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Two major Hollywood motion pictures titled The Alamo have been made concerning the 1836 battle between 189 Texian and Tejano defenders and nearly 4,000 soldiers led by Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Alamo mission in San Antonio.
The first of these was released in 1960 by Republic Pictures. It stars John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie, Laurence Harvey as William B. Travis, Frankie AvalonFrancis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a 1950's teen idol. By the time he was 12, Avalon began making appearances on U. television for his trumpet prowess, and, seven years later, he had a #1 hit, "Venus," reco, Chill Wills , Patrick Wayne , Linda Cristal , Joseph Calleia as Juan SeguinJuan Seguin (or Juan Sequin ( 1806- 1890) was a Tejano hero of the Texas Revolution. He led a band of twenty-five Tejanos who favored a revolt and fought on the Texan side at the Alamo. Because Juan Seguin spoke only Spanish, he was chosen to carry the me, Ruben Padilla as Santa Anna and Richard BooneRichard Allen Boone ( June 18 1917 January 10 1981) was an American actor who starred in over fifty films. Boone was born in Los Angeles, California. He worked in several odd jobs, including boxing and painting, before serving in World War II in the US Na as Sam HoustonSamuel Houston ( March 2, 1793 July 26, 1863) was a key figure in the history of Texas. He was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Receiving only a basic education he emigrated with his family to Maryville, Tennessee in 1807, following the death of his f.
The movie was written by James Edward Grant and directed by John Wayne. It was shot largely on an extensive full-scale replica of the mission near Brackettville, TexasBrackettville is a city located in Kinney County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,876. It is the county seat of Kinney County 6. History Founded in 1852 as Las Moras (the name of a nearby spring and the creek it feeds), constructed for specifically for the movie. The set, now called Alamo VillageAlamo Village is the name of a movie set and tourist attraction in Brackettville in west Texas in the United States. The set includes a full-scale recreation of the Alamo compound as it would have appeared in 1836. Today, the real Alamo is in the heart of, has since been used in over 100 other westernsThe Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. Westerns are art works films, literature, television shows and paintings devoted to telling romanticized tales of the American West. While the Western has been popular throughout the history of, including depictions of the 1836 battle. Wayne had lobbied Republic, previously known mostly for B-grade westerns, to make a full-budget epic about the Battle of the Alamo. During production, Wayne's office was inside the reconstructed mission.
The film tells a highly romanticized, hagiographicHagiography is the study of saints. A hagiography' refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy persons; and specifically, the biography of a saint. Hagiology by contrast, is the study of saints collectively, without focusing on the life of an version of events, in which the defenders are all portrayed as larger-than-life martyrs, and none of the Mexican characters is developed in depth. Critic Leonard Maltin has described the script as being "full of historical name-dropping and speechifying," but notes that the climactic battle scene is spectacular.
The film was considered a success and a vindication of Wayne's gamble with Republic Pictures. The Alamo won the Academy Award for Sound and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Chill Wills), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Music, Song ( Dimitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster for The Green Leaves of Summer) and Best Picture.
The film is thought to have been denied winning more awards than the one it got due to an overblown campaign that alienated Academy voters, including one Variety ad that stated, in effect, that the film's producers were praying as hard for Chill Wills to win his award as the defenders of the Alamo themselves prayed the night before the battle.
For several years, the Alamo Theater in San Antonio, Texas played The Alamo repeatedly.