This film is different from the John Wayne film "The Alamo" because instead of focusing on action, "The Last Command" focuses on the causes of the War for Texan Independence that led up to the Alamo. Because of this, the movie puts a context for the rebellion--something that wasn't all too clear in Wayne's huge epic. While not all the reasons are explored (there were Texans who wanted to bring slavery into the territory--something Mexican law did not allow), the dictatorial policies of President Santa Ana were explored. History does record that Santa Ana was a rather inept leader and he sure did do a lot to encourage the revolution--not just in Texas but in other Mexican states.
Sterling Hayden plays James Bowie--the man who popularized a knife now known after him and one of the leaders at the Alamo. Unlike what I expected, Bowie was played as a very even-tempered man--a man who was initially unsure which side he was on in the war. Slowly, Bowie sees Santa Ana's excesses as justification for independence and I appreciated how he wasn't played as some macho hot-head.
As far as the historical accuracy of the film, it's not easy to do a film on the life of Bowie, as there really isn't a huge amount of information about the man. Oddly, however, what history does record about Bowie is generally not discussed in the film--such as the deaths of his wife and children in the years preceding the Battle of the Alamo. But, there are no major historical flaws, either--a plus.
Earlier I mentioned John Wayne's film, "The Alamo". While I think the Wayne film is better than most give it credit for, it is very odd that he sank so much energy and cash into making this film just five years after "The Last Command". And, both films are nearly equal in quality--though "The Last Command" cost a small fraction of the 1960 film and was a bit less long-winded--giving much more bang for the buck. "The Alamo" is better showing the grandness of the battle. It had a lot of extras playing Mexican soldiers, while "The Last Command" clearly only had a hundred or so extras dressed in Mexican uniforms in order to save money! But, "The Last Command" is also clearly better when it comes to portraying individuals and the reasons for the war--making it a much more personal and enjoyable film for me. The only part of the film I really disliked was the macho bull crap fight between Hayden and Ernest Borgnine near the beginning of the film--wow did that come off as stupid!
Sterling Hayden plays James Bowie--the man who popularized a knife now known after him and one of the leaders at the Alamo. Unlike what I expected, Bowie was played as a very even-tempered man--a man who was initially unsure which side he was on in the war. Slowly, Bowie sees Santa Ana's excesses as justification for independence and I appreciated how he wasn't played as some macho hot-head.
As far as the historical accuracy of the film, it's not easy to do a film on the life of Bowie, as there really isn't a huge amount of information about the man. Oddly, however, what history does record about Bowie is generally not discussed in the film--such as the deaths of his wife and children in the years preceding the Battle of the Alamo. But, there are no major historical flaws, either--a plus.
Earlier I mentioned John Wayne's film, "The Alamo". While I think the Wayne film is better than most give it credit for, it is very odd that he sank so much energy and cash into making this film just five years after "The Last Command". And, both films are nearly equal in quality--though "The Last Command" cost a small fraction of the 1960 film and was a bit less long-winded--giving much more bang for the buck. "The Alamo" is better showing the grandness of the battle. It had a lot of extras playing Mexican soldiers, while "The Last Command" clearly only had a hundred or so extras dressed in Mexican uniforms in order to save money! But, "The Last Command" is also clearly better when it comes to portraying individuals and the reasons for the war--making it a much more personal and enjoyable film for me. The only part of the film I really disliked was the macho bull crap fight between Hayden and Ernest Borgnine near the beginning of the film--wow did that come off as stupid!