JohnHowardReid Sterling Hayden (James Bowie), Anna Maria Alberghetti (Consuela), Richard Carlson (William Travis), Arthur Hunnicutt (Davy Crockett), Ernest Borgnine (Mike Radin), J. Carrol Naish (Santa Anna), Ben Cooper (Jeb Lacey), John Russell (Lieutenant Dickinson), Virginia Grey (Mrs Dickinson), Jim Davis (Evans), Eduard Franz (Lorenzo de Quesada), Otto Kruger (Stephen Austin), Russell Simpson (the parson), Roy Roberts (Dr Sutherland), Slim Pickens (Abe), Hugh Sanders (Sam Houston).Director: FRANK LLOYD. Screenplay: Warren Duff. Story: Sy Bartlett. Photographed in Trucolor by Jack Marta. Film editor: Tony Martinelli. Music: Max Steiner. Art director: Frank Arrigo. Set decorators: John McCarthy Jr, George Milo. Costumes: Adele Palmer. Make-up: Bob Mark. Title credits song, "A Man Six Feet Tall" by Sidney Clare (lyrics) and Max Steiner (music), sung by Gordon MacRae (a Capitol Recording Artist). Special effects: Howard Lydecker, Theodore Lydecker. Trucolor processing and optical effects: Consolidated Film Industries. Technical adviser: Captain John S. Peters. Assistant director: Herb Mendelson. Sound recording: Dick Tyler Sr, Howard Wilson. RCA Sound System. Associate producer: Frank Lloyd. Executive producer: Herbert J. Yates. Location scenes filmed in Texas.Copyright 1955 by Republic Pictures Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 3 August 1955. U.K. release: September 1955. Australian release through 20th Century-Fox: 22 June 1956. 110 minutes. (Cut to 106 minutes in the U.K.).NOTES: Other versions include Man of Conquest (1939), The Alamo (1960).COMMENT: After an extremely dull and talkative start, enlivened only by a knife fight between hero Bowie and heavy-but-soon-to-be-friend Borgnine, "The Last Command" settles down to an extremely dull and talkative middle, relieved only by a spot of action between Bowie's irregulars and a small detachment of Mexican cavalry.While we're waiting for the expected slap-up climax, we've got plenty of time to listen to patriotic speeches and much cornball philosophy about liberty and justice. Unfortunately, all this talk seems even less interesting in the mouths of surly and/or dull players. You can always tell a Republic production by the lack of quality in the support cast. In this one, that lack extends to the principals as well. Borgnine is the only player who manages a bit of charisma — and his role is small. We are left with bores like Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, J. Carroll Naish and Eduard Franz. Plus Ben Cooper, one of the dullest juveniles of all time. Plus Miss Alberghetti. It's embarrassing to watch a nice girl trying to make something of the most dreadful dialogue tosh she's handed here. Wait for the scene in which Ben Cooper starts to share some romantic footage with Miss A. and you'll see at least a quarter of the audience leave their seats and walk out. Yes, with players like these, the true critic just knows he's going to be in for a pretty tedious time before the film even starts.Despite the comparatively large-scale budget with lots of uniformed soldiers and location lensing south of the border, Republic's largess didn't extend to decent color. Trucolor with its mismatched grading and unnatural skin colors that vary from deep sun-burnt to the whitest paleface, plus its awful propensity to flood the screen with red and orange, is the least attractive of all non-Technicolor systems.One of the best features of the movie is Max Steiner's music score, though one feels the composer is operating at only half-steam here. Melodic but mild. And as for that atrocious under-the-credits song delivered by Gordon MacRae of all people...As usual, director Lloyd is at his best with the action material. Elsewhere the script lets him down. Badly.OTHER VIEWS: Republic originally wanted John Wayne to star, but Duke wanted to do his own version of the Alamo. All the same, "The Last Command" does have some comparative interest as a scaled-down spectacle. With astute trimming — at least 30 minutes could go — it might even make a halfway passable picture. — G.A.

