The Alamo

Yekta Cengiz

21510601

The tale of Alamo is a well know one, and how couldn’t be? Steadfast Americans defending

their right of living by their own rules to their last breath, it embodies everything the

American people value in themselves, union in the face of tyranny, sacrifice in the name of

freedom and facing death head-on without any fear. This tale has been showcased in cinema

many times, mostly in the same way, the brave Americans face off against the of the Mexican

army which are shown as drunk violent thugs, a stark contrast to the dignified defenders The

Defenders continue to holdout in Alamo with legendary folk heroes like Davy Crockett and

James Bowie until they are finally overwhelmed. But the Mexican’s treatment of the dead

causes the neural citizens to join up with remaining Texan soldiers to strike back against

Santa Anna in a surprise attack that wins them their freedom.

That is how most showcasing of the battle goes, an American victory brought on with

American blood, defending their freedom against oppressors. And Hancock’s version is no

different on this matter, the spotlight is still on the Americans and their heroic struggle to

defend their land and their rights. But there are parts of it that help it stands against some of

the other movies that cower the alamo, the treatment of the Mexican army. As stated before in

some of older works the Mexican army is nothing but a horde of Thugs under the rule of

greedy conqueror with delusions of grandeur who slaughters innocents to gain more glory for

himself.
While the portrayal of Santa Anna is not much changed from the older works despite more

attention given to him, the treatment of the Mexican army is far more changed, gone is the

almost cartoonishly bloodthirsty thugs, The Mexican army is shown here as a professional

army filled with men who are just doing their job, following the commands given to them

while showing respect to the defenders of Alamo. One scene that showcases the mutual

respect is when Crockett joins the army’s band with his violin and soldiers quietly smile at the

display, a small act that shows the audience that the Mexican army are just men doing their

duty, just like the Alamo’s defenders.

The attempt of exploring the ideas and reasons of both sides may not seem that

groundbreaking to the modern audiences as the times have moved on so have the ways people

view and discuss subjects has changed, one must remember that the retelling of this tale has

always placed the Americans first and the Mexicans last, for what was this tale if not of one of

American bravery? And those who would stand against brave Americans couldn’t be anything

but villains? And while the spotlight does not stary much from the Alamo it is significant

improvement in regards of showing more than one side of the conflict. İts easy to instantly

take the side of the defenders and condemn the Mexicans as just killers without any care for

their reasons for fighting.

But even with these changes of perspective the Alamo is still a tale of American bravery, and

perhaps it is not a terrible thing that is seen as such, while its portrayal of the Mexicans might

be problematic, especially in the current era, for perhaps The idea behind why the last stand at

the Alamo is so important is not because it’s the Americans that are the victors, but the

reasons that they have fought a losing battle,. The virtue that they showcased resonated with

other Americans, showing them the best of what they can be.