Alamo Restoration

You may have better luck sending him a PM.

Oh and welcome to HTF!

I took some time and compared the General Release DVD to the Roadshow Version Laserdisc to isolate the differences between the two. Often there were entire scenes that were cut for the General Release version, but there were times when only a line or a shot here and there was cut.

I compiled the scenes and uploaded them in four segments to YouTube, and I included a few seconds of footage before and after the alterations to help give context to where the footage was in the movie. As with HAWAII, I wanted a definitive list of what was different - not replying on imdb.com and various comments. Some of the changes were extremely small. I hope someone finds this interesting. It was around 43 and a half minutes of footage that was either cut or altered for the General Release version (and by altered I mean the order of shots in some scenes was rearranged - even though it wasn't cut, I included that footage the way it is in the Roadshow Version in this comparison).

Hope someone finds all of this interesting.

THE ALAMO (1960) Roadshow Footage - 1 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhbytDgimbQ

THE ALAMO (1960) Roadshow Footage - 2 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOrPot-c0Js

THE ALAMO (1960) Roadshow Footage - 3 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ2yk62MxvU

THE ALAMO (1960) Roadshow Footage - 4 of 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11HV09JOars

Here are approx. time codes on the General Release DVD where alterations were made from the Roadshow Version:

00:00 - overture

10:44 - Instead of fade out after "lying crook," Jim Bowie and Jethro talk.

18:57 - instead of dissolve to next scene, Travis talks of Jefferson.

51:39 - cut to alternative angle covers the fact that the rest of the scene was cut - death of Emil - Crockett and Flaca talk

53:33 - part of Crockett's line is missing: "Graciella Carmella..."

55:20 - instead of dissolve to another scene, there is a cut to a scene of Flaca and a woman talking

56:10 - Travis and Bowie have more dialog - Crockett introduces himself first to Travis the way this moment is edited in the Roadshow Version, but it is the other way around in the General Release version

1:00:38 - Crockett and Bowie have a talk about pyrotechnics

1:08:34 - Flaca and Crockett talk about their relationship

1:10:22 - Flaca asks, "Is that what love does, Davy?"

1:21:25 - intermission and entr'acte with song

1:21:50 - man thanking soldiers from Tennessee for helping out and asking why they did so - questioning Crockett's actions - Travis tells Bowie that he will be labeled a traitor if he leaves - Jim gives his report during his dinner, noting how they will have far less men than they hoped

1:41:04 - instead of dissolve, there is a fade to black and then a fade in to the patrol seeing cattle - chased by soldiers on horseback - Seguin arrives with help - birthday party

2:09:45 - impending death of parson mentioned to Crockett

2:10:05 - instead of dissolve there is a scene where the parson is dying

2:21:17 - few extra shots of night and longer song - scene is edited slightly differently

2:22:25 - angry discussion about the afterlife and religion

2:29:14 - shot of another Mexican soldier

2:33:52 - extended shot of soldier falling - it being cut short gives the impression he may not be dead, but in the longer shot he hangs upside down and doesn't move for a while

2:35:47 - additional shot of Mexican soldiers on horseback - from this point on, a chunk of the battle is edited differently

2:37:07 - shot of Crockett writhing after being stabbed is longer

END - Missing exit music
Edited by Chuck Pennington - 4/19/12 at 4:35pm

Good job. Too bad MGM /Fox won't release a complete version similar to what Fox did with South Pacific with the deleted scenes scanned from the laserdisc...

Here is an example of what it would look like if the Laserdisc roadshow footage is editedinto the DVD master with as much color-correction and image realignment as possible to get it to match. Not pretty. :-(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFI0rUyOcmE

I happen to think it's quite good. Much better than the Fox South Pacific. I would purchase such a disc knowing it would be the only version of the complete Alamo short of a full restoration.

Ha.  Exactly.  I don't recall what the South Pacific assembly looks like off the top of my head, but Chuck definitely knows his stuff.