Rough Riders

Buy This Item Rough Riders by Turner Home Ent  Available from Amazon  $11.49  on 9-20-2008     In 1898 the US government, led by Theodore Roosevelt (Tom Berenger) back when he was still a young, ambitious Naval Secretary, intervenes on the side of the Cuban rebels in their struggle against Spanish rule. Always ready for action, Roosevelt leaves the confines of the sidelines and forms a volunteer cavalry regiment which later became infamously known as the "Rough Riders." Roosevelt's regiment brings together volunteers from all corners of the nation to fight against a far superior adversary in one of the most rousing victories in American history. Reader Reviews 1997's "The Rough Riders" was originally broadcast as a two-part television movie. Its exceptional quality and compelling story have given it a long afterlife, first on VHS and now on DVD. The United States went to war with Spain in 1898 