By Alfredo Torres, Jr., For the Express-News – LMTOnline.com – Photo: Billy Calzada | San Antonio Express-New.
One of the funniest films to poke fun at the cinematic history of the Alamo is “Viva Max!” The movie stars Peter Ustinov as the quixotic Mexican general who decides to retake the Alamo in modern-day Texas. The film premiered in December 1969, with slapstick portrayals of Mexican soldiers by Anglo actors and a Texas National Guard led by Jonathan Winters, a hapless part-time brigadier general and furniture store owner. Both sides carry unloaded weapons. “Viva Max!” is a bloodless Greek comedy poking fun at Texas mythology, with Ustinov (Max) portraying a modern-day Don Quixote, chasing windmills for a long-forgotten cause.
