"The Alamo"s Status? (1 Viewer)

[Richard V]

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

Quote borrowed from Donald Rumsfeld

Not sure I know what he means.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Basically what Donny Rumsfeld meant when he said that was don't bother asking me any questions because I'm not giving you any answers.

The status of The Alamo is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma...well, according to Churchill anyway.

 

[Mike Boone]

Yes, but if The Alamo is allowed to deteriorate any more, it will fall out of its wrapping, and its intended look will become even more of a mystery to those who never saw it in its early releases.

 

[RolandL]

The plot thickens! As has been posted in another thread this is being aired on MGM HD starting in two weeks, very interesting also to see two different runtimes, I would bet it will be the 161 minute version as the longer version just won't fit in the allocated time slots.

From the MGM HD search results, these can be checked here:
http://www.mgmhd.com/

Search results for: the alamo

Fri
Mar 4
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Sat
Mar 12
7:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Sun
Mar 20
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

161min., Rated NR

Fri
Mar 25
12:00
am

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Mon
Mar 28
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Didn't TCM do the same with Raintree County - have a running time listed as 187 minutes but shown within a 3 hour time slot?

 

[OliverK]

Didn't TCM do the same with Raintree County - have a running time listed as 187 minutes but shown within a 3 hour time slot?

Yes, that's what they did and it was the general release version in the end.

 

[RolandL]

The plot thickens! As has been posted in another thread this is being aired on MGM HD starting in two weeks, very interesting also to see two different runtimes, I would bet it will be the 161 minute version as the longer version just won't fit in the allocated time slots.

From the MGM HD search results, these can be checked here:
http://www.mgmhd.com/

Search results for: the alamo

Fri
Mar 4
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Sat
Mar 12
7:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Sun
Mar 20
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

161min., Rated NR

Fri
Mar 25
12:00
am

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

Mon
Mar 28
10:00
pm

The Alamo
Davy Crockett (John Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) die defending the Texas fort against Mexican soldiers in 1836.

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey | Directed By: John Wayne

192min., Rated NR

I asked on their Facebook page and their response:

We are currently showing the 161 minute version of The Alamo.

 

[OliverK]

Too bad. Also, nobody should get their hopes up regarding some kind of proper HD quality for this one. In Germany they just dared to show The Hallelujah Trail in some kind of SD upconvert in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio version that looks to have even lower resolution than their airings of The Greatest Story Ever Told in the US. I would not be surprised to see the same roughly SD quality for The Alamo, too.

 

[LouA]

It's definitely looking like we'll never see any proper restoration of the long version of the Alamo in any format. I never realized that MGM was such a lousy company . It's a shame this film
(and others ) wound up with them.

 

[Robert Harris]

It's definitely looking like we'll never see any proper restoration of the long version of the Alamo in any format. I never realized that MGM was such a lousy company . It's a shame this film
(and others ) wound up with them.

Once again, the problem is not with the long version. It's with the short version.

RAH

 

[RolandL]

MGM HD Facebook responded again and said the following when I asked why they had 192 minutes listed for some days and 161 minutes on other days:

Yes! Funny, we noticed it too. We're updating it in our system to reflect the accurate run time. When that 192 minute version airs, we'll be sure to let you know about it here. Hope you enjoy!

But their web site still says 192 minutes so they have not changed it.

 

[Robert Harris]

MGM HD Facebook responded again and said the following when I asked why they had 192 minutes listed for some days and 161 minutes on other days:

Yes! Funny, we noticed it too. We're updating it in our system to reflect the accurate run time. When that 192 minute version airs, we'll be sure to let you know about it here. Hope you enjoy!

But their web site still says 192 minutes so they have not changed it.

Don't know what's wrong with you people.

Film has been fully reconstructed and restored from pristine 65mm OCN as well as other elements.

What are you questioning?

Gorgeous and perfect!

 

[trajan007]

OK --- OSCAR FOR 'BEST ACTOR'

 

[RolandL]

Don't know what's wrong with you people.

Film has been fully reconstructed and restored from pristine 65mm OCN as well as other elements.

What are you questioning?

Gorgeous and perfect!

Yes, your right. I forgot about the wonderful restored roadshow Blu-ray's of The Greatest Story ever Told and Hawaii that MGM and TT released.

Also, I see the running time is now 192 minutes for all March showings. Although the 192 minutes is withing the 180 minute time. I guess they will just speed up the film from 24 to 30 frames per second so it will fit. We are all so stupid we won't notice the difference.

 

[Brian Husar]

Oh RAH, I love your humor. You should revist The Color Of Money blu ray review you did and do it in a sarcastic way.

 

[OliverK]

Ever since Kerkorian had them sell everything including the chariot from Ben-Hur to fund their casino business MGM has been all about class and quality.

 

[Mike Boone]

There are actually few faults in The Alamo, in its present form, that can't be eliminated by viewing the film through studio approved rose colored glasses, that are simultaneously being worn under a pair of slightly smudged Foster Grant sunglasses.

 

[RolandL]

mgmhd.com changed the running time for all showings to 161 minutes.

 

[Tom St Jones]

My Christmas 2016 wish (one of many I'll have by then, I'm sure):

That MGM makes themselves some 8k or 10k (or whatever) backup digital copies of that pristine 65mm print they have of the "The Alamo" which they've so lovingly housed and cared for all these years, and then donates the damned thing - the print, I mean - to UCLA or the Library of Congress or the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame or SOMEBODY who will take reasonably good care of it... possibly even nurse it back to some measure of health...

 

[OliverK]

My Christmas 2016 wish (one of many I'll have by then, I'm sure):

That MGM makes themselves some 8k or 10k (or whatever) backup digital copies of that pristine 65mm print they have of the "The Alamo" which they've so lovingly housed and cared for all these years, and then donates the damned thing - the print, I mean - to UCLA or the Library of Congress or the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame or SOMEBODY who will take reasonably good care of it... possibly even nurse it back to some measure of health...

substitute print with negative and I am with you

there are still several prints around of the general release version but only one negative

 

[David_B_K]

Just as an FYI, Sunday, March 6, 2016 marks the 180th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo.