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The Alamo (2004): The Making of a Box Office Bomb
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- Опубликовано: 10 апр 2023
- In April 2004, Touchstone Pictures released their long-awaited, big budget war epic "The Alamo" starring Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Quaid. At the time, it was the second most expensive live-action film ever produced by the Walt Disney Company, filmed in 2003 across the largest set constructed in North America. Despite the budget, The Alamo was panned by critics and ignored by audiences, destined to crash as one of the largest box office bombs in cinema history. The saga of HOW this film was made is even more fascinating than the familiar story retold on screen.
In this video essay, we'll explore the drama behind the camera throughout the six year production odyssey of The Alamo. It's a story of directorial power players, big name actors, a ballooning budget, and studio interference. Remarkably, at the end of it all, director John Lee Hancock found a way to deliver one of Hollywood's most accurate depictions of the historical personalities from 1836. We'll talk about what the film got right, what it got wrong, and five reasons why the movie ultimately tanked at the box office.
If you missed our Alamo wargame here on Little Wars TV, we encourage you to check that out next!
I was a Mexican soldier in this film. Spent about a month and a half on set doing various things such as marching and battle scenes. We also had to take a three day training course before it began where they taught us commands and marching techniques and how to use a musket rifle. We all thought it was going to be this giant epic masterpiece. It was a shame how the numbers turned out for it. I’ll always be convinced that it probably would’ve held so much more weight if it was rated R. Still a great experience that I’ll always remember though.
Thats pretty awesome!
I loved the movie.
Hold your head high, I thought the movie was great, just because it didnt make a splash like Saving private ryan doesnt mean it didnt tell a good story.
It would have been a much better movie if the Mexians were the good guys, like they were in real life
I was as well! The movie didn’t do well at the box office, but it was such a cool experience.
I thought it was a WONDERFUL film. Billy Bob Thorton DESERVED an Oscar for his performance as Davey Crockett.
I was in the movie as one of the 12 Tejanos inside the Alamo who had defected from Santa Anna's army. The film stayed close to original history as there were a couple of historians present from Univ of Texas during filming. The perspective in this film was not only from Texas and its fight for independence, but from the view of the mexican army, Santa Anna and its toll on both sides.
I will never forget the chills being inside the Alamo, sun just coming up on the horizon, beautiful Texas sky and knowing that I was lucky enough to be a part of all this. Be safe my friends.
Would assume that it was a great honor to be in such a historical movie, especially for a native Texan.
@@sartainja yes sir it was, not to mention the Texas flag i had Billy Bob and others sign. Appreciate your reply
Any close up scenes of you in the final cut? I'll keep my eyes open, good job
That's a great comment!
Yeah, "independence" to own slaves as immigrants. You missed out on that tiny detail, how Mexico banned slavery, consistent with the the other Spanish-speaking republics.
The immigrants who did not even speak the language also did not respect the laws of their country either, because they wanted to own their fellow men in human bondage.
We see American hypocrisy if it was the opposite with immigrants coming in, not speaking the language, wanting to have things that are illegal in the Us and want to break away because of it. I notice that we gifted Americans our language, our laws and customs, but they always use the language of Shakespeare wrong, like with calling a war to own slaves as "independence" because Americans like to lie to themselves like with how they rebelled to take the native lands prohibited them in the Royal Proclamation line protecting the native lands, the burgeoning abolitionism in the Uk, including votes to abolish it in parliament already at the time of the revolution, which, surprise surprise, a lot of colonists did not agree with, or how the exchequer wanted to recoup the money from the Forty Thousand Redcoats there to protect the colonists from the French, the ones that roundly beat Washington in Jumoville when he went up there to steal native lands for himself on our money and gunpowder.
Those Forty Thousand Redcoats were paid for and manned by the British taxpayer, and we wanted our own money back. Trump has a similar policy, but to some Americans that's right, the rank hypocrisy of it all.
Regardless, rebelling against your own neighbours as immigrants to keep owning slaves is not really independence, especially for the majority Mexicans, natives, and of course the slaves then in Texas. That's just some rich people with guns trying to impose their will on the Mexican majority, like common bandits.
It's more international piracy or brigandage, sedition, for which the perpetrators were rightly executed afterwards. You guys really should remember the Alamo and not have to have foreigners tell you your own history. You tell those reprehensible lies because of how ashamed you are, but are quite shameless with it, apart from brazen.
