TORTAINMENT
iTHE BATTALION
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Thursday, April 15, 2004
What can be said about “The Alamo” that won’t
on deaf ears? Most Texans will see “The
mo” and enjoy what they see. Many may even
or hoot and holler at the end. The recent cine-
portrayal of the famous San Antonio suicide
id, unfortunately, has the power to sweep Texas
lienees up in a sea of approval that will regret-
ly blind them to the fact that the movie they are
ering so hard for is pedestrian and uninspired.
Anyone who has sat in on Texas history in grade
■ool knows the heroic story of the Alamo: Mexico
in ites Americans to come and live in Texas.
A iericans move in and bring their slaves. Dictator
S|na Anna takes over Mexican government and
p ;ses new changes, among them a govemment-
mndated religion and the banning of slaves. New
xicans” disagree with new rules and want to take
for themselves. So, Santa Anna sends troops
uell rebellion and the battle eventually moves to
San Antonio mission, the Alamo.
The recent film gives a brief rundown of the
kground before moving into the days surround-
the 1836 standoff at the Alamo. It does a good
of introducing important figures in Texas histo-
rfwithin the first few minutes of the movie. The
:ctor notably chooses to portray the legendary
lures not as the demigods they have become in
nas history, but as real men, giving them the
vk sand weaknesses that help humanize them.
K I T I Q U E
Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) is an alcoholic
who lacks the confidence in his men. Davy
Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) is running from a
failed election and his own insecurities. James
Bowie (Jason Patric) is a loud braggart of a man
whose life is troubled by problems with gambling
and alcohol. William Travis (Patrick Wilson) ran
away from his family in another state to lead a bat
tle with men who don’t even want him.
Thornton’s portrayal is the film’s standout, and
audiences are sure to end up caring about his final
fate, which is arguably the director’s goal.
The movie wasn’t named “Conversations at the
Alamo,” though, and the real draw for audiences is
the battle. The siege of the Alamo is a cookie-cutter
example of how to make a successful war movie.
Take one group of ragtag soldiers, add a dastardly
villain, a bombastic score and a splattering of poet
ic shots tilled with moderate gore and you have the
fall of the Alamo. There is nothing new or original
present in “The Alamo” and the final siege is no dif
ferent. From the movie’s theme score that sounds
eerily familiar to the standard camera techniques,
audiences will not see anything they haven’t seen in
“The Patriot” or “Cold Mountain.”
There are a few shots that stand out. One mem
orable moment occurs when a young child is
standing on a hill on the outskirts of San Antonio,
watching cannonballs fly and soldiers battle for
their lives in the mission like tiny ants. The movie
makes no fuss about keeping its ending a secret -
one of the first lines in the movie is “They are all
dead” - so neither will this review. Travis’ death
is remarkable if just for the fact that there is a clear
lack of attention to it. A single bullet ends the life
of a character who the audience just witnessed
write a letter to his son. This showcases beauti
fully the sheer anonymity of war. No matter how
much a story focused on one character, Travis’
death is just a fraction of the entire battle.
One of the most surprising parts of “The Alamo”
is the lack of attention that went into humanizing
the Mexican forces. The movie may have been set
from the Americans’ perspective, but there was
absolutely no motivation given for the Mexicans’
siege except in Santa Anna’s hammy speeches that
include everything but the evil laughter needed to
make an arch-villain. Audiences are given a cold,
ruthless portrayal of Gen. Santa Anna and no rea
soning behind his advancing forces. It seems the
director only felt the need to set up a villain that
audiences could hiss at and gave no consideration
to the fact that the Mexicans were merely trying to
take back what was being stolen from them.
What audiences are given with “The Alamo” is
a cash cow attempt to bank on the recent surge in
patriotism. What audiences are not given is an orig
inal exploration into an epic part of Texas’ history.
MSC Variety Show
April 16th, Parents' Weekend. 7:30 pm.
Mountain Ake' 0 " Rudder Auditorium
Lindsey Kane
Mariachi Anillos de Oro
Micah Sims
Aggie Wranglers
Gabe & Taylor
Institution Soul
Mourning After & Co
With special performances by the
Singing Cadets and Percussion
Studio
Tickets on sale now for $8 at the MSC Box Office!
M / JBEn . Hosted by
variety ishow
Slflr
2004
sfc MSC
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