Customer Reviews

The Alamo [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Carter Burwell's score for the epic Disney film "The Alamo" is a true example of great film music. It features a very interesting Mexican-Celtic blend of music, encompassing all the characters in the film (From the Mexican soldados to the Celtic-descendant Texans). Never is this mix more evident than in the track "Deguello de Crockett," where the Mexican brass music and David Crockett's soulful fiddle playing blend to make what can only be described as a "Mexican lamentation" that is part of what truly is the best scene in the movie. The rest of the score is solid, and belongs in the soundtrack collections of history and film buffs alike, and is the perfect background music to a superb historical epic! Grade: A

An excellent and fitting soundtrack for a superior movie. All selections captured the mood and setting of this outstanding film. However, the masterpiece on this soundtrack is the "Deguello de Crockett." This was a brilliant idea by John Lee Hancock for this particular part of the movie, surpassed only by the brilliance of the accompanying fiddle harmony created by Carter Burwell. This is one of those very rare moments in movies which is made unforgettable by the musical score. My only regret is that an unedited version of the "Deguello" was not on the CD.

"Deguello," which loosely translated means "slit throat," was what Santa Anna's band played nightly, followed by a cannon barrage. Essentially the message was no quarter would be taken, and all would die. David Crockett accompanies it one night - hence the name "Deguello de Crockett" - for 60 seconds of battle-stopping music. My other favorite cut is The Visitation of Saint Ursula.

Really disagree with the negative reviews online - a wonderful addition of beautiful melodies and diverse music styles. The Celtic feel of lamentation in the movie captured my attention as an intelligent choice, and while in the theatre, decided to buy the soundtrack. Delighted to find "Listen To The Mockingbird Sing" and "La Zandunga" - now THAT is diversity. Carter Burwell was new to me as a composer.
Of course, as a native San Antonian, I'm pretty attached to The Alamo. Billy Bob Thornton was awesome as David Crockett, and quite different from the John Wayne portrayal 45 years ago.

If you're looking for just fiddle music, check out Dean Shostak on "Davy Crockett's Fiddle" at www.coastlinemusic.com (Williamsburg, VA) featuring the actual fiddle Davy Crockett played during his lifetime.

I'm sure that many an Alamo fan was wondering how anything could surpass the haunting "Green Leaves of Summer" as quintessential Alamo movie music. The score written for the 2004 "The Alamo" is a perfect fit and holds its own on top of that. Composer Carter Burwell has found the heart of the story and put it in his music. The music is both fun ("Listen to the Mockingbird Sing") and haunting (the main theme, "The Visitation of St. Ursula", "Night Falls on the Alamo", "Battle of the Alamo part 6"). An added bonus is "Deguello de Crockett", one of the outstanding moments in the film. This is a great score for a great but sadly underappreciated movie.

At first, I was a disappointed in the musical score. For such an epic, I expected much more - more emphasis in the dramatic scenes of the movie. At the theatre, I did not appreciate fully the creativity, the originality, and the depth of each of the pieces. Although somewhat choppy, the Soundtrack grows on you. Especially moving is "The Visitation of Saint Ursula" - repeated with slight variations on the last "Battle" cut. I would have liked to have the "Reprise" in the CD (that shown during the credits of the movie). It seems most soundtracks omit these important and most entertaining music pieces - I always sit until the end to hear the music while the credits role.

Most war movies have underscore's that pulse with energy and power of battle. Carter Burwell takes another course. His music is melancholy and some people have taken the celtic sounding music and complained out it but I found the music to be powerful and perfectly fitting with the movie. The Alamo is also enjoyable as a single listening experience although it does help to have seen the movie. I particularly enjoyed the track where Crockets fiddle is combined with the Mexican "Slit Throat" band. Overall, I found this cd to be enjoyable and it gets better every time i listen to it.

