Dec 202018
 
Gone To Texas (1986)

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Gone To Texas is an astonishing faithful presentation of Sam Houston’s life, although the fictional version is a more dynamic individual than the real man. Sadly, while the script is surprisingly accurate, the acting is mediocre. Still, the miniseries is worth watching as a moderately entertaining history lesson, which is more than can be said about most of the movies on the Texan Revolution. Read More…

Nov 222018
 
Texas

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
The miniseries presents the history of Texas from the establishment of Stephen Austin’s first colony in 1823 to the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1846. Lacking the budget required to receate the battle of the Alamo, the producers simply re-used footage from John Wayne’s movie The Alamo. While the script deserves credit for showing the reaction of the native Tejanos to the American colonists, the acting makes the miniseries hard viewing. Read More…

Oct 182018
 
The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
As the title says, the film examines the thirteen-day-long siege of the Alamo during the Texan Revolution. The best thing that I can say is that Raul Julia clearly had fun playing Santa Anna, more fun than I had watching the movie. At least, this version dreamed up some new inaccuracies. Honestly, it is better than several versions in the 1940 and 50s. Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying that it is good but there are worse. Read More…

Jul 052018
 
Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier

Rating: ★★½☆☆
Initially, three episodes that were shown as the Disney television miniseries Davy Crockett, the movie presents Crockett as a frontiersman, congressman and one of the defenders of the Alamo. Honestly, I was surprised, it’s not bad. Better than most movies on the Alamo, and it shows the full scope of Crockett’s eventful life. Read More…

Oct 122017
 
Man of Conquest

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Although the film covers the entire Texan Revolution, it is presented as a chapter in the life of Sam Houston, so viewers will actually learn little about the revolution, especially since the script is a giant mess of inaccuracies. Oddly enough for a film about a revolution, the endless talk about freedom means there is little time for battles. Read More…

May 052016
 
Heroes of the Alamo

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Heroes of the Alamo presents the growing tension between the American immigrants in Mexico and the Mexican government that eventually led to the Texan Revolution. Unlike most films on the Alamo, it focuses on the Dickinson family, rather than Davy Crockett or Jim Bowie. Made in 1937, the acting is stilted, as if the actors have not adapted to sound. Even for the time, this is horrible, almost incompetent. Read More…

Nov 232007
 
The Alamo (1960)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
The Alamo (1960), John Wayne’s directorial debut, is entertaining, but stretches the facts horribly, transforming the Texan Revolution from a rebellion by American immigrants who wanted to continue their practice of slavery into a defence of liberty against tyranny. Read More…