Alamo

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

John Wayne's directorial debut The Alamo is set in 1836: Wayne plays Col. Davy Crockett, who, together with Colonels Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) and 184 hardy Americans and Texicans, defends the Alamo mission against the troops of Mexican general Santa Ana. There's a lot of macho byplay before the actual attack, including the famous "letter" scene in which Wayne craftily rouses the patriotic ire of his subordinates. Also appearing are Richard Boone as Sam Houston, and Chill Wills (whose somewhat tasteless Oscar campaign has since become legendary in the annals of shameless self-promotion) as Beekeeper. Wayne's production crew was compelled to reconstruct the Alamo in Bracketville, Texas, about a hundred miles from the actual site. Dimitri Tiomkin's score, including The Green Leaves of Summer, received generous airplay on the Top-40 radio outlets of America. Rumors persist that Wayne's old pal John Ford directed most of The Alamo; cut to 161 minutes for its general release, the film was restored to its original, 192-minute length in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: 5.1, PCM Stereo, PCM Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: French, Spanish
• Features:
  • • "John Wayne's The Alamo" documentary
    • Collectible booklet
    • Original theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Sound - 1960 (Fred Hynes, Gordon Sawyer)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1960 (William H. Clothier)
•     Nominated Best Drama or Comedy Score - 1960 (Dimitri Tiomkin)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1960 (Stuart Gilmore)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1960 (John Wayne)
•     Nominated Best Song - 1960 (Paul Francis Webster, Dimitri Tiomkin)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1960 (Chill Wills)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Original Score - 1960 (Dimitri Tiomkin)

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1960

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  John Wayne

• Producer:

  John Wayne

• Screenwriter:

  James Edward Grant

• Cinematographer:

  William H. Clothier

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dimitri Tiomkin, Paul Francis Webster

• Songwriter:

  Paul Francis Webster

• Editor:

  Stuart Gilmore

• Art Director:

  Alfred Ybarra

• Associate Producer:

  James Edward Grant

• Set Designer:

  Victor A. Gangelin

• Costume Designer:

  Ann Peck, Frank Beetson, Jr.

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jack Solomon, Fred Hynes

• Special Effects:

  Lee Zavitz

• First Assistant Director:

  Robert E. Relyea, Robert Saunders

• Production Manager:

  Nate H. Edwards

• Technical Advisor:

  C. Frank Beetson, Jr., Jack Pennick

REVIEW:

• Since John Wayne was unable to persuade friend John Ford to direct the star's long-cherished project on the historic event, he decided to get behind the camera himself, with better results than might have been expected. Although overlong, especially in its current three-hour-plus running time, and, at times, clumsy in staging, composition, and pacing, the film remains an entertaining experience. This is especially true of the excellent battle scenes, at least some of which were directed by Ford with the second unit. There are also bright moments early on, as the three principals, Davy Crockett (Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark), and Col. William Travis (Laurence Harvey), vie for leadership of the beleaguered force. There's also an oversupply of the kind of tiresome horseplay Wayne thought of as comedy. The cast, which includes many Western veterans such as Chill Wills and Ken Curtis, is solid. Cowboy icon Richard Boone, in particular, excels as tough Governor Sam Houston. On the other hand, Patrick Wayne and Frankie Avalon look as though they've just wandered in from a beach movie. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi