Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas.Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas.Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Private Gregorio Esparza
- (as Ricardo S. Chavira)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSeveral people that played Texan extras in the movie are actual descendants of the defenders of the Alamo.
- GoofsThe defenders of the Alamo, near the start of the movie, are singing "Listen to the Mockingbird." The Alamo siege took place in 1836 and "Listen to the Mockingbird" was written by Septimus Winner under the name of Alice Hawthrone and copyrighted in April 1855, 19 years after the siege of the Alamo.
- Quotes
Issac Millsaps: So, Davy, all your Indian fightin'... you ever get into a scrape like this?
Davy Crockett: I was never in but one real scrape in my life, fella.
Issac Millsaps: Yeah, but you was in the Red Stick war.
Davy Crockett: Yeah, it's true, I was in that. I sure was. I was just about your age when it broke out. The Creeks, uh, boxed up about 400 or 500 people at Fort Mims and, uh, massacred every one of 'em. 'Course this was big news around those parts, so I up and joined the volunteers. I did a little scoutin', but mostly I, I just fetched in venison for the cook fire, things of that nature. Well, we caught up with those redskins at Tallushatchee, surrounded the village, come in from all directions. Wasn't much of a fight, really. We just shot 'em down like dogs. Finally... what Injuns was left, they crowded into this little cabin. They wanted to surrender... but this squaw, she loosed an arrow and killed one of the fellas, and then we shot her, And then we set the cabin on fire. We could hear 'em screamin' for their gods in there. We smelled 'em burnin'. We'd had nary to eat but parched corn since October. And the next day, when we dug through the ashes, we found some potaters from the cellar. They'd been cooked by that grease that run off them Indians. And we ate till we nearly burst. Since then... you pass the taters and I pass 'em right back.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Return of the Legend: The Making of 'The Alamo' (2004)
- SoundtracksOpus 76-5 -- String Quartet No. 79 in D Major Final Presto
Written by Joseph Haydn
This is not the cartoonish Alamo of Fess Parker or John Wayne. Thankfully so. But neither is it a summary of all that was actually good or bad about the seminal event that created "Texas" as a concept bigger than life and arguably still representative of the changing frontier in North America.
To put it briefly, I liked what was here but came away dismayed by what was not here. Any movie that presumes to portray an actual and well-documented historical event must do more than touch on this or that fragment of fact. The production staff is obliged to accept what is presented to them by the writers, the actors, and the director -- leaving on the cutting room floor only irrelevant scraps. I have the feeling that procedure was not followed here. Too many threads holding the story together are missing.
For example, the single most important motive lying at the heart of the Texas rebellion is inadequately explained. Was it merely greed and personal ambition on both sides that created the conflict? Or racial and ethnic disputes? Or Manifest Destiny? There is absolutely no clear picture to be gained from this movie that sets in perspective what the fuss was all about. Yet we have glorious and stirring speeches (or at least aphorisms) emanating from all parties, delineating character rather well but existing only in an isolated truth here or a compelling argument there.
Somewhere on that cutting room floor, I suspect, are scenes that focus less on individual character and more on the fact that "Texians" were a unique combination of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking citizens of the newly-created nation of Mexico, a remote outpost or colony of the central government that grew too large for that government to handle. In that sense, it was just like any other historical event reflecting a desire on the part of a distinct group of persons living at the edge of an empire to achieve self-government.
When seen thus, the merging of cultural differences that characterize Texas even today presents a unified entity of mutual interest. What holds this story together, as very ably shown in bits and pieces of the film, is how important it is to recognize what humanity holds in common in spite of apparent differences.
Little wonder that Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett steals the show. (Unlike Dennis Quaid as a one-dimensional caricature of my collateral ancestor Sam Houston.) This movie could have been another thirty minutes longer and mutually subtitled to get at the heart of its message. No Oscars for the current cut.
- B24
- Apr 17, 2004
- How long is The Alamo?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Trận Chiến Alamo
- Filming locations
- Reimer's Ranch - 23610 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs, Texas, USA(Alamo and Bexar scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $107,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $22,414,961
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,124,701
- Apr 11, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $25,819,961
- Runtime2 hours 17 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1