Customer Reviews

The Alamo Documentary

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The main problem with this 75-minute documentary is it does not give a sense of the historical "big picture".

It starts off with historians and museum curators telling us what was wrong with all the movies made about the Alamo and the depiction of the characters in them, then wanders around the subject of the battle itself. However, it fails to present a decent time-line of history, and leaves you wondering what all the fuss was about.

Extras include the 40-minute 1937 movie called "Remember the Alamo", which at least gives a little historical perspective on the subject. Also is a 5-minute piece about weapons and uniforms described by an unusually dressed (in real life) man from the main documentary. Finally there is a trailer from John Wayne's 1960 version of "The Alamo".

There must be better presentations of the subject, though the inexpensive price makes this DVD not a total waste as a second source of information.

This documentary explores the history and pop culture as no other has done before: it explores how the Alamo became a cultural icon, and tours Alamo collections (including some rare John Wayne memorabilia!). There is also a re-enactment battle scene, which I found rather interesting as I may not ever get a chance to see it in person.
This DVD is a rather fascinating look at things about the Alamo that you never knew before. There is an introduction by Frank Thompson, noted Alamo authority!

I use this documentary in my classroom to talk about the mythology of Texas: how Texas is viewed by other parts of the country, how the ideas of individualism and courage are mythologized by the battle of the Alamo, and how Texas itself is affected by these legends and images. Granted it is not the best documentary ever made, but the movie clips, memorabilia, and re-enactment scenes are great for getting as sense of how the Alamo is such a strong part of creating the myth of American exceptionalism.

I was hoping for history of the Alamo, what I got was first, a history of Alamo movies, second, history the fifties Davy Crockett fad, third, a guide tour of Alamo tourist memorabilia, fourth, reenactors giving misinformation in the form of historical opinion, and finally, about who is allowed to be a member of the Daughter of the Texas Republic organization.

If you want history don't waste your money on this DVD.

The Bottom Line:

The Alamo Documentary, despite the definitive nature of the title, does not tell any sort of history of the battle, instead talking with some success (with very limited resources and almost no film clips) about the films which have been made about the battle and then regrettably switching into a self-congratulatory and indulgent hagiography of the "San Antonio Living History" society, which makes for exceptionally dull filmmaking; if you are interested in the Alamo itself, stay away from this bore.

2/4

I rented this documentary to learn more of the Alamo and history behind it. As with other documentaries I have seen, I expected this to give a thorough history, events leading up to the famous battle, and go in depth about details concerning it. Never have I watched a documentary that was more ambiguous. This was poorly filmed, poorly directed, and has poor content. Davy Crockett memorabilia, a thorough review of movies made about the Alamo, and actual reenactments done in TX (wherein the narrator cannot be heard over the gunshots, and those reenacting are interviewed about why they participated etc.), make up the bulk of this movie. There is more said about John Wayne and other portrayals of Davy Crockett than of the real man and circumstances themselves. Yes, there is a little bit of history given throughout and at the tail end, and a mention of the battle of Behar, but very little said about the Alamo. In other words, if you tried showing this to someone with no prior knowledge of the Alamo they would not, at the conclusion, be able to tell you what happened there except very broad facts of people and places involved. Do not waste your time or money on this. The only upside is that this documentary is only an hour and fifteen minutes, so you can't waste too much time on it if you do watch it.

The war in Texas of 1835-36 is a very large subject, far larger than the American public probably realizes. No one documentary can be expected to provide more than a very brief introduction. There is a long interview with historian Stephen L. Hardin, author of "Texian Iliad," the best summary history of the conflict.

For some historical subjects, there is an interesting history of the history. The Alamo forms one such subject, and that history of the history is not overlooked here. For example, there is a segment on the phenomenal Davy Crockett craze of the 1950s. There is some discussion of the many movies, which form a large subject in itself.

I thought the film was informative. During the early part of the film there was a lot of history, interesting observations from both sides of the war. But I was bored to tears when they began the Davey Crockett memorabilia segment. But if you are a Texas history buff, it is worth spending the time watching. I particularly enjoyed the black and white segments that were add ins. Quite humorus.

Richard Reyes Flores is a very smart man with an insightful take on how "the Alamo" became such a huge deal, and so destructive to real live human beings. This documentary, however, doesn't do Flores' profound analysis justice. Better to read _Remembering the Alamo: Memory, modernity and the mastery symbol_(2002), his edited volume of Adina de Zavala's writings, his book about _los Pastores_, or one of his articles (Google Scholar will help you out there)....Relative to other Alamo productions (yuck), this film is excellent, but in itself, just okay.

It just rambles on and on. Lots of footage from old movies. Not much history. A long, boring re-enactment of some other battle, not the Alamo or San Jacinto. Meaningless interviews with people that have nothing to do with the history of the Alamo. Who cares about collectors of memorabilia? Lots of long-winded conversations. Just boring and pointless. Save your money on this one. I wish that I had done so.