Sunday, August 28, 2022

cinema history class: the last command (1955)

 



As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: Bring Your Own Movie Month (Week 4, Bob-O)
Movie: The Last Command (1955)
Directed by Frank Lloyd

Plot:
Hopelessly outnumbered, a small contingent of American soldiers prepares for an attack by Mexican General Santa Anna.  Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:
This movie incorporated a lot of fictionalized elements into the story of the Alamo -- a story which is part of the historical record. Most notable among these is a personal friendship between Jim Bowie and General Santa Anna. One can debate whether this was a mistake -- given that nature of the events, I can understand a desire not to make things up.

That said, I wasn't at all bothered by these liberties that were taken with the history. I would have a different opinion if the movie were billed as a documentary. In the evenbt, though, Bob-O did have to talk us through some of the depictions to separate fact from fiction. But he's the expert -- there is a reason he goes by the name "Bob Alamo."

There were times when the movie got a bit slow, but the fact is it held my attention throughout. And, though I knew the outcome, there were still enough interesting sideplots to build suspense.

Ratings
Me: 8
Christina: 8.5
Dave: 9.8
Ethan: 8
Joe: 10 (using his special genre scale, 9.8 in the real world)
Keith: 8.5

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