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Sam Houston
David Crockett
Dennis Quaid
Billy Bob Thornton
“You will remember this battle and remember each minute of it. Each second, till the day you die. That is for tomorrow gentlemen. Today, Remember the Alamo.”
“You all can go to Hell, I’m goin’ to Texas.”
Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna Emilio Echevarría
“Without blood, without tears, there is no glory.”
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ett
William Travis
Jim Bowie
Patrick Wilson
Jason Patrick
“If you wish to stay here, with me, in the Alamo...we will sell our lives dearly.”
“If you live another five years, you just might make a great man.”
Juan Seguin Jordi Mollà “General, you ordered me to stay, and I stayed, but this is our fight too.”
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From the pages of History, To the Big Screen “The Alamo” is a historical representation depicting on of America’s most legendary and daring last stands. Most Americans today wonder what was so special or so crucial about this broken down Catholic fortress to die fighting for. However, it wasn’t designed or even meant to be used as a fort or for any military use. It was built by the Spaniards in 1718 during their occupation of Mexican territory, as well as the wester United States and most of South America. It was made to be a mission to convert the natives of the surrounding area to Catholicism, as well as providing schools and shelter. Its name was originally called “Mission de San Antonio de Valero,” named for the city in which it resided, San Antonio de Bexar. It wasn’t until 1803 it was given the name, The Alamo. A spanish calvary unit called, “Alamo de Parras” was stationed in San Antonio and later fortified the abandoned mission in defense against the rebelling natives. Everything changed when Mexico finally declared its indpedendence from Spain and became its own Republic in 1821. During this time, Mexico needed to secure its territory and encouraged her people to migrate north and populate the northern borders of Mexican terriotry, including Texas, back then referred to as, Tejas. However, the people of Mexico were reluctant to move north and instead looked out to its neighbor, The United States to assist in this dilemma. Mexico promised the people of the United States land, low taxes, new opportunities, and a second start in a whole new country in exchange for a few minor, extremely abidable conditions. American citizens who wished to live in Mexico would have to convert to Catholicism, follow the laws of Mexico’s Republic, and especially no slaves. Mexico outlawed slavery in their country following their break from Spain. However, the United States would unfortunately still practice slavery until 1863. It was because of these conditions the American settlers and the Mexican government would repeatedly have conflicts until an agreement was made in 1824. Peace between these two peoples would finally be achieved. After only ten short years, it would come to an end. In 1834, a military leader of Mexico had made himself dictator and come to power in Mexico. His name was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. He instantly revoked the peace agreement of 1824 and viewed the American settlers as a threatening disease which could destroy the great nation of Mexico. During this time, Santa Anna would use military force to make the settlers abide by Mexico’s laws. Thus begins the Texas Revolution. In 1835 The Texan American settlers and the Mexicans have many battles and skirmishes until they were finally beaten in San Antonio. The Mexicans had fortified the Alamo, but without food and other provisions, they were forced to surrender. The American settlers spared their lives, if they promised never to return.
This is where the film starts. The Mexican army has not been seen in months and the people of Texas fear a new oncoming invasion. The leaders of the Texan army gather at Washington on the Brazos to discuss reinforcing their borders to prepare for such an invasion. San Antonio was the southern most city close to Mexico’s borders. The Alamo was only half of a mile from the town and harbored more cannons and munitions than any fort west of the Mississippi. If there was to be a stronghold to defend against a Mexican invasion it would be there. However, only 157 regulars and volunteers were stationed inside the Alamo at the time of its besiegement, plust thirty-two men from the nearby town of Gonzales, making it 189. Not much of the actual fort of the Alamo exists today, except for the famous chapel and long barracks. Back then, it was one and one half the size of a football field in length. 189 men had no chance of holding that fort, especially facing an army of Mexican soldiers numbering as high as 5,000. After being besieged for thirteen days and receiving no help from neighboring cities, The Alamo was eventually taken by force on March 6th 1836. By orders of Santa Anna, no one was to be spared, all 189 defenders were dead. Only a few women and children with one slave survived.
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Making of
The Alamo Throughout the twentieth century, there have been many represenstations of the battle of the Alamo. From the silent movie era to technicolor and computer animation, we have seen the power of warfare and the struggle each side went through progress itself and capture out hearts through the years. During the silent era, there was a film called, Martyrs of the Alamo made in 1915. However this movie was not really historically accurate and showed many forms of racism. This film depicted the Mexicans as blood thristy, ugly, killing machines showing no mercy to neither men, women, nor children. The two most famous films depicting the Alamo, would first be The Alamo, directed by John Wayne. Made in 1960, this film was very revolutionary at the time. The fort was made to resemble what the Alamo had looked like during the time of its siege and battle, had hired well known aspiring actors at the time, as well as hiring thousands of authentic volunteers and reenactors in order to achieve this master piece. However, as far as historical accuracy, this film does fall short. Even Walt Disney made his own interpretation of the batle of the Alamo. The film, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier, focuses on the life of Davy Crockett during his time in the Red Stick Indian war, to his election to congress, and finally his last stand at the Alamo.
John Lee Hancock, the dirctor for 2004’s Alamo film wanted to focus on historical accuracy for the American settlers and the Mexicans. The truth is, the American settlers were welcome into Mexico’s territory which included Texas, but chose to disregard and ignore the rules of the Mexican government. The Mexicans had more than every right to use military force to prove their position despite appealing to the American settler’s terms for peace in 1824. However, the way they handled it was not justified. Santa Anna was very much a blood thirsty dictator. He saw and predicted the Americans would someday be a threat and later, a powerful nation to contend with. Santa Anna knew Americans were very ambitious and eventually would try to take the territory they had won from Spain. The problem was, Santa Anna became more of the problem than they solution to his own fear. By using brutal take no prisoners tactics, he angered the people of Texas which made them more passionate to achieve victory in the end. Hancock knew this and wanted to show a film to the people which did not just simply contain a battle between good and evil. Both had faults, both had justifications, and both had every right to fight for what they believed.
To make this film possible, Hancock ordered a large, life size diorama of the Alamo just like John Wayne had made for his film which still stands today in Brackettville, TX. This Alamo, however, was built in the outskirts of Austin, TX and made out of papier mache, and for the most part, according to the actors, was not very sturdy. Of course the ramparts had to be sturdy to hold huge, heavy cannons, but as far as the wall itself, the actors had some difficulties keeping their footing. Despite being one of the most historically accurate films depicting one of History’s famous last stands, it did not do so well at the box office upon its release in late 2004. For reasons unknown, perhaps of many people’s misunderstanding or ignorance of history, lack of interest in our history, or Texas history in general, The Alamo was one of the biggest financial movie flops in cinema history.
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