The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory | High Noon Part 2 DVD | Alec Baldwin, James Arness, Lee Majors | Western Movie Collection | Perfect for History Buffs & Film Enthusiasts

I consider this my generation's Alamo movie. I remember it airing on NBC. It came out during the period of the sequicentennial, the 150th anniversary of Texas. It has its warts, not factually accurate in some areas (i.e. Crockett wearing a cowboy hat rather than the famed coonskin cap), and it uses old footage from previous Alamo battle movies and re-uses the same footage over and over again (Travis shot the same guy 2 or 3 times with the same flintlock pistol, which can't be reloaded that quickly under duress).That said, I still enjoy this movie every time I see it. If I'm in the mood to see a movie about the Alamo, I turn to this one, because it's the one I grew up watching. A young Alec Baldwin did a fantastic job as William Barrett Travis. And Raul Julia's turn as Santa Anna was spectacular. He was scripted to be a strong villain, and Julia was outstanding filling out the role that way. I really enjoyed James Arness and Brian Keith as Bowie and Crockett, and the way the tension and interaction between the commanders was portrayed. That's really the key to this movie, Travis comes of age as he has to take full command, Bowie learning to respect the kid, Crockett trying to ease tensions between the two. Travis' character was dolled up into being this "pure" rookie who's in over his head. The actual Travis was probably much more complicated, and I doubt he treated his servant Joe that well, but for the purposes of this picture, it reinforces the "angelic good guy" motif for Travis, vs the worldly, "been there, seen it and done it all" Bowie, adding more to that tension. Good performances by various characters that add to the overall movie. Probably each story could become its own movie, but for the purposes of the movie/miniseries, they add to the overall picture.It's not perfect, it has its flaws, but again, it's the Alamo movie of my generation.