''The Immortal Alamo'' is an American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

released on May 25, 1911. ''The Immortal Alamo'' is the earliest film version of the events surrounding the 1836

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

. The film was

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by William F. Haddock, and produced by

Gaston Méliès Gaston Méliès (; February 12, 1852 – April 9, 1915) was a French film director who worked primarily in the United States. He was the brother of the film director Georges Méliès. Biography Gaston and the third and elder Méliès brother, ...

. The film's cast included Francis Ford, Edith Storey,

William A. Carroll William A. Carroll (January 9, 1875 – January 26, 1928), was an American silent film actor. Biography He was born on January 9, 1875, in Manhattan, New York City. Entering films with the ''Selig and Vitagraph'' film company, Carroll starred ...

and one hundred cadets from the

Peacock Military Academy The Peacock Military Academy was a college-preparatory school in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1894 by Dr. Wesley Peacock, Sr., who envisioned "the most thorough military school west of the Mississippi, governed by the honor system, and c ...

. The film was said to be 10 minutes in length, and focused on "pretty girl, shy hero, and a villain" formula during the battle. After the Mexican army lays siege to the mission, Lieutenant Dickenson departs with a dispatch to General

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

. Senor Navarre makes sexual advances on Dickenson's wife, Lucy, who is saved by Colonel

William B. Travis William Barret "Buck" Travis (August 1, 1809 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American lawyer and soldier. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army. He died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. Tr ...

. Navarre is ousted from the mission and provides information on the Alamo to General

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...

so that he can marry Lucy Dickenson. Lieutenant Dickenson returns with reinforcements before the wedding and kills Senor Navarre. The final scene of the film shows Santa Anna surrendering as a "common soldier". The film has been noted as historically inaccurate in its plot, but that it tries for accuracy in its setting. Reviews of the film were mixed and C. H. Claudy's criticism of the film is a striking contemporary account of the film's depiction. No known copies of the film exist today, and it is considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Plot

The film is a historical drama that depicts General

's attack on the

Alamo Mission in San Antonio The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

in the

. The film was made on location in the Alamo and introduced historical figures such as

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

and

. The film has a romance element where Mexican spy Senor Navarre has affections for Lieutenant Dickenson's wife, Lucy. When the Mexican Army lays siege, Colonel Travis calls upon his men to send word to General

and Lieutenant Dickenson volunteers. As soon as he departs, Senor Navarre attempts to charm Lucy Dickenson, but she is repulsed by his advances and is saved from being overpowered by Colonel Travis. Senor Navarre is forced out and proceeds to provide General Santa Anna information on the mission in return for the right to take a survivor to be his bride. After the Alamo falls, only a few women survive, among them is Lucy Dickenson. Senor Navarre holds General Santa Anna to the promise and prepares to marry her the next day. Before the marriage can be performed Lieutenant Dickenson and the reinforcements arrive and capture Senor Navarre. Lieutenant Dickenson avenges his wife's honor by slaying Senor Navarre with his sword. The final scene of the film shows Santa Anna surrendering as a "common soldier".

Cast

* Francis Ford as Senor Navarre, * Edith Storey as Lucy Dickenson *

Padre * William Clifford Lieutenant Dickenson *Mr. Young In response to an inquiry, ''The Motion Picture Story Magazine'' section of "Answers to Inquiries" noted that of the two men leaning against a tree, the one with his hand on it was William Clifford and the private leaning against the tree was Mr. Young.

Production and release

In order to shoot the film,

moved his production and distribution unit, the Star Film Company from its location in New York to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

in January 1910. Méliès promised to produce a historically "correct" depiction of the Battle of the Alamo. The film was directed by William F. Haddock. The film was shot in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and on location at the Alamo. One hundred

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

s from the

portrayed the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National De ...