Honestly, I think it was the best movie about the Alamo I ever saw. The cast was very well chosen, and surprisingly looked very similar to their historical counterparts, especially if you look at old photos of Crockett, Bowie, Travis, and Houston.
And what I really liked was how it didn't present these men as larger-than-life legends, like John Wayne's Alamo movie did, but rather presented them for what they really were, human beings with flaws, just like everyone else.
I actually worked on the movie. The production wanted to record the sound of cannon ball’s flying through the air, there for I was hired to provide a few cannons for this. I ordered about 50 cannon balls from Paulson Brothers and gathered a few reenactor cannons with crews and spent a good day firing cannons over microphones at my dad’s ranch. We also fired musket balls zipping through the air as well as hitting different objects.
After that I was part of the Looping Group doing voice overs on a sound stage in Hollywood. I also did the same for Gods and Generals.
This is nice to know.
Also I feel you cared enough to try and get it right.
Sorry for your loss.
If i worked on fascist propaganda, i wouldn't be admitting to it on the internet. i'd bury it deep, deep and hope nobody fucking finds out.
@@pvb3562 issues
@@pvb3562
🤡
Lighten up, Francis.
As someone who studied History in college, The Alamo feels like a gift to every history buff who has sat through a bad "historical movie." It's so apparent that the movie respects the history of the Alamo, there's no tasteless cliches or inappropriate creative liberties being taken for no reason. In a world where studios and directors don't give a damn about the history they're using to make movies, The Alamo deserved so much better than it got. I really hope Disney releases the full 3-hour Director's Cut one day, and I know many other history buffs would feel the same way about it.
A gift to history buffs. A sin to movie buffs.
Give back your history degree because this movie ain't faithful to shit. The Americans were not the good guys in the Alamo lol.
@@nezahuatez I find that so ridiculous though. Because in so many cases I find actual history more interesting and entertaining than whatever Hollywood makes up.
Unlikely given the current politics at Disney....
There is no way an educated person thinks this is accurate.
This is the best movie version of the Alamo that I've ever seen. Maybe it bombed at the box office but that doesn't mean the movie sucks. I loved it and have watched it multiple times.
No one wants to go watch a movie that shows whites losing to hispanics.
I love this movie, but I am a Texan. It was nice to see the Tejanos remembered. Billy Bob Thornton did a great job.
Ditto
It was a great movie and very good re-telling of the Texas revolution. The fact that Hancock, Quaid, & Thorton were all Texans and committed to telling the story truthfully. The problem was that outside of Texas, few of the public really cared about the story. You quite accurately note the political drama that took away from the critical reception.
Outside of the US, the Texas Independence War is described as "A bunch of rich foreigners bought Mexican land and later rebelled because they wanted to keep their slaves".
Non-Americans do not see the defenders of the Alamo as the good guys. I was at a party in France, in 2008, and the movie was playing in the background. In addition to Frenchmen, there were Brits and assorted Slavs. The sympathies were definitely on the side of the attackers. There was some cheering and jeering, and it was not going the way it would have gone in an American setting.
@@Tuidjy The Mexico Killed Surrender Troops,I am Not Sorry they losse to Texans.
@@jeancaron9325 The Texans were in open rebellion, and most of their soldiers were not even locals, but were crossing over the border with the purpose to fight. Legally, everyone in that fort was either a rebel or an invader who did not have any nation's backing. The Mexicans even went to the trouble of declaring them pirates, and according to international law, there was ample reason to do it.
But all this is ancient history. As the saying goes:
"There is no defense for rebelling against your rightful liege... except for victory."
No matter who was right or wrong, history is written by the winners. And the Texans won, period.
But that does not mean that anyone outside the US likes it.
the reason it failed was they tried to retell the story that the classic 1960 movie had already patriotically perfected, even if that wasn't historically accurate
in doing so, they alienated the fan base of the original move, and most other people around the world won't care
e.g. take a patriotic theme, alienate the patriots, and hope the non-patriots will like your movie ?
