James A. Michener's Texas (also called Texas) is a 1994 ABC television
miniseries directed by Richard Lang
and starring Patrick Duffy as Stephen Austin,
Stacy Keach as Sam Houston, Chelsea Field as Maddie Quimper, Rick Schroder as Otto McNab,
Grant Show as William Travis, David Keith as Jim Bowie, John Schneider as Davy Crockett,
María Conchita Alonso as Lucia, and Benjamin Bratt as Benito Garza.
The film is narrated by Charlton Heston.
Aaron Spelling was the executive producer.
Adapted from the historical fiction novel Texas by James A. Michener,
it includes only the section of the book related to Texas Independence
and the Battle of San Jacinto.
The novel is more wide ranging, starting with Spanish explorer
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and ends in the modern day.
Although produced for television, Texas was released on home video first.
This decision was not due to its quality, but to recoup its $12 million production cost
feasibly as broadcast networks had shied away from expensive productions.
Filmed at Duke's, The Alamo Village
User Review
QuoteDisplay MoreVery Entertaining and Exciting..., 2 June 2001
8/10
Author: bsmith5552 from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I have to admit that I have not read Mr. Michener's book, so I think that I can comment objectively on this movie. Insofar as the movie of "Texas" is concerned, I thought it was excellent.
The story covers a 25 year period between 1821 and 1846 when Texas went from being a Mexican province to an independent republic to a state within the U.S.A. Historical characters are blended with fictional characters to great effect. The direction by Richard Lang is crisp and keeps this sweeping saga both moving and interesting. The cinematography by Neil Roach is simply breathtaking. The battle scenes (including the Alamo) are expertly staged and utilize slow motion to great effect.
The excellent cast includes Stacy Keach as Sam Houston, Patrick Duffy as Steven Austin, Rick Schroder as Otto, Chelsea Field as Mattie, Benjamin Bratt as Garza, Anthony Michael Hall as Quimper and Randy Travis as the first Captain of the Texas Rangers.
As made for TV movies go, "Texas" is definitely a cut above the average.