Monday, March 2, 2015

Watching The Alamo For Santa Ana On Texas Independence Day

Today, March 2, 2015 is Texas Independence Day, celebrating that day, way back on March 2, 1836 when 59 "Texicans" signed a document declaring the separation of the Mexican state of Texas, from Mexico, creating a new nation, called Texas, which lasted about 10 years as an independent republic before opting to become one of the states of the United States.

I do not know how I will be celebrating Texas Independence Day today.

Watching one of the movies made about The Alamo would seem a good way to celebrate Texas Independence Day.

Long ago I watched the 1960 version of The Alamo, with John Wayne as Davy Crockett.

Two months ago, in January, I watched the 2004 version of The Alamo, with Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett.

I suspect the 2004 version of The Alamo is more historically accurate than the 1960 version, although the 2004 depiction of Mexican general, Santa Ana, seemed a bit odd, making him to be a bit of a martinet buffoon, which maybe he was, for all I know.

Santa Ana did lose, after all, rather spectacularly, shortly after the rout at The Alamo, in the Battle of San Jacinto, with Santa Ana captured and agreeing with Sam Houston's demand that all of Texas be made independent of Mexico.

Hence Texas.

Had Santa Ana prevailed at the Battle of San Jacinto where would all us Texans be now? In Mexico?

I suspect that Texas was destined to become part of America, one way or the other, eventually, the same way California, Arizona and New Mexico were lost to Mexico.

Anyway, if you have not watched the 2004 version of The Alamo, you might want to give it a Texas Independence Day viewing. The battle scenes are well done, as war movies go, at least to my eyes, which are not all that fond of war movies...

1 comment:

Steve A said...

My celebration consisted of packing for a flight to Seattle. In the proper spirit, I'm taking a cowboy hat along