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The Alamo

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The Alamo

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Summary

Epic historical western, directed by and starring John Wayne, also starring Richard Widmark. In the town of San Antonio in 1836, a band of Texans and their supporters battle against overwhelming odds to defend a Spanish mission from Mexican troops.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Andrew Collins

A local priest said a prayer for the production on the first day of shooting, and some said John Wayne's directorial debut needed it. Filmed on a ranch in Brackettville, Texas, where a facsimile was built of the actual mission that saw the most famous battle for Texas independence, this was less a pet project for Wayne and more of an obsession. He only took the role of Davy Crockett in order to secure the film's financial backing, but nonetheless adds weight to an already strong cast that includes Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey and Richard Boone. The result, although sketchy on the facts, oozes poignancy and high drama while also allowing humour into the mix. Unable to live up to its own publicity, it remains a powerful old-school epic made with passion (Wayne wanted to show Americans in a good light and felt slights on his movie were unpatriotic). Rumours of John Ford's "helping hand" in the production vary - some say he directed around ten per cent of the movie, others say he shot mostly unused second-unit footage.

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6.8/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameColonel David CrockettJohn WayneColonel James BowieRichard WidmarkColonel William TravisLaurence HarveyGeneral Sam HoustonRichard BooneSmittyFrankie AvalonCaptain James Butler BonhamPatrick WayneFlacaLinda CristalMrs DickinsonJoan O'BrienBeekeeperChill WillsJuan SequinJoseph CalleiaCaptain DickinsonKen CurtisJocko RobertsonJohn DierkesThimblerigDenver PylePreacherHank WordenLieutenant "Irish" FinnGuinn "Big Boy" WilliamsMrs DennisonOlive Carey

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Crew

rolenameDirectorJohn Wayne

Details

Released on

1960-10-27

Languages

English | Spanish

Guidance

Some violence.

Available on

video and DVD

Formats

Colour

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