Product Details

• Actors: Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Emilio Echevarría
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Unknown)
• Subtitles: Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Run Time: 137 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002DRDBY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,248 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Alamo (Widescreen Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

A dramatic true story of one of the most momentous battles in american history. The alamo is a tale of a handful of men who stood up for what they believed in & made the ultimate sacrifice - fighting for their country. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/12/2007 Starring: Billy Bob Thornton Jason Patric Run time: 137 minutes Rating: Pg13

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America's Iliad - re-imagined, September 26, 2004

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alamo (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

If you want history, read some books. Let's get that out of the way first. There are many fine histories written on the battle of the Alamo, and disputing ideas about what exactly happened there. It is likely that, like Custer's Last Stand, the exact story of what went down at the Alamo will still be disputed by historians long after we all are dead.
This movie is about mythology, not history. While the battle of the Alamo was a historical event, it long ago entered into the realm of American Myth. It is our Iliad. If we cannot win, this is how we want to die - not shirking our duty, but finding something heroic inside ourselves to rise to the occasion. That was portrayed well in this film. The principle players, Bowie, Crockett, and Travis, are not born heroes here. Instead, they are strong men with flaws and quirks of character like all the rest of us. When they are confronted by crisis, we see them rise beyond their flaws, their doubts, even their fears, and in their last moments truly become the heroes of the legend. This was captured powerfully in this film.
An early scene shows Sam Houston speaking to Davy Crockett about Texas at a ball in Washington, near the end of Crockett's term in congress. Seeing the two together, an observer whispers to another man that either of those two might once have had a chance to be president, but no more. It is a nicely done scene accomplishing several things at once. First it allows us to see the two as men who had risen to a certain level of success and power, with some reason to expect more to come. It then shows us that before the fighting in Texas, both were men whose star was in decline, and who may have faded out of history had they not cast their lot with the Texicans. Finally, it establishes from the beginning that Davy Crockett was more than a coonskin hat-wearing cliche hero, and prepares us to see him played as a fully dimensional character. This is just one example out of many of how efficient and well made this movie is.
The whole cast did a great job with their roles, but I thought that Billy Bob Thornton as Crockett delivered a particularly outstanding performance; one of the best of his career. The role gave him many opportunities to shine, and he rose to the occasion. Chills ran down my spine when his Crockett stood like a chuckling Prometheus to answer the murderous music of the Deguello with his defiant fiddle. And in his death scene, he created a powerful alternative take on how a hero can die. Though it is one of the most controversial scenes of the film, I believe any man could be proud if they were able to meet death with such courage and defiant humor.
The film has some flaws - much was edited out, and it leaves the story and character of Dennis Quaid's Sam Houston feeling choppy and incomplete. But taken as a whole, this is a powerful new take on a great American legend, not replacing, but adding to what went before. It has many layers and much nuance, and is a film which bears seeing more than once to take everything in. While not perfect, I can't give four and a half stars, so I give it five.

Theo Logos

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Alamo film ever made, May 13, 2008

By 

John A. Aragon "The Rock" (Santa Fe NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alamo (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

For serious students of history of the Alamo, director John Lee Hancock's "The Alamo" can't be beat. Every phase of the battle (a night battle which lasted about 90 minutes) is accurately depicted. The movie shows how outlying sentries, sleep deprived after days of shelling, were bayoneted during the initial charge, how the Mexican battalions first scaled the north wall where Travis was killed, shot between the eyes, how defenders retreated into buildings lining the walls where terrible close-quarters fighting took place, and how the last defenders, including David Crockett, retreated into the chapel at the end.

The film presents the view that some defenders, including Crockett, were captured and executed shortly after the battle. This controversial scenario is taken from the diary of a Mexican officer, Enrique De La Pena.

I would have preferred that there be more middle and far distance scenes for those of us who love the history and are interested in military tactics. But director Hancock chose mostly close-ups of the action. This, I presume, was an artistic choice to maximize dramatic effect and my wishes to the contrary are but minor quibbles. (Boy, would I love to see the outtakes!) All in all, the film is a great achievement, the best Alamo film ever made.

The politics which led to the war are skillfully presented. The script courageously includes the fact that the Mexican people were betrayed by the Anglos to whom they had given lands in return for oaths of allegiance. Another uncomfortable truth portrayed here is that the Texian rebels fought, against Mexico, for their freedom to continue the institution of slavery.

The courage of both the Mexicans and the Gringos is shown. We see the Mexican army marching through the snow in the terrible winter of February, 1836, with rags tied around their feet to redeem the honor of Mexico. This is no John Wayne; "There was 10 of us and a million Mexicans" Alamo.

But what makes any war story great is the human portrayal. This is not lacking here. The writing is delicious. On arriving in San Antonio, Crockett makes one of his famous "Prettiest wife, ugliest dog, meaner than a snapping turtle..." speeches. A listener says; "Gosh, Davey, now that yer here, Santy Anny won't dare attack!" Crockett replies with a sick grin: "I understood the fightin' was over. Ain't it?" Crockett had come, hopeing to become the first President of the Republic of Texas.

The counter-intuitive choice of Billy Bob Thorton to play David Crockett was brilliant. Thorton captures Crockett's humility and compassion for the common man (Crockett opposed Jackson's removal of Native Americans from the east, realizing that these people were more like the people Crockett knew than the politicians who wanted their lands). Thorton shows us how Davey really must have felt. And Thorton manages to even look like the few extant drawings and paintings we have of Crockett. This is good acting because Crockett was alot better looking than Billy Bob!

Jason Patric smoulders and exudes danger as Bowie and Patrick Wilson's youthfulness truly illucidates Travis' courage. Emilio Echevarria's Santa Anna is at once sympathetic in his ideals and detestible in his arrogance and cynicisim. He says: "What are the lives of soldiers but the lives of so many chickens?" Santa Anna ignored the tenants of Napolianic theory of warfare which held that artillery should breach a fortified position before infantry advance. Santa Anna ordered his men to attack the fort with ladders and "Sappers" carrying axes to dismantle fortifications. The Mexican soldiers did their duty.

The Alamo is America's Thermopylae. The story must be told again and again. No matter if the heroes' flaws are exposed. They are greater in the imperfections of their humanity. It will be a long time before this story is better told.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth seeing & buying! Excellent film., September 5, 2006

By 

M. Zabaroff (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alamo (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

I agree with all the other reviewers have written so I won't repeat. I saw the John Wayne film when it was released (many years ago - I was only 7!) and loved it but was very upset that Davey Crockett, who was a hero of mine, had died. I knew nothing of The Alamo and it's history and was shocked by the ending. Since then I've always had a fascination with everything-Alamo. I was excited about the new film and thought it excellent, very well filmed and acted and just a fantastic movie.
My only challenge is the way the Crockett character was written. I thought Billy Bob Thornton stole the show, was brilliant as Crockett and the violin scene and his death scene are exceptional pieces of film that stay with you a long time. No, my point is that where I agree and liked the way his character was portrayed (multi-dimensional, flawed, down to earth) I disagree with how he seemed, at all times, to want to dispel his legend and make out that he really wasn't how most people thought of him. Well, he WAS like that when younger. He ended up at The Alamo by chance not realising the seriousness of it all but to try and tell an audience that he wasn't who he was is misleading and irresponsible. Well, that's my only negative point but this in no way interfered with my enjoyment.
I loved the film and recommend it 100%.