.Thompson, Frank. ''Texas Hollywood: Filmmaking in San Antonio Since 1910''. San Antonio: Maverick Publishing Company, 2002. p. 27. Wilbert Melville "conceived the idea, designed the plot and formulated the scenario..." for the film. The film was produced with the permission of the mayor. The film was released on May 25, 1911. One estimate of the cast claimed some five hundred people were present in the picture, but this is not supported by other details of the production. An advertisement for the film highlighted the Alamo being bombarded with real cannon, the ride of Lieutenant Dickenson with the dispatch to General Sam Houston, the arrival of Dave Crockett, the death of Bowie, the escape of Rose and the surrender of Santa Anna. One of the first theaters to show the film was the Wonderland Theater which would premier the film on May 27, 1911. One advertisement for the film gave the film's length as 3,000 feet.

Historical accuracy

Richard R. Flores analyzed the lost film and notes that Méliès' production was claimed to have been 10 minutes in length and that it could not make a significant depiction of the battle. The historical accuracy of the film was compromised to carry out the plot of the "pretty girl, shy hero, and a villain". While Lieutenant Almeron Dickenson was a real person and his wife was present at the mission, her name was Suzanna. Suzanna Dickenson and her infant daughter survived the battle, but there is no evidence of a Mexican spy or a marriage attempt. Instead, Santa Anna sent Suzanna north to inform the victory of the Mexican forces to General Sam Houston. Flores cites Rony's labeling of Méliès' productions as a "hybrid documentary and fantasy" and notes that it was an early attempt at a historical documentary based on its attempt at a faithful setting. The uses the Mexicans' as a form of savages in Méliès cinematic motifs. Frank Thompson's analysis of the production notes states that William F. Haddock was delving into the archives to produce an accurate depiction of the Alamo at the studio because the Alamo itself was altered from the time of the battle. Thompson noted that despite the battle being within living memory the "exact reproduction" used a painted canvas backdrop and focused on an entirely fictional plot.

Reception

Motography ''Motography'' was an American film journal that was first published in 1909 and ran until mid-1918. The magazine was published in 1909 and was originally named ''The Nickelodeon'',"Motography." The Bioscope. 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2015 http:// ...

'' included a brief review of the film which states, "This is indeed a well presented historical subject. The action has breadth and historical perspective, with stirring scenes and large groupings, and at the same time there is a human plot threading its way through the historical background and giving the action a specific interest. The last scene, showing Santa Anna's surrender "as a common soldier," is rather obscure. One wonders why he did it. In all other scenes the action is clear and effective. It would be a stolid audience indeed that failed to respond to the thrilling scene inside the Alamo." ''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

''s review stated that " tis a very thrilling and altogether satisfactory reproduction of an important historical episode. The company deserves the highest commendation for the picture and the way it is produced." A negative review in the column "Avoidable Crudites" by C. H. Claudy in ''The Moving Picture World'' found great faults with the production. Claudy wrote. "One hardly conceives of a commander, informed of the approach of a column of the enemy, so far away they are only visible through field glasses, getting sufficiently panic stricken to send immediately for help saying he is besieged by a thousand Mexicans. One imagines he would at least go look and see for himself! And one resents a scene labelled "The Attack," which is so short one can't even look at all of it, said attack being motionless men in a thin line pointing guns at the Alamo! The interior of the Alamo was well done — yet do people stop a desperate defense to go through heroics about a line and fighting to the death? Or do they fight to the death without talking about it? Perhaps the original fighters did go through that line, drawn on the floor, stunt, and agree among themselves to fight till they died, but such desperate fighters didn't all stop fighting at once to discuss the matter. Miss Storey, with a small part, made the most of it, as usual, and gave a convincing presentation of a woman in utter despair, but she deserved a better and less crude setting than she received — and so did her subject." The June 1911 issue of ''The Motion Picture Story Magazine'' included an adapted story written by John Eldridge Chandos from the scenario written by Wilbert Melville. No known copies of the film exist today, and it is considered to be a

. Several movie stills of the film survivedThe Immortal Alamo
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References

External links

*
''The Immortal Alamo'' at SilentEra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Immortal Alamo, The 1911 films Lost American films American silent short films Films shot in San Antonio Films set in San Antonio Films directed by William F. Haddock Films produced by Gaston Méliès American black-and-white films 1911 lost films 1910s American films