The Alamo Myth (1 Viewer)

Scott said:
I'm looking forward to seeing if it's a bad book OR it just steps on toes. Look at is this way..... All those Mexican lancer figures from various lines and playsets now will have something to do on the table top but outside the Alamo compound.

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Scott, IMO it is not a bad book. It is well written and researched but the conclusions reached from all the research is a bit iffy in terms of being a definitive answer. The book will hold the readers interest but it does step on toes like no other Alamo book I have ever read. It is a direct challenge to what most people think they know or what they believe about the Alamo events. It is worth reading, whether one buys the conclusions or not. -- Al
 
lancer said:
Scott, IMO it is not a bad book. It is well written and researched but the conclusions reached from all the research is a bit iffy in terms of being a definitive answer. The book will hold the readers interest but it does step on toes like no other Alamo book I have ever read. It is a direct challenge to what most people think they know or what they believe about the Alamo events. It is worth reading, whether one buys the conclusions or not. -- Al
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Well Al you just made me press the Amazon order button on this one-hopefully I'll get it before the holiday. Along with the ACW the Alamo is my favourite bed-time reading subject (15 volumes on my shelf) but after yours and Alan's reviews.......well I'm a sucker for that good old Texan myth or is it the truth this time????. How can anyone ever know?

I also know I'm on my own with the following but hell I really did enjoy Billy Bob's The Alamo as I thought (per your book review) that all the actors also played these mythical heroes as real flawed and frightened human beings instead of pandering to the Hollywood convention of blind selfless courage & heroism. Particularly Thornton who played Crockett as a simple mild mannered man and a spinner of tall tales who finds the burden of his own celebrity has trapped him into being a hero regardless of his fear of dying. John Lee Hancock imho deserves applause for crafting such a depiction of these guys and the siege. With a vastly reduced budget I believe he pulled off a thoughtful and intelligent movie version and with some considerable skill.

Yeah! I know it bombed in the States but not so much in Europe and when shown on UK TV recently it garnered a smidgeon more admiration. Who knows one day film fans might eventually conclude that perhaps it's well worthwhile to "Remember this Alamo"

Bob
 
UKReb said:
Well Al you just made me press the Amazon order button on this one-hopefully I'll get it before the holiday. Along with the ACW the Alamo is my favourite bed-time reading subject (15 volumes on my shelf) but after yours and Alan's reviews.......well I'm a sucker for that good old Texan myth or is it the truth this time????. How can anyone ever know?

I also know I'm on my own with the following but hell I really did enjoy Billy Bob's The Alamo as I thought (per your book review) that all the actors also played these mythical heroes as real flawed and frightened human beings instead of pandering to the Hollywood convention of blind selfless courage & heroism. Particularly Thornton who played Crockett as a simple mild mannered man and a spinner of tall tales who finds the burden of his own celebrity has trapped him into being a hero regardless of his fear of dying. John Lee Hancock imho deserves applause for crafting such a depiction of these guys and the siege. With a vastly reduced budget I believe he pulled off a thoughtful and intelligent movie version and with some considerable skill.

Yeah! I know it bombed in the States but not so much in Europe and when shown on UK TV recently it garnered a smidgeon more admiration. Who knows one day film fans might eventually conclude that perhaps it's well worthwhile to "Remember this Alamo"

Bob
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Bob, I hope you will find the book worthwhile, for while it is not the most popular of versions, it has some good points. As far as the Hancock Alamo, I really enjoyed that movie and found the characters to be quite interesting as portrayed by the actors, especially the Crockett, Bowie, and Seguin characters. The movie had some great scenes involving Crockett and I really liked the scene after he had been captured, when he grinned and said, "I gotta warn you, I'm a screamer". I think it the best of the Alamo genre movies, although I am always going to have a soft spot for The Duke's version. -- Al
 
I'm with Bob and Al in that the newer version of the movie is much better than the John Wayne version, sentimentality aside, the depiction of the final assault was pretty much spot on.

One of the benefits to the old Marx company and Ebay peddlers everywhere is the 9,000 different colors of Mexicans that were produced as in the Wayne version, which was not true in the least, but hey, what collector of Marx figures can live without an original set of cream colored Mexicans?
 
Let's face it all these new author's are out to make some money. They have to generate something new or it doesn't sell. That's is why I have stopped reading books not written by someone at the battle an eye witness or at least lived during that era. I read the battle reports and eye witness accounts and base my ideas on that. I am not sure why people think a few hundred years make the facts of the battle more clear or give the author some sort of special inside tract to the truth.
 
Shiloh said:
Let's face it all these new author's are out to make some money. They have to generate something new or it doesn't sell. That's is why I have stopped reading books not written by someone at the battle an eye witness or at least lived during that era. I read the battle reports and eye witness accounts and base my ideas on that. I am not sure why people think a few hundred years make the facts of the battle more clear or give the author some sort of special inside tract to the truth.
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Tucker does not appear to have generated anything new, he has just quoted extracts from eye witness accounts that appear to have been ignored by other authors as they didn't suit those authors particular agendas. As I stated earlier he is most particular about quoting his sources. If you want eye witness accounts you have them here in abundance. Trooper
 
I'm only part way though Exodus From The Alamo, so far so good. Some economic and cultural facts. Lots of documentation. My Alamo armies might be retooled to San Jacinto armies.
 
I have only seen the movies made by Hollywood and have read nothing about the Alamo. But I remember a guy I worked with told me that most of the leaders there were Free Masons and that was one of the reasons they didn't leave when they had a chance. Is this story a crock of rubbish or is there some truth to this. Can anyone help me here with this info. Simmo.
 
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