Alamo, The

The supplemental documentary provides a fascinating insight into the challenges confronting Wayne as producer, director and star. I found the commentary on legendary director John Ford’s self-induction as a second unit director especially interesting as well as the collection of interviews on the production.

Released in 1960, The Alamo received seven Academy Award® nominations including Best Picture, but the original roadshow version was lost. This widescreen boxed set of John Wayne’s The Alamo is the same transfer as the full-length (an uncut 70mm print was discovered in Toronto) 1990 release reviewed in Issue 2, but offers a new Dolby® Digital soundtrack. The movie is a courageous epic about 185 “Texans” banded together in a crumbling adobe mission for thirteen days to hold off the siege of an army of 7,000 Mexican troops in an attempt to ensure the independence of Texas.