|
Post by Seguin on Sept 22, 2010 22:11:01 GMT -5
I learned feather-fights were one of Crockett´s and his men´s favorite games back in Tennessee.
|
|
|
Post by loucapitano on Oct 1, 2010 12:42:00 GMT -5
You guys are funny! I noticed most of the quirks you mention when I first saw it as a 12 year old in 1960. As a sequel to "The Last Command" and Disney's I first thought it was heavenly. But later I stewed about Waynes $12 million dollar shrine to liberty. Deep inside I couldn't help but think: You blew it! You had $12 million dollars and a novelization by Steve Frazee to follow and you blew it on scmaltz! All those great action scenes. Accomplished actors. A cast of thousands. All these muddled by a script that lacked the drama and pathos of a small band of volunteers trapped in a broken down fort who were willing to die for their freedom. In that regard, John Wayne blew it.
But, I've seen the movie a hundred times and own 5 copies. The Encore Western channel shows it frequently which I rarely miss. (My wife makes me watch it on another TV.) For me, it will never die. The film can stand up to the jokes and critiques because Wayne's sincerity emerges in every scene. I guess the finale sums it up when it says" Once they fought to give us freedom, that is all we (Wayne) need to know..." The definitive movie is still to be made. I hope I live to see it. Until then, I'll enjoy what there is and share the fellowship of my friends who love the Alamo.
|
|
|
Post by Allen Wiener on Oct 1, 2010 14:04:10 GMT -5
Lou - you summarized it very well. I had many similar feelings when it was released in 1960; not at all what I expected and, overall, a disappointment, although the final battle has always been a favorite of mine. The film (and Wayne) was so bound up in Cold War politics and mentality that it was bound to miss both on an entertainment and history level. The script is its worst weakness, among several.
Nonetheless, you have a point about its longevity, at least among its faithful fans. I, too, have seen it countless times but, I only have 3 copies! I own all the various iterations of the music soundtrack, which I still regard as one of the best I've ever heard. There's also no denying that the film further stimulated my interest in and study of the Alamo, which had begun 5 years earlier with the Disney "Davy Crockett" TV series. So, although Hollywood has never taught us much good history, it has often sent me in directions that have taught that to me and kept my interest going. Now, Wayne's film is as much a bit of nostalgia for my own youth, the early 60s, and a reminder of what got me going in this direction.
Allen
|
|
|
Post by loucapitano on Oct 6, 2010 16:03:36 GMT -5
Allen, Thanks for reminding me about the music of Dimitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster. I've played it until the grooves wore out on my vinyl copy, so now I enjoy the CD with it's extra tracks. It's the most memorable and haunting music I've ever heard and certainly competes with all the other epic movie scores by Korngold, Rosa, Bernstein etc. By the way. Did anyone notice "The Green Leaves of Summer" played near the beginning of Brad Pitt's "Magnificent Basterds?" I'd heard that version before but don't know if it's a recording by the conductor Nick Perito or a performance by an Orchestra called "101 Strings." Maybe someone with Hollywood connections might know.
|
|
|
Post by Paul Sylvain on Oct 6, 2010 16:46:42 GMT -5
Lou -- you are so right. I was about your age when I saw the Alamo in 1960. Went with my dad. Disney and Wayne sealed the deal for me, and I've been hooked since. My wife is always, like, "You're watching THAT again?" Too funny. There's a lot to like about the 1960 and 2004 films. Someone the other day asked me what I thought of the "newest" Alamo film (2004). None are perfect, but I like things about each of them.
Paul
|
|