Texas (James A. Michener's Texas) (1994)

As a sweeping dramatic treatment of the founding of the Republic of Texas, Michener's novel is of course the gold standard to live up to. This movie tries, and often resembles the novel, though it's a further stretch to say it resembles a good dramatic movie -- melodramatic is more like it. OK, it gets downright hokey at times, esp. during the battle of San Jacinto when Sam Houston (Stacy Keach) is repeatedly riding in slow-motion as the fog of war flutters by and the Mexican front line just ten feet away ignores him. Another distraction is the out-of-sync dubbing -- you'll think you're watching a foreign film. My favorite characters were Benito Garza (Benjamin Bratt), Mattie (Chelsea Field), and Capt. Sam Garner (Randy Travis) because they best brought the pathos of their struggles to the screen (even if at times in stoic ways). Every other actor had something good to bring to their role; I just wished for more. Complaints of "sex scenes" are overblown: Several florid talking and kissing scenes between Benito and the two women he loved in his life -- clothed or well-wrapped in separate sheets in a dimly lit bedroom -- are not "sex" in any sense of the word, nor are two brief scenes of a woman's bare breasts (one frontal, one from the side) or the freshly bathed buns of Otto McNab (Rick Schroder), nor are three women's faces peering out from Santa Ana's tent on two occasions. (R-rating, my eye!) Incidentally, my 12-year-old son did not go blind (though he did cry "Gross!") at the frontal flash during a morning battle scene. More vital to talk a child through should be the many scenes of battle or outright slaughter -- what I might consider splatter porn from the projectile spluts that almost everyone suffers or dies from (one scene even reminded me of Gallagher). War is always hell and that's a lesson that kids will learn (and cry through, esp. if sweet and Texan) a bit too graphically in this movie. We watched it because we're attending the annual battle re-enactment at San Jacinto tomorrow. 3 stars.