A few comments about the movie The Alamo, if you would indulge me for a moment. It is pertinent. I didn't have high expectations for this film, the trailers I saw made it out to be another larger-than-life, ain't-afraid-of-nothing, cliché-filled motion picture. We lived in San Antonio for several years, it is a great town filled with wonderful people. We visited the Alamo on several occasions. It is a holy place for Texans, sacred, and being "non-Texans" I am sure most of the locals felt we really couldn't appreciate or even grasp the significance of the place, the honor of those who fought and died there. I must admit it was all somewhat lost on me. Thus, I was fully expecting this movie to be overdone and nauseating, especially considering I am not the biggest fan of two of the lead actors (Billy Bob Thorton and Dennis Quaid).

OK, please bear with me, I will get to my point in a second. We ended up renting the film as I had heard the cinematography was sensational (it was). But my biggest surprise was the film itself. Not the script, not the actors, but the entire film. I can't really put into words how good it was, not perfect, but an excellent motion picture and probably an accurate depiction of the individuals and events as they occurred. And both Thornton and Quaid were exceptional...they deserve Oscars come January, and it will be a shame if they don't get them.

Now, concerning this soundtrack. To put it simply, if this CD isn't the best soundtrack winner for 2004, then there is a conspiracy going on. It isn't on Amazon's editors picks, nor the customer's favorites list, I chalk that up to being it was just recently released. However, it should be on both, and highly competitive for the top honors this year. It is simply that good. Carter Burwell set a new standard with the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and may have exceeded it with this one. The music here just puts the visualizations of the movie back into my head...the music retells the story as well as the images.

The bottom like is fairly straightforward, if you liked the movie than you owe it to yourself to get this soundtrack. There is absolutely no way you will be anything other than engrossed in it.

The Alamo soundtrack by Carter Burwell is an excellent score and a must have for fans of the movie. In his score, Burwell uses a lot of Celtic themes that have been used in a lot of historical epics, Braveheart comes to mind. Burwell turns in an amazing score that fits perfectly with the tone of the movie. Upon first seeing the movie, I did not notice the score as much, but every time I see The Alamo, the music becomes more and more pronounced. Burwell's score is very powerful which brings the viewer into the movie.

Some of the tracks stick with you more than others, but looking at the cd as a whole, all the tracks are pretty good. Some of the more powerful, moving tracks include "Flesh and Honor," "Visitation of Saint Ursula," "Sell Our Lives Dearly," and my personal favorite, "Deguello de Crockett." As well, "Battle of the Alamo, Part 1" is very good for setting the scene as the Mexican army sneaks up on the Alamo in the predawn darkness of March 6th. Another reason for getting this cd is that you get to hear a track that was cut from the theatrical release, "Bonham's Ride," another of my favorites. If you liked the movie, I highly recommend getting Carter Burwell's score. It gets better each and every time you listen to it. In the movie, Burwell even makes a brief cameo during the Deguello de Crockett scene where Crockett plays his fiddle with the Mexican band. For a great Celtic themed score, check out Carter Burwell' The Alamo Soundtrack!

This song, Dequello de Crockett, alone makes both the soundtrack AND the movie worth the money! It is the kind of music which moved my heart and made it swell with the unusual and hauntingly beautiful melody. "The Alamo" movie was NOT one of my all-time favorites, but this piece of music definitely is! Beautiful score of music for a mediocre movie.

To date, I haven't seen the newest Alamo movie, but I did snag a copy of the soundtrack. Not bad at all. My favorite was the much praised "Deguello de Crockett", where Thornton as the legendary Tennesseean plays his fiddle in accompaniment to the Mexican band, which is a bit of artistic/historical license. While it's true that Crockett did bring his fiddle to the Alamo and entertained the defenders, it's unlikely that the "Deguello" was played during the seige. Historically speaking, in the Mexican army of 1836 the "Deguello" was played when the troops were about 80 yards from their enemy and closing in for the kill. There is still much debate among scholars as to whether or not the "Deguello" was actually played by the band during the final attack. Quien sabe? Later, this same piece was used by the Mexican cavalry during the disgraceful war with the United States in 1846 and Pancho Villa adopted a variation during the 1910 Revolution. Another item that is questionable is the tune "Listen To The Mockingbird Sing" which is believed to be of Civil War origin. Other than those minor glitches, it's still worth having.