The Alamo (1960) [SOUNDTRACK]

Dmitri Tiomkin

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 1995)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 1960
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AN4
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #123,529 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Alamo: A Film Score To Remember, July 3, 2000

By	James D. Eret (San Diego) - See all my reviews

Dimitri Tiomkin has written the film music of some of my favorite movies and westerns. I think "The Alamo" is his masterpiece. Mixing Spanish themes with other western standards captures the period of the Alamo perfectly. When he introduces Davy Crockett, riding to immortality with his ragged bunch towards the Alamo with a funny accordian theme, or the bombastic fanfares of generalisamo Santa Anna, or the exciting battle music, history comes alive. His beautiful "Green Leaves of Summer,' perfectly captures the sadness of a noble stand and regret. John Wayne, if my memory serves me, when he won his only Oscar for playing Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit,"thanked the Academy and Dimitri Tiomkin, for Tiomkin scored many films Wayne acted in, classics like "Red River," and others.Also,"The Alamo" was Wayne's only directorial effort and he must have had a great love of Tiomkin's music. This CD gives the listener more music. I had and still have the original LP of "The Alamo" and remains one of my favorites. It is wonderful when Tiomkin takes the "Dueglo," or "no quarter" trumpet solo and blends in "The Green Leaves of Summer" for added effect and power. After the last song, like the survivors of the Alamo, we too feel regret and know that this is great music. Highly recommended. Also try to get or request out of print Tiomkin scores, classics like "The Old Man and the Sea,"(He won an Academy Award for it) and one of my other favorites, "The Guns of Navarone," a great score to a rousing classic as "The Alamo" is. There are many many others but "The Alamo" is a good introduction to Dimitri Tiomkin's wide range of film scores as any and still stands the test of time.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Western Score, February 10, 2000

By	Steve Rawlings (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

The musical score for John Wayne's "The Alamo" was arranged by the Russian-born composer, Dimitri Tiomkin. It is ironic that a man with Russian heritage would compose many of the great American western scores, including "High Noon," "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," and "Rio Bravo." Tiomkin also wrote scores for other genre including "The Guns of Navarone" and "The Fall of the Roman Empire." "The Alamo" is his signature western work.

Tiomkin beautifully captures the many moods and themes of the film in his haunting and reflective Overture. These themes play out again and again in the natural setting of the movie, from the plaintive guitar and harmonica to depict the southwestern flavor of the mission near San Antonio, to the stirring brass to introduce Davy Crockett, or the imperial trumpets to announce Santa Anna. The music is varied, rich, robust, and teeming with excitement.

Tiomkin is a master. He can at once soothe the soul with "The Green Leaves of Summer" on the eve of the final climatic battle when the defenders of the Alamo lay wake in the still of the night, as one of them said, "not thinking...just remembering." He can then stir the soul with the clash of strings, brass and percussion in the final dramatic assault. I have listened to this music for forty years, first on records and now this CD. It evokes the many memorable scenes from the movie and is timeless and enduring...

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great soundtrack for the greatest movie., June 13, 1999

By A Customer

I'm a great fan of "The Alamo" since I first saw it at the age of 14. Now I'm 48. Since then, I saw it whenever I could. Its music amused me. I worship "The Green Leaves of Summer"and its openig, too. The other tracks included recently, such as Marty Robbins' "Ballad of The Alamo", made this CD a precious item. I've been after it for a long time. Since the time of vinils, but never managed to get it here in Brazil. Recently, I found it at Amazon.com. So the dream of having it in my collection at last came true. So now I see the film and listen to this great, great soundtrack. In time, I'm very found of movies tracks and songs.