chuck-reilly Old time director and Hollywood pioneer Frank Lloyd made his final picture ("The Last Command") for Republic Pictures and he didn't have much of a budget to work with. Luckily, Lloyd knew his craft well and got the maximum effects he could despite the monetary restrictions. "The Last Command" is about the fall of the Alamo in 1836 and the main character is Jim Bowie (Sterling Hayden). Hayden supposedly hated this movie and his role in it, but then, Hayden hated nearly all his movies and all his roles, so it's all irrelevant. In fact, he does a fine job as Bowie and carries the film with his riveting performance. Also on hand are Arthur Hunnicut as a very backwoods-type Davy Crockett and Richard Carlson in the thankless role of the stuff-shirted Colonel William Travis. A young and attractive Anna Marie Alberghetti provides the love interest for Hayden and Ernest Borgnine also stars as one of the Alamo's more ferocious defenders. Rounding out the cast is J. Carrol Naish as a somewhat sympathetic General Santa Anna. The real Generalissimo was a ruthless scoundrel who was noted for executing defenseless prisoners; why he's portrayed here as a congenial fellow is beyond the limits of any historical truth. Also stretching reality is the film's depiction of Bowie and Santa Anna as long lost buddies. Despite these obvious plot line gaffes, the action sequences are brilliantly staged by director Lloyd and will satisfy most fans of the genre. Hayden went on to more complicated roles in his career, but according to his biographers, he mostly preferred sailing on his yacht with a well-stocked liquor cabinet. He never cared about his status in Hollywood and consequently his career never attained the heights that many had predicted for him. It's too bad he didn't get the chance to play the real Jim Bowie. That fellow was a slave-trading knife-wielding reckless adventurer who specialized in duels, Indian fighting and deadly barroom brawls. A nice guy he wasn't. As for the rest of the participants of this film, Anna Maria Alberghetti never became a huge star either, but she's still active in the business. Arthur Hunnicut enjoyed a long and successful career in both films and television. Of course, Ernest Borgnine's career has been near-legendary and he remains one of Hollywood's most formidable stars to this day.

ma-cortes In the habitual group of various characters we find the starring Jim Bowie of ¨Bowie knife¨ fame (Sterling Hayden) who held command until stricken with typhoid-pneumonia , Colonel William Barret Travis (Richard Carlson) , commander of the small garrison of some 180 men and Davy Crockett of Tenesse (Arthut Hunnicutt) who had arrived with a dozen volunteers . They're guarding El Alamo against a Mexican militia commanded by General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna , President of Mexico (J. Carroll Nash) . They're featured in more realistic roles than successive films , though here predominates the melodrama . It's a spectacular film hampered by a tiring screenplay and including Max Steiner's excellent score with a title song by Gordon McRae . The motion picture well produced by Republic's founder , Herbert J. Yates, was professionally directed by Frank Lloyd . Subsequently , five years later , John Wayne made his own retelling : ¨El Álamo¨ (1960) , utilizing a lot of the still-standing sets that were used in this movie . The film is rightly based on historic events , these are the followings : On 23 February 1836 a army of 5000 entered San Antonio. When Santa Anna demanded the surrender, William Travis answered with a cannon shot. So began thirteen day siege that ended with the Mexicans storming the fortress, the defenders, to a man , fought on until death .With bugles sounding the ¨deguello¨(signifying no quarter to the defenders) attacked the adobe walls from all four sides and broke through. Travis was shot dead over his cannon . Crockett using his rifle as a club, fell under a swarm of the enemy . Bowie fought to the last from his sickbead. The Mexicans had won a Pyrrhic victory suffering more than 1500 casualties. Forty six days after the fall ,less than 800 Texans and American volunteers led by General San Houston defeated Santa Anna and his army of 1300 at San Jacinto. Shouting ¨Remember the Alamo¨ Houston's men completely routed the Mexicans in a matter of minutes, killing 630 while losing only 8. Santa Anna was captured, and the Republic of Texas was born.

presbypanda I found the movie to be lacking in some key areas. For a movie to be historically based, it should be factually historically based. Some parts of the movie, like the friendship between to key figures, and the cause of the death of James Bowie, were not factually based. One thing I was happy to note, though, was that Susanna Dickenson did really exist like the movie says. But, being a Texan, I was very disappointed in the movie itself.