@@Tuidjy The real history is even Mexicans thought murdering the Texians was wrong. When the Mexicans surrendered the Alamo originally they were let go and even allowed to take one cannon to defend against Indians. One Mexican general speaking of another murdering of prisoners said he had to follow orders. Where have we heard that more recently? But if you agree with murdering POWs, then you might fault Santa Anna for heartlessly and needlessly expending his own troops when by waiting a couple of days he could have reduced the Alamo to ruble with two large cannon that were en route. Santa Anna was an evil dictated that set Mexico on a course from which it never recovered and proved himself a poor general.
This movie is criminally underrated.
I’m very torn on that. As a history buff, I 100% agree with your statement. As a casual movie goer, I’m less convinced this is an entertaining, well constructed ride. But of course, I fall into Camp #1! I feel like this film should come with a warning: Your Mileage May Vary
@@LittleWarsTV I was one of the few who saw it in theaters, too : ) I hear what you say, I would love to see what Ron Howard would have done.
Texan history is boring
@@magnificus8581 Yeah! I would really like to see Crowe and Penn in a Ron Howard r-rated version of this.
It's a Good film 😊
My dad, who is Mexican, loves this movie and used to ask me to play the DVD for him all the time
Alamo is one of the most underrated war films of all times.
I never got why "The 13th Warrior" bombed so hard , I've enjoyed watching it many times now ,it has some fantastic set pieces ,great sets and costume and basically re tells an adapted Beowulf storyline.
It is based on the real travel writings of Ahmad ibn Fadlan. This is a story based on real events, to some degree.
That was another great movie. Poor marketing
I don't think anyone was expecting The Sixth Sense and Runaway Bride to have the long tail that they did in late August/Sep 1999. Plus the marketing didn't work much to break through the noise, not enough to later sustain it as other 1999 flicks came out later that year.
This week: Little Wars TV goes hollywood. This is the kinda of discussion we'd have over scotch after playing a war game.
Same! We love talking about historical TV shows and movies!
Billy Bob was born to play Davy Crockett. Amazing performance.
This is a great movie! Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett excellent! One of my favorites.
Mine too!
When I first saw this film in the theater, I was underwhelmed. But subsequent viewings have changed my mind. It has grown on me and I appreciate it for its historical accuracy. I think I am going to watch it again.
This is one of my favorite movies concerning the Alamo. A movie that "bombs" at the box office, is due to timing, marketing, the mood of society at the time, and politics. The acting, character development, historical nuaunces, scenery, and the music all worked together to create a fun, sad, and entertaining film of an actual historic event in the history of our country. That's how I see it.
History of Texas Independence. Not of our country.
Yeah sometimes it's bad timing, poor marketing not entirely a bad product. I've seen the movie several times and never really had any huge issues.
nope... Texan history is NOT USA history... seriously. To the point where when I was a kid living down there for a few years, they actually had a "Texas History" class in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL curriculum... no world history or US history, although little bits snuck into social studies, but there was a specific class to brainwash you all into knowing when to clap when you heard Deep in the Heart of Texas... and you DID.
They want to be a part of US history, they need to teach the grade school kids less Texas History and more world history.
@@robrussell5329the history of Texas IS the history of our country. Nowhere else in the Union will you find the American spirit stronger. They are the pinnacle of what America is.
Thanks paul
This movie is the best Alamo film I ever saw! They got a couple of historical details correct.
Thank you Buena Vista Pictures!
One of the best movies ever people that call it boring have no idea what they're talking about.
I loved this movie then and still love it today. The fact movies like this aren’t being made anymore makes me appreciate their flaws even more.
Yup, the Napoleon movie just came out, and it's utter trash. It's a deliberate hit piece, that does everything it possibly can to denigrate and negatively portray the titular character.
Probably the most accurate Alamo movie made. By far the most realistic. The cannons firing makeshift canister instead of exploding shells was great. Have watched it several times and never tire of it.
Amen, Brother Gary.
it's a good film for sure.
Unfortunately, that’s a low bar to clear.
@@RIPCityBeav, indeed.
The Alamo has always lended itself more towards propaganda than a serious study of what ACTUALLY happened.
Sadly, most people don't want to know the truth...as that would force the viewer to make some unflattering realizations about their history.
Indeed, both Texans and Mexicans can find much about the events of 1836 to deplore.
The book Three Roads to the Alamo by William C. Davis is a great history of not only the war but the biographies of the three protagonists. Their personal histories are eye-opening, particularly Bowie's and his family's 'business' dealings. One of my best used bookstores finds.
