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The culprits are a renegade gang; working for the enemy General
Santa Anna, lead by Jess Wade (Victor Jory).
Lieutenant Lamar (Hugh O'Brian), and the nearby town's leading
citizen (John Gage), accuse Stroud of being a deserter and
coward. Only Beth Anders (Julia Adams) and a boy, Carlos (Mark
Cavell), have faith in him.
The town is about to be attacked by Mexican troops. It can't
be defended so the citizens flee in a wagon train. Against
their better judgement they are forced to trust John Stroud.
Will he save them?
The Man From The Alamo is a very good picture. A large
number of Westerns have become dated and lost their appeal
to a modern audience, this one hasn't.
This story has a different perspective on the often-filmed
saga of The Alamo. We don't see much of Colonel Travis, Davy
Crockett and Jim Bowie; we see more of their men and get an
inkling of why they are sacrificing their lives in such a
hopeless situation.
All the actors are convincing. In particular Glenn Ford is
flawless as the tough rancher; at times ruthless, who kills
when he has to, yet retaining humanity, in addition he rides
better than most cowboy heroes.
The music and photography are exceptional, especially in
the action and landscape sequences. It's the director (Budd
Boetticher) though, who has to be given the accolade.
There isn't any flab, it's tight, it looks real, and it keeps
the action moving from beginning to end. From a director's
viewpoint: one great scene is where the women folk are defending
the wagon train.
They volley fire at the villains, 'Don't shoot until you
see the whites of their eyes,' and reload their guns from
powder horns before the next enemy charge.
The actresses look as if they've been handling muskets from
childhood. It's a pity there isn't a director profile on the
DVD…it would have been worth watching! Universal Studios have
restored the picture and soundtrack to an excellent standard.
Conclusion: Movie 90% Extras - 25%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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