Dove (1989) and Bad Girls(1994) used the historically correct façade and the set is still in use. The main filming location is at the Alamo Village, Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas, but there’s some shooting in Mexico.

The story was remade in 2004 with Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1904

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