Post by neferetus on Feb 16, 2005 13:06:16 GMT -5
Although there are only maybe ten minutes of
this Richard Dix biography of Sam Houston that
are dedicated to the Alamo, they are a powerful
few minutes.
When the Texians in San Antonio receive a letter
from Sam Houston, ordering them to blow up the
Alamo and then fall back, an ailing Jim Bowie remarks,
"It would be a shame to destroy such a fine old place
like this." "Gentleman," adds Travis, "I am prepared to
disobey this order." "You know," concludes Crockett,
tearing the dispatch in two, "I don't recall ever receving
such a letter." The other Texians concur and prepare the
Alamo for battle.
Santa Anna and General Cos soon arrive with a
large army and straight-away demand the
fort's surrender. When the Texians refuse, Santa
Anna barks, "So, Travis refuse to surrender The Alamo?
Well, I'll give them something to remember!"
The siege and bombardment of the fort are
represented by a very nice model of the entire
Alamo compound. During the bombardment
the Alamo's 'hump' is blown off of the chapel.
At Santa Anna's order, the charge is blown and the
Mexican troops assault the fort with scaling ladders.
After a scuffle on the parapet, the gate is breached and the
Texians abandon the walls for the safety of the chapel.
The soldados soon break down the chapel's doors with
a battering ram and a tight hand to hand scuffle ensues.
Bowie fires two pistols and then throws his knife at a charging
soldado. Travis fires a rifle, then a pistol, before he is shot down .
Crockett fires a pistol, then picks up a surprised soldado and
throws him at the pressing mob. Then, as Crockett picks up his
rifle and begins swinging it like a club, he is killed by a point-blank
pistol shot from General Cos. Afterward, the smoking ruins
of the Alamo are indeed something to remember.
The 'Runaway Scrape' is represented well, with townsfolk
and soldiers all scurrying to get out of the way of the
approaching Mexican army. After a long and frustrating retreat,
Houston, relying on Santa Anna's disdain for his men, attack the
Mexican camp at siesta time, driving the surprized Mexicans into
the water in a lively, if inaccurate battle scene. Texas is free.
John Wayne, a Republic player, had desperately
wanted to play the role of Sam Houston in "Man
Of Conquest', but at that point of his career, the
Studio did not think him that big of a name yet.
He even wanted to play the role of Houston in his
own 1959 production of "The Alamo", but United
Artists refused to help finance the picture,
unless Wayne took on the role of Davy Crockett.
Wayne's coveted role of Houston went to
Richard Boone, instead.
Man Of Conquest" is a hard film to find and is
yet unavailable on either VHS, or DVD. It deserves
both.
Below are a few stills from the film from my personal collection.
Mexican troops pour over the walls of the Alamo unchecked. Notice
the bullseyes on the top of the soldados shakos, as well as their winged epaulets.
Santa Anna and General Cos rest their troops at San Jacinto. (Bad move.)
Texian crash through the Mexican barricade at San Jacinto. Notice the
Lone Star flag which never actually flew in the battle.
this Richard Dix biography of Sam Houston that
are dedicated to the Alamo, they are a powerful
few minutes.
When the Texians in San Antonio receive a letter
from Sam Houston, ordering them to blow up the
Alamo and then fall back, an ailing Jim Bowie remarks,
"It would be a shame to destroy such a fine old place
like this." "Gentleman," adds Travis, "I am prepared to
disobey this order." "You know," concludes Crockett,
tearing the dispatch in two, "I don't recall ever receving
such a letter." The other Texians concur and prepare the
Alamo for battle.
Santa Anna and General Cos soon arrive with a
large army and straight-away demand the
fort's surrender. When the Texians refuse, Santa
Anna barks, "So, Travis refuse to surrender The Alamo?
Well, I'll give them something to remember!"
The siege and bombardment of the fort are
represented by a very nice model of the entire
Alamo compound. During the bombardment
the Alamo's 'hump' is blown off of the chapel.
At Santa Anna's order, the charge is blown and the
Mexican troops assault the fort with scaling ladders.
After a scuffle on the parapet, the gate is breached and the
Texians abandon the walls for the safety of the chapel.
The soldados soon break down the chapel's doors with
a battering ram and a tight hand to hand scuffle ensues.
Bowie fires two pistols and then throws his knife at a charging
soldado. Travis fires a rifle, then a pistol, before he is shot down .
Crockett fires a pistol, then picks up a surprised soldado and
throws him at the pressing mob. Then, as Crockett picks up his
rifle and begins swinging it like a club, he is killed by a point-blank
pistol shot from General Cos. Afterward, the smoking ruins
of the Alamo are indeed something to remember.
The 'Runaway Scrape' is represented well, with townsfolk
and soldiers all scurrying to get out of the way of the
approaching Mexican army. After a long and frustrating retreat,
Houston, relying on Santa Anna's disdain for his men, attack the
Mexican camp at siesta time, driving the surprized Mexicans into
the water in a lively, if inaccurate battle scene. Texas is free.
John Wayne, a Republic player, had desperately
wanted to play the role of Sam Houston in "Man
Of Conquest', but at that point of his career, the
Studio did not think him that big of a name yet.
He even wanted to play the role of Houston in his
own 1959 production of "The Alamo", but United
Artists refused to help finance the picture,
unless Wayne took on the role of Davy Crockett.
Wayne's coveted role of Houston went to
Richard Boone, instead.
Man Of Conquest" is a hard film to find and is
yet unavailable on either VHS, or DVD. It deserves
both.
Below are a few stills from the film from my personal collection.
Mexican troops pour over the walls of the Alamo unchecked. Notice
the bullseyes on the top of the soldados shakos, as well as their winged epaulets.
Santa Anna and General Cos rest their troops at San Jacinto. (Bad move.)
Texian crash through the Mexican barricade at San Jacinto. Notice the
Lone Star flag which never actually flew in the battle.
