“The Alamo”

After watching both films, The Alamo with John Wayne and The Alamo with Billy Bob Thorton, I came to the conclusion that the newer version of the Alamo was more historically accurate. Various examples from both films led to my ultimate confirmation that though directors can dramatize events, they do not always portray a truthful history.
In the John Wayne film, Davy Crockett and his men arrive to San Antonio and drink and dance at some cantina or bar. First of all, this episode of partying is not needed as historical information. Second of all, I am pretty sure Davy Crockett’s partying would not have been recorded in history. Also, Davy’s love plot with the Mexican woman was not part of valid history. No one knows if Davy Crockett had a woman friend in the Alamo. Juan Seguin was also wrongfully portrayed in the movie. Captain Seguin was light skin and had dark hair. He was a respected Spanish man of the time and in the movie, he looked like a Mexican civilian. The movie also represented him as an older man when in reality he would have only been in his early thirties. Jim Bowie was rendered as a drunk. Though he may have very well been drunk at the time of the Alamo, it is unlikely that it was how the movie displayed him. He was one of the prominent men of the Battle of the Alamo and formalities were definitely in order during the time period of 1836. All in all, the whole movie was obviously solely for entertainment purposes. It had too many fictional scenarios in the plot which made it hard to take the information in the film seriously. In general, it depicted the overall events of the Battle of the Alamo but had no real historical value in its details. However, some strong points in this film were the catchy script and humorous characters.
The newer version of the movie based on the Battle of the Alamo was made in reflection of a Mexican’s diary at the battle. In my opinion, the newer film with Billy Bob Thorton was much more believable and historically accurate. The picture went into more detail in the personal lives of the prominent men such as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. It also showed a clearer visual of Santa Anna and what he might have been like during the battle. In contrast to the John Wayne version, Davy Crockett and his men were not expecting to fight in a battle. They were surprised to have to make a vital decision of whether to fight and die or not. The story line seemed more believable of what would have happened in that time period. Davy Crockett was portrayed as a legend but not in a drastic dramatic way. There was also an accurate portrayal of Juan Seguin. He was about the age he would have been in the newer film. There were a lot less fictional scenarios and more believable detail in this version as well.
In both films, the time span was similar. However, in the newer version, Sam Houston and his camp were shown. The newer film extended to the Battle of San Jacinto and the aftermath which was very educating. In closing, the Alamo is a symbol of heroes and strength no matter what the numbers are. I recommend both films to be viewed and taken into consideration in the historical value of the context.

The Alamo. DVD. Dir. John Wayne. MGM Home Entertainment, 1960, 162 min.

The Alamo. DVD. Dir. John Lee Hancock. Touchstone Home Entertainment, 2004, 137 min.