Also Davis is the only one I know who was allowed access to the Mexican Military Archives.
I watched this in 2004. Thought it was okay but didn’t remember much. I went to visit the actual Alamo a year ago and watched it again and it totally hits different. It’s such an accurate retelling of events
One of my all-time favourite films, thanks for putting this together! Personally, I don't mind the slow pacing or the acting choices, but I can understand why it wasn't a box office hit given the context. If anything, I would love to see the original 3-hour version!
Same! Would love to see that directors cut
Same.
I loved The Alamo and John Carter!
I thought it was a great movie!
I agree in that the pacing wasn't a problem for me. I enjoy watching the movie and have it in my collection. I'd also like to see the three hour movie. I was never a fan of the John Wayne version.
We absolutely need the extended cut of this movie out on blu ray!!!
John Carter was also a very good movie. It tanked due to poor promoting. It also didn't help that The Hunger Games released shortly after, so it didn't really have time to pick up steam. The Hunger Games was one of the most anticipated movies of that year.
I've always really enjoyed this film. It humanized my childhood heroes in a way that ended up making me like them MORE, not less.
A fine film. I have my own copy!
I love the scene of Crockett playing his fiddle in defiance. Buetiful.
A fine film - never got the hate it received...
The "pass the potatoes" story Davy Crockett tells in the movie is taken from his autobiography that he wrote 2 years before he went to Texas.
@@bradcouch457 yes it was.
This picture was actually pretty well done. I really liked Billy Bob Thornton's depiction of Davy Crockett.
Great film that attempts to be more historically accurate than propaganda. I loved it and still get chills when Davy plays his fiddle.
They were terrible people. So it's not accurate at all.
@@java4653 what ever
@@java4653 They weren't "terrible people". And it's fairly accurate, as far as hollywood films go.
One of the most UNDERRATED Films in history in my opinion.
This version of the Alamo is the most accurate of them all. It's well done and compelling. As I understand it, the History channel was giving it a big build-up prior to its release, but then it was decided that more editing was needed, so by the time the flick finally made it to theaters, any anticipation and momentum was lost. Too bad, as it is still the best Alamo movie.
I actually loved this film,billy bobs work was brilliant
Amen, Brother Flash.
One of my all time favorite movies that no one in my peer group seems to have watched. Super surprised yet glad that someone took the time to make a video on it. Earned a subscriber.
I worked as an extra in the Mexican army for months and I have countless stories I’ve told over the years and people are always in disbelief. Billy Bob was just an amazingly nice man, but the set was the most racist experience I’ve ever had in my life. The difference in treatment between the Mexican and Texan army was insane. The 1st AD was a monster. It was also highly dangerous with many injuries taking place due to poor training and set conditions.
I was wondering about that, since the way they present the mexicans seemed quite like a cliche of a villain, almost cartoon like.
There always has to be someone bringing up racism.
@@JOSECANUCCJyeah cuz there's racism
@@JOSECANUCCJYep. That's the Millennial "out" for too hard of work and encountering, "gasp", a hole bosses. This guy wouldn't have lasted a week on Parris Island.
I must say this is one of your BEST videos and Greg your narration was very good.
Wow, thanks!
I loved the movie. I liked the pacing. It gave a real sense of pending doom. They were trapped and all they could really do was wait. Gave real weight to the Seage. More movies need that type of consideration. Too many people need keys dangled before them constantly to stay entertained.
As for Billy Bob Thornton's performance. The biggest praise I heard was from my late mother. She couldn't stand him as an actor. But thought he was spectacular in this movie.
fun fact: that insane review you read out about "Texans stealing office in 2000" was written by Cole Smithey, Chris Chan's half-brother.
My main issue with this film is the depiction of Santa Anna. Rather than portray him as an ironfisted man determined to elevate Mexico to a regional power at any cost, he's almost a cartoonish mustache-twirling villain, caring little for his soldiers, forcing himself onto beautiful young women, and running away in panic and terror when confronted with an actual opponent.
The real Santa Anna was a complex and nuanced person, a military leader seeing himself as the only person who could stabilize Mexico and defend it from outside threats, and wiling to do so whatever the cost. It was sad to see him depicted as one-dimensionally "evil" in this movie.
