The Alamo pushed back to April '04
10-29-03, 09:34 AM
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Taxachusetts
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Alamo pushed back to April '04
I'm surprised this hasn't been posted here yet. From DarkHorizons:
Variety reports that the Civil War epic originally scheduled for debut during the whole Christmas rush madness has been pushed back to Apri 2004 - a delay of four months which would push the film out of Oscar contention for this year. The immediate reasoning that springs to mind is that the expensive war epic would've been lost amidst the Xmas crush of films including the bigger and flashier war-themed final "Lord of the Rings" movie. "Alamo" might have a bigger star cast including the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric and others but lacks the FX and scale of 'Rings' which would've been its main competition. However, Disney revealed on Tuesday that the postponement was rather due to additional post-production work required on the $80 million near 3-hour film. Disney's boss Dick Cook says "The decision ... was made at the request of filmmakers, who felt they needed additional time to complete this great movie. Too often in Hollywood these days, release dates are set before a film has even completed shooting, and it forces the director into a situation that compromises their work". Director John Lee Hancock says "Post-production on an epic ensemble piece takes time, and no deadline, no prestige release date, no awards season is worth more to me than the movie being fantastic. I owe that to myself as well as the film". Expect a more precise April date to be announced sometime in the New Year.
Variety reports that the Civil War epic originally scheduled for debut during the whole Christmas rush madness has been pushed back to Apri 2004 - a delay of four months which would push the film out of Oscar contention for this year. The immediate reasoning that springs to mind is that the expensive war epic would've been lost amidst the Xmas crush of films including the bigger and flashier war-themed final "Lord of the Rings" movie. "Alamo" might have a bigger star cast including the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric and others but lacks the FX and scale of 'Rings' which would've been its main competition. However, Disney revealed on Tuesday that the postponement was rather due to additional post-production work required on the $80 million near 3-hour film. Disney's boss Dick Cook says "The decision ... was made at the request of filmmakers, who felt they needed additional time to complete this great movie. Too often in Hollywood these days, release dates are set before a film has even completed shooting, and it forces the director into a situation that compromises their work". Director John Lee Hancock says "Post-production on an epic ensemble piece takes time, and no deadline, no prestige release date, no awards season is worth more to me than the movie being fantastic. I owe that to myself as well as the film". Expect a more precise April date to be announced sometime in the New Year.
10-29-03, 10:13 AM
#2
Moderator
This is the first I've heard of this. Christmas is crowded as it is, so I can buy that reason to push it back. But one can only help but wonder what the real reason is for pushing it back 4 months?
10-29-03, 10:15 AM
#3
DVD Talk Special Edition
I have heard nothing but negative things from the preview screenings thus far. I would assume they pushed it back because it would not do well against every thing else opening this holiday season that has potential to be good.
10-29-03, 11:44 AM
#5
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
"Civil War epic"?
10-29-03, 11:51 AM
#6
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: "Sitting on a beach, earning 20%"
Posts: 6,154
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Yeah right! Like a studio ever moved the release date to allow the artists to complete post production to their heart's desire. This thing must suck hard and they don't want to be this years version of what happened to that Star Trek film last year.
10-31-03, 10:06 AM
#17
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Taxachusetts
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm still interested in seeing the Alamo, and I'm actually kind of glad that it got pushed back. There are probably about 10 or 15 movies in December alone that I want to see, and I know that I'm not gonna get to see all of them, so pushing the Alamo back to next spring ensures that I'll get to see it in theatres.
10-31-03, 05:28 PM
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 428
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm also glad they pushed it back, for the crowded market reason, and the artistic reason. Wasn't Titanic endlessly delayed and plagued with rumors of bad screenings, and strife? I though pretty highly of the trailer, so I'm holding out hope. Blame Pearl Harbor on Bay and Affleck
11-11-03, 08:24 AM
#19
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Just read the following posted in the Studio Briefing section over at IMDb.com:
Report: 'Alamo' Was Delayed Because It Discredited Crockett Legend
Last week's announced decision to delay the opening of Disney's The Alamo came after test audiences reacted angrily to the depiction of Davy Crockett as a coward begging for his life in front of General Santa Ana, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has reported. It said that preview audiences told researchers that the film's producers were going overboard to make the film "politically correct" in order to appeal to Mexican-Americans and other U.S. Hispanics. The newspaper commented: "Any Texan worth his lizard skin boots and Willie Nelson albums knows better than to smear the legend of Davy Crockett."
Report: 'Alamo' Was Delayed Because It Discredited Crockett Legend
Last week's announced decision to delay the opening of Disney's The Alamo came after test audiences reacted angrily to the depiction of Davy Crockett as a coward begging for his life in front of General Santa Ana, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has reported. It said that preview audiences told researchers that the film's producers were going overboard to make the film "politically correct" in order to appeal to Mexican-Americans and other U.S. Hispanics. The newspaper commented: "Any Texan worth his lizard skin boots and Willie Nelson albums knows better than to smear the legend of Davy Crockett."
11-11-03, 02:27 PM
#25
DVD Talk Hero
Isn't there a great deal of debate as to how Davey Crockett died at the Alamo? (Also remember a few rumors that he escaped alive and lived out the rest of his life in seclusion.)
There are records that Crockett cried like Santa Ana's bitch after they got their asses kicked, so it's not like this was just pulled out of thin air.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that the "accepted" version of Crockett's demise was bullshit, as the whole Alamo battle has taken on a mythic life of its own.
There are records that Crockett cried like Santa Ana's bitch after they got their asses kicked, so it's not like this was just pulled out of thin air.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that the "accepted" version of Crockett's demise was bullshit, as the whole Alamo battle has taken on a mythic life of its own.