In the habitual group of various characters we find the starring Jim Bowie of ¨Bowie knife¨ fame (Sterling Hayden) who held command until stricken with typhoid-pneumonia , Colonel William Barret Travis (Richard Carlson) , commander of the small garrison of some 180 men and Davy Crockett of Tenesse (Arthut Hunnicutt) who had arrived with a dozen volunteers . They're guarding El Alamo against a Mexican militia commanded by General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna , President of Mexico (J. Carroll Nash) . They're featured in more realistic roles than successive films , though here predominates the melodrama . It's a spectacular film hampered by a tiring screenplay and including Max Steiner's excellent score with a title song by Gordon McRae . The motion picture well produced by Republic's founder , Herbert J. Yates, was professionally directed by Frank Lloyd . Subsequently , five years later , John Wayne made his own retelling : ¨El Álamo¨ (1960) , utilizing a lot of the still-standing sets that were used in this movie .
The film is rightly based on historic events , these are the followings : On 23 February 1836 a army of 5000 entered San Antonio. When Santa Anna demanded the surrender, William Travis answered with a cannon shot. So began thirteen day siege that ended with the Mexicans storming the fortress, the defenders, to a man , fought on until death .With bugles sounding the ¨deguello¨(signifying no quarter to the defenders) attacked the adobe walls from all four sides and broke through. Travis was shot dead over his cannon . Crockett using his rifle as a club, fell under a swarm of the enemy . Bowie fought to the last from his sickbead. The Mexicans had won a Pyrrhic victory suffering more than 1500 casualties. Forty six days after the fall ,less than 800 Texans and American volunteers led by General San Houston defeated Santa Anna and his army of 1300 at San Jacinto. Shouting ¨Remember the Alamo¨ Houston's men completely routed the Mexicans in a matter of minutes, killing 630 while losing only 8. Santa Anna was captured, and the Republic of Texas was born.
The film is rightly based on historic events , these are the followings : On 23 February 1836 a army of 5000 entered San Antonio. When Santa Anna demanded the surrender, William Travis answered with a cannon shot. So began thirteen day siege that ended with the Mexicans storming the fortress, the defenders, to a man , fought on until death .With bugles sounding the ¨deguello¨(signifying no quarter to the defenders) attacked the adobe walls from all four sides and broke through. Travis was shot dead over his cannon . Crockett using his rifle as a club, fell under a swarm of the enemy . Bowie fought to the last from his sickbead. The Mexicans had won a Pyrrhic victory suffering more than 1500 casualties. Forty six days after the fall ,less than 800 Texans and American volunteers led by General San Houston defeated Santa Anna and his army of 1300 at San Jacinto. Shouting ¨Remember the Alamo¨ Houston's men completely routed the Mexicans in a matter of minutes, killing 630 while losing only 8. Santa Anna was captured, and the Republic of Texas was born.