Agreed. They missed a huge opportunity to dig into a fascinating character here.
Santa Anna was a dictator, a narcissist and opportunist who caused this whole affair.
Well done. I interviewed Billy Bob Thornton. as well as most of the cast and crew, and this remains one of my favorite films. So much love went into it. Hope to see a Director's Cut someday.
It’s long overdue! And pretty cool that you got to interview the cast.
@@LittleWarsTV I ran an Alamo website from 2003 to 2009, so that's how all of that came to be. As you state, SO MUCH ended on the cutting room floor. I am aware of what scenes were cut. For example, Wes Studi portrayed Chief Bowles. His mother was in the scene with him. But like Marc Blucas's Bonham and Matthew O'Leary's character, entire roles and arcs were cut. You're right that The Alamo is a tough topic to cover. Texas Rising on the History channel did a horrendously horrible job of it. Something along the lines of HBO'S John Adams, a 8-part series, is what is needed to faithfully tell the story.
@@AlamoSentry Hi, Wade.
@@Rick-jf6sg Howdy! Who is this?
I'm a Texas Native and a history major in college. I enjoyed the film greatly. I think it was one of the most accurate depictions of a fledgling nation coming into its own. a full director cut release would be a wonderful treat. thanks Little Wars TV. P.S. your miniatures battle of the alamo was very good too. CCM
"Coming into its own" is a really...interesting way to put what actually happened between Mexico and Texas/the United States.
@@herecomesaregular8418 Americans are really good at propagandising their origin stories to make themselves the heros/underdogs. Just look at the story they tell themselves about the pilgrims who "sought religious freedom" in reality everyone in Europe was so sick of their puritcanical bullshit and them trying to push it on everyone else.
I was thinking the same take about rewriting history America was created the same way Germany tried to create the third Reich conflict and genocide however the US got away with it !
"Coming into its own" WTF does that mean?
You're not a Texas native 😂 You're a Texan of European descent.
I remember seeing this in theaters as a teen too! Thanks for your insightful & engaging analysis! You brought back a lot of great memories & gave me a fun new one to remember!👏
This was a good review. You covered a lot of the important information within a reasonable amount of time. I think you should do more movie reviews about historical war movies!
Love this movie! Saw it twice in the theater and have watched it at least a dozen times since. Highly underrated.
I remember watching Santa Ana’s demand for surrender being replied to with a return cannon shot by the Alamo co-commander Travis.
I cheered real loud in the movie theater and then heard some guys cussing and yelling at me in Spanish in the theater.
I learned that some of this history is not emphatic for some cultures.
Many brave Mexican solders also died at the Alamo and many others were slaughtered at the later battle of San Jacinto. 🙏🏽
Couldnt agree more
One of my favorite war films, and hearing there was a 3 hour cut I'm wondering where I can get that. I'm hopelessly in love with military history and can never really get enough.
If you can find the novelization. It's probably what the 3 hour cut was meant to be.
"The kind of intent that deserves another watch 23 years later." Well I guess I don't deserve to watch this until 2027.
Worth the wait!
Alright. Watchlist, thank you. I wouldn’t have assumed it was any good without this video.
I love the film's attention to historical accuracy. In particular a scene before the siege where Santa Anna orders the execution of a group of prisoners, likely an allusion to his earlier brutal crushing of a rebellion in Zacatecas. It highlights his ruthless authoritarian personality that he developed fighting in Mexico's war for independence under the command of a brutal Spanish royalist officer. A great historical piece well worth watching.
One of the first movies I bought on iTunes to have it in my library. I’ve loved this depiction since I’ve seen it in high school and David “Davy”Crockett is one of my favorite historical figures of all time
Great breakdown video. Look forward to more. 👍
Saw this as part of a "Siege" theme double bill. With my background, I basically knew the slogan "Remember The Alamo!" and some VERY basic history. The movie was quite interesting & I remember liking it. UNFORTUNATELY the second feature was Aleksander Kott's "Fortress Of War", which blew "Alamo" completely out of the water with its' pacing, character development & emotional impact. When we were leaving the cinema, my friends and people around us were all eagerly discussing FOW... we'd totally forgotten about Alamo. This has me wanting to re-watch Alamo, so thank you!
Thank you for making this video! A terribly underrated movie.
Heck I watched this in Texas History class way back in Middle School and it definitely left an impact on my mind to see the Alamo as an interesting part of history.
Great video, I remember the Alamo bombing and saw it here n there. This shows a lot and I ought to give it an full rewatch
I don’t care what they say about this film. I remember watching it in theater, small one, but it was packed. Everyone was engaged with the film and most of all, when they started playing the music to each other, everyone in theater felt that scene.
13th Warrior is wildly underrated. Such an excellent movie.
Thanks for your excellent analysis of the film's strengths and weaknesses, both as entertainment and speculative business investment. Wonder when/if Hollywood types will ever realize that trying to ride the coattails of a previous film's success rarely guarantees that financial lightning will strike twice?
Master and Commander should have been a continual series. It was an outstanding movie that followed Patrick O'Brians books.
I must say this is one of my all time favorite movies. It’s just too bad it didn’t do well because we won’t get more films like this, only comic book movies.
I know right?!?
I'm over comic book movies
Making box office bombs is what Disney does best these days.
man you did a fantastic job with this video, many talents!
Must say as a Brit I saw and really liked the film,saw it not when released but years later on DVD and thought it looked fantastic,cannons,uniform and such.
I love this movie. I saw it in theatres as a kid and still get stuck on it every time I come across it on TV. I had no idea it bombed so badly.
A surprisingly great review. Well done guys.
Really great video. I was obsessed with John Wayne's Alamo as a kid but by the time the 2004 version came out, I was a college history major with appreciation for material history. So, I was very pleasantly surprised by the costumes, weapons, depictions of the fighting, etc. I remember talking with my future father-in-law and his friend about it after seeing it in the theater. They both hated it because they thought Hollywood was trying to ruin our "national heroes" (his friend - I remember - specifically used those words). Ironic that the reviews you highlighted show other people hated it for the exact opposite reason! Ha! Still one of my favorite period films.
My Baby Boomer mom spent her formative years in east Texas and idolized John Wayne. She hated the 2004 film for the exact same reasons! Oof.
There were many things wrong with it and too PC, I've studied up on that event off and on since the 1960s, it's never been done correctly.
I love John Wayne's Alamo ... albeit the history in it is all wrong.. but I do like it
Liked both versions, as a kid and adult. Remember the Alamo! Florida Boy
Some prefer mythology??
I liked the movie. It seemed real and well told. One of my favourite battles in history.
Good video. Excellent analysis.
I remember following everything having to do with this movie all throughout its development process, and then finally seeing it in the theater. I'm glad to see there are those who really appreciate its attention to detail when it comes to historical accuracy. Having said that, I simply can't imagine a 3 hour version of the film, as the theatrical release was a bit of a slog to get through at times. Honestly, I think a full retelling of the Texas Revolution would work far better as a mini-series, otherwise the whole context of the battle of the Alamo is lost on those who aren't familiar with Texas history. Regardless, this film does deserve the appreciation shown for it in this video.
Have you read the original shooting script, which appears in Frank Thompson's "Making of" book? Backstories abound, which give a much more detailed explanation of the characters, history, motivations, etc. That all was filmed, but Disney made John Lee Hancock cut about 30 minutes from it before the release.
This is an excellent analysis! I would love to see the same for any and all historical films. Master and Commander may be a good candidate as it barely made a profit despite being an excellent film with great historical accuracy.
Master and Commander is great.
@@benjaminloyd6056 So we’re the books, the entire series.
@@lightningdriver81 My sister just got the book, I'll have to read it.
That movie is highly underrated I loved it
Budget $150 million, box office $211.6 million - more than "barely".
It was too long for normal films of the genre (the same with Pearl Harbour). It was also too historically accurate for most folks - to the point of it feeling like a documentary. However, I loved it! I actually wish we had been given the full three hour concept. This was definitely a great one for those of us with an interest in history.
The scene with Davy Crockett and the doomed men around the campfire still gets me to this day. They believe in his legend, not because it's true, but because they need something to believe in
Man, this video really has me wanting to go watch The Alamo
This movie was excellent. The violin "duel" with with Mexican band lives forever in my memory.
This is a great movie. I love it. This gets most of the history correct. The Battle of San Jacinto was particularly well done. I would like to see the director's cut. The irony is that Saving Private Ryan was a work of historical fiction and an implausible plot.
It's not that implausible given some of the events that did take place during WW2. The saying truth is stranger than fiction can be called a cliche but it's often true.
As was “Braveheart” ….sheer historical nonsense….yet….
@Purplefood There's virtually no scenario where the Army is risking the lives of an entire unit just to pluck one kid-who only God knows where he is-out, they still had radio communication in WW2 after all . .
@@CommanderLongJohn They've done worse for less, look up Task Force Baum and tell me the plot of Saving Private Ryan is that implausible. There was even a bloke who had a similar experience where they thought three of his brothers had died so they sent him home, it wasn't quite as exciting a process as the movie but it's not like the movie is totally implausible.
Saving Private Ryan plays with World War II and national feeling. The large public prefers that. A minor and old frontier war that's actually more realistic and down-to-earth historically is not as catchy.
I recall my dad renting this on VHS when it came out. It was one we always loved growing up.
I LOVE the way Mickey looks in the thumbnail, he really adds a level of humor unknown to most creators 😅😊
I’ve been teaching Texas history for twenty one years. I’ve shown this film every year since it’s been available on DVD. I would say it’s about 90% historically accurate and a very good film. The pacing is slow because it was a thirteen day siege. They do a great job showing the emotions that would have risen during those thirteen days.
One other reason it flopped at the box office is they made the mistake of releasing it on the same weekend as the Passion of the Christ. Which I believe was the highest grossing film that year. If you don’t make it that first or second weekend it’s very unlikely the film will do well.
Wow great observation. "The Passion" was almost a prerequisite viewing at the time and truly has the same cross demographic that would see the Alamo.
I love both films and am also a bit of a Texas plains 1840-1900 buff myself. What did you think of the Santa Anna actor? Quite possibly one of the greatest historical castings ever although he was a bit too old. The guy just oozed that aristocratic arrogance I always get when reading about the man. I have always wanted to see the storming of the Chapultepec by the cream of the West Point and future Civil War heroes like Lee, Jackson and most of all Pickett grabbing the flag
they also didn't portray anyone as a God. They allowed their flaws to show.
Woah, that’s a great observation! I was in high school in 2004 and I remember seeing ‘Passion’ mentioned EVERYWHERE for a good month. Other than TV commercials, I can’t remember seeing any mention of The Alamo (or most other films) at the time. ‘Passion’ was very much the focus on most theater-going minds.
yeah im from north texas and all i remember from then was hearing about PotC everywhere...i didnt see the Alamo until it came out on movie channels of the time... im surprised no one else has ever brought that up..
@@VinnyS9143101982 I especially like Travis' speech. He tries to sound eloquent but is a bit awkward and stilted until he finally pulls off something that sounds more or less inspiring. Very realistic and in character, to judge from what we can know of him. Fine movie.
I, myself, loved the movie. And as others have said, won't have minded seeing the 3 hour version. Lastly, I didn't know it did that bad, so thanks for doing all this research into why, and what went wrong.
I know this isn't the focus of your channel, but I'd love to see more such videos breaking down historic war films!
I would LOVE a directors cut of this movie. Sounds awesome!
i think this was one of the best movies to come out in the 2000s and Billy Bob Thorton is THE BEST Davey Crockett ever !!
Twenty years later and I would still like to see the three hour version. I hope it still happens.
I actually watched this movie a month or two ago and it was awesome - I had obviously heard of the story but never knew about this movie. It’s worth a watch for sure, you won’t be disappointed.
Good review. As a lifelong Texan I’m never surprised when the Alamo story doesn’t have wide appeal beyond our borders. It’s a difficult story to tell and doesn’t easily lend itself to Hollywood cinema. Even I was bored with the movie and I love history.
I was 11 years old when I watched this in theaters with my parents and I can barely remember anything about it. I actually forgot it existed until this video showed up in my recommendeds. I definitely need to rewatch this now.
Didn't even know this movie existed until today xD
I might actually watch it though, thanks for putting it on the radar.
This was a very good film.
And, dare I say, the best one made about this topic.
The last thirty minutes of the film are fantastic. John Lee Hancock is one of the most underrate directors working in Hollywood right now.
I wish someone would make a movie about the Texas Revolution that follows common soldiers, from the pioneers arriving in Texas, the Battle of Gonzales, The Goliad Massacre and then the final battle at San Jacinto.
There is something like that in the mini series Texas Rising. Have watched it, and it's pretty good
Definitely in my top 3 favorite films (glad to see others on the board who feel similarly). The character arc employed with the main characters is brilliant..... Phase 1; unlikable, dishonest, egocentric Phase 2; confront adversity which forces person transformation Phase 3; attain their mythical and heroic status. Thornton was utterly brilliant is playing the larger than life Crockett as an unassuming man. Love this film.... in fact, gonna watch it right now.
I’ve noticed a sort of trend with historically accurate war movies being underrated. Most people tend not to like more historically accurate movies such as this one because they’re not as exciting as some of the less faithful Hollywood depictions even though they’re more honest, the only exception to this may be Ron Maxwell’s Gettysburg.
By far , the best depiction of the battle ever done. Reviewers are professional twits. I never acknowledge them when considering a film.
Greg, excellent analysis of the times and impetus behind the making of this movie. Around this time, Ron Howard also dropped a script (which had also been worked on multiple times) of Thomas Dyja's excellent historical novel "Play for a Kingdom." This was a movie that should have been made. The story was a creative blend of the origins of baseball and its novelty during the American Civil War. Dyja's account of the Battle for the Bloody Angle in the book is one of the most realistic and grueling war scenes you will ever read. Sad that this script was binned. It would still make a great movie.
That could have been a fascinating story! So many of those unmade Hollywood scripts floating about the ether. Would have enjoyed seeing Howard’s R rated take on the Alamo too
Wow, that's the first I've ever heard of that script. That would make a fascinating movie. Now I'm interested in reading the novel.
I was an extra in this movie, played a politician in the cabin scenes. Very high production standards and we were treated just like the principal actors. I felt the storyline needed to focus solely on the Alamo or the Battle of San Jacinto, not both. It also needed a love interest sub plot, either for Jim Bowie or Juan Seguin.
The movie tried to cover too much ground. Even after cutting it down from 3 to 2 hours, what remained lacked coherence. After the Battle of The Alamo scene where Crockett and the other survivors make their stand, I believe they should have ended it and rolled the credits. Focusing on one character could have provided more depth, perhaps not even one of the main heroes.
Time has given this film better light and favor. The comments here prove that. I enjoyed it quite a bit and have watched it multiple times. Great job on the history of the film. Cheers!
Wow, this looks amazing. I can’t believe I have never heard of it.
Oh my god, an actual movie review by the real Cole Smithey featured in a Little Wars video. This is the only time I've ever seen him mentioned outside of Chris Chan lore.
same
On the subject of the movie bombs listed, I highly, highly recommend warching two of the movies on the list: The 13th Warrior and John Carter. Most people on this channel have probably already seen The 13th Warrior and love it so if you haven't, you really should. Also, John Carter is an awesome movie and everyone I've told to watch it and did came back to say how much they enjoyed it. There are others I liked on here as well but those are for another discussion. Disney's marketing department obviously needs to be overhauled.
Great minds think alike. 13th Warrior is on my top 5 movies that I watch every year. Also, really liked John Carter, but that may be to the outfit worn by the incomparable Dejah Thoris.
@@FrankinDallas Hi Frank. First, like me, you obviously are of the ERB John Carter series since you spoke of "the incomparable Deja Thoris." Second, I will neither confirm nor deny tgat my love for the movie was due to her outfit. In a word, it was AWESOME! That said, I actually thought they did a great job in the movie in having it fairly representative of the spirit of the book series. I thought it was a really great movie and was perfect for a sequel or even more.
On a related note, I managed to get in on the John Carter RPG and Miniatures Kickstarter a few years ago and I'm really happy I did since the following retail line of minis is sadly already out of production. The figures were definitely patterned after the movie characters.
As for The 13th Warrior, I've talked a number of people into watching that as well with all positive results.
Saw this when i was 9. It was a big part of my childhood. As a child, "Remember the Alamo!" Would get me fired up.
One thing I’d always appreciated about this movie is the accuracy of the basement. Very accurate.
I Loved that Movie and have seen it a dozen times. Damn Shame about the $$$ problem.
Agreed! That 90s/early 2000s era of historical war movies was just awesome for us military history buffs. There’s been so much less content in that style since