The Martyrs of the Alamo
by William Christy Cabanne
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DVD details
Actor: Douglas Fairbanks, John Dillon, Juanita Hansen, Ora Carew, Sam de GrasseDirector: William Christy Cabanne
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
Published: 2004-03-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-03-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Delta
DVD Reviews of The Martyrs of the Alamo
DVD Review: Not that bad considering
Summary: 3 Stars
Even though the feature-length film was in its infancy in 1915, this film actually doesn't seem all that bad. It's not exactly the stuff of great classic cinema either, but it doesn't seem crude, stilted, or primitive the way some other very early features do. In particular, I really enjoyed the great battle scenes. The film, the earliest known surviving Alamo film, tells the familiar story of the Battle of the Alamo, and unlike a lot of other films retelling this story, actually goes as far as the later Battle of San Jacinto instead of just ending with nearly everyone being killed at the Alamo. All of the prominent figures are there, such as Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Santa Anna (played by Walter Long, who was always such a good villain), and Sam Houston, along with the ordinary people who made history too despite not getting their names into the books. I'll admit I didn't really feel drawn into the film, either emotionally or interest-wise (perhaps because it's been a really long time since I was last passionately interested in 19th century American history apart from the Civil War), but it does have ample interest value through being one of the early feature films, and the earliest surviving example of an Alamo film as well. The musical score is also really nice.
The film does have its problems, though. Real history is rarely so simplistic and clear-cut as it's depicted in this film, with the mentality of "Our side was so virtuous, upstanding, saintly, and in the right, and the ones on the other side were these evil villainous sinners who went after us completely unprovoked." A more balanced view of the history behind this story, as well as the events leading up to it, would have made it a lot more interesting to me. Naturally, over the years, the Alamo, like many other pivotal events in American history, has fallen victim to romanticising, urban legends, and even outright fictions and lies, and this film does seem guilty of that as well. The basic facts are of course there, but the real events and personalities were a lot more complex than shown here. The racist depiction of the Mexicans, particularly Santa Anna, as hopeless drug fiends, sexual predators, crude barbarians, and child-killers is even worse than the less than completely accurate history, though at least unlike 'Birth of a Nation,' it doesn't seem to be the focus of the film, and it wasn't as bad or constant that it made me physically ill as when I watched BOAN. Certainly the real Santa Anna wasn't the complete villain he was made out to be here.
There are a couple of extras included--a short 1976 cartoon, 'The Spirit of Independence'; a brief featurette about the earliest Alamo films and the rediscovery of a short 1938 Alamo film, 'Shrine of Texas Liberty' (painfully low-budget, so much so the untrained actors had to provide their own wardrobes); and the abovementioned film itself. While the main feature obviously shouldn't be one's first silent, it should probably appeal to Alamo and 19th century American history buffs. If one can get past the less than accurate history and the racism, the only really distracting thing is that there's a bug towards the lower right side of the screen. It's really inexcusable that any supposedly professional DVD would do that.
Description of The Martyrs of the Alamo
THE MARTYRS OF THE ALAMO The earliest surviving Alamo film, produced in 1915 by American film pioneer D.W. Griffith, Martyrs of the Alamois truly a rare cinematic treat. Telling the tale of the courageous American stand against oppression and tyranny, with its impressive sets, wonderful battle scenes, and expressive performances, Martyrssurpasses the expectations implied by the words "epic filmmaking." Witness the birth of Texas and get the true meaning to the immortal words, "Remember the Alamo," with this rare and thrilling cinematic treasure. (1915 ? 72 Min. ? B/W)SPECIAL FEATURES
~Introduction by Alamo expert Frank Thompson
~The Alamo: Shrine of Texas Liberty Lost & Found (9 Min. ? B/W & Color)
~The Alamo: "Shrine of Texas Liberty" (16 Min. ? B/W)
~The Spirit of Independence (5 Min. ? Color)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 102 MIN.
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