Search - James A. Michener's Texas on DVD

GREAT MOVIE !

Jason Maxwell | College Grove, TN. USA | 11/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Its hard to believe nobodys written a review of this movie at amazon! I really enjoy reading the customer reviews and how people,s opinions differ so much, but I never thought that I would ever write one but this movie deserves a good review. Let me start by saying this is a long movie (over 3 hrs.) at amazon it states its on one vhs cassete, but the copy of the movie I recieved was on two, recorded in sp mode with superb sound and video as good as any vhs movie. This movie is about how the USA battled and won Texas from Mexico a truly remarkable piece of American history, in this movie the acting is terrific, its the kind of movie that keeps your eyes glued to the screen, this is a must for viewers who like movies with lots of battle scenes, and I think others will enjoy the movie as well. Well I hope to many people dont laugh at my only review but after viewing this movie and due to the fact that no one else had written a review, I felt the need to let people know this is a great movie in fact it is one of my favorates. My final words BUY IT! you wont regret it. PS: Anybody that has seen this movie please write a review , I would love to read your opinions of this movie."

The Last Command 40 years later

T O'Brien | Chicago, Il United States | 04/30/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"James A. Michener's Texas is a quality TV miniseries that tells the story of how Texas became a state. The movie condenses almost 30 years of history into about 3 hours which is one of its bad points. Narrated by Charlton Heston, the miniseries shows Stephen Austin's colonization of Texas, cries for war, the Alamo, the Battle at San Jacinto, and the struggle to help the Republic of Texas survive all while following the story of several fictional characters. The cast for the movie is really very good. It stars Benjamin Bratt, Rick Schroeder, Patrick Duffy, Chelsea Field, Randy Travis, Anthony Michael Hall, Stacey Keach, John Schneider, David Keith and many other notable faces. Bratt is very good as Benito Garza as is Schroeder as Otto MacNab, a young Texas Ranger. Overall, the movie is pretty good, but everything seems a little rushed. For one, the footage from the Alamo attack is from The Last Command made in the 1950's which looks very out of place. Also, San Jacinto is done almost all in slow motion which just doesn't work. Still a good movie though if you're looking for a basic history of Texas."

Educational and entertaining

T O'Brien | 05/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was really better than I thought it was going to be. The acting was good and for the most part the history was correct and interesting. It is well worth the money and time to view this movie and learn a different side of history regarding Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. I love history and if you are a history buff then you will enjoy this movie."

Disappointing

T O'Brien | 09/02/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I wanted so badly to like this movie from the outset. I am a big fan of Michener's multi-generational epic novels, such as Centennial, Texas, Alaska, Chesapeake. When Centennial was produced,it was done as a 12 part miniseries. Sadly, the producers tried to boil a great story (Michener's book) down into a few hours worth of entertainment that resembles very little the basic storyline of the book except the names of the characters. A love story between Matty and Steven Austin? What were they thinking? THe battle scenes were OK, the acting was fine, but the screenplay falls flat. I urge anyone who disagrees with me to get Jim Michener's book and read it (despite it's length). The character development is fantastic in the book - from the backgrounds of the people who settled Texas to the individual stories that were typical of Texans throughout.
The producers wished to make a briefer movie unlike the 12 part Centennial. I just wish they could've stuck to the storyline better. You can add a star to my review if you never read the book."