Remember "The Alamo?" Fifty years ago, actor John Wayne and crew set up shop outside of Bracketville, Texas, to film an ambitious re-telling of the epic story of the Battle for Texas Independence. "The Alamo" was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. It won one award for its impressive sound design. Although there have been subsequent films of the Alamo story, many people still hold John Wayne’s version close to their hearts.
One of those persons is Robert Harris, the esteemed film restoration expert whose restorations of "Lawrence of Arabia," "Vertigo," and "Rear Window" were nothing short of revelatory in the way they brought new life to those movies. Harris is turning his attention next to "The Alamo." The film, shot in 1959, is in dire need of a full restoration, a process that Harris says will take about 10 – 12 months. The effort is being funded through corporate donations only at this time, so if you know someone high up at your place of business that would like to have their company’s name stamped on a piece of Texas movie history, here’s the address to write to:
Jacob Burns Film Center
405 Manville Road
Pleasantville, NY
10570
Attn: Dominick Balletta
All contributions are tax deductible.
For further reading, here’s a link to an article from The Digital Bits, penned by Mr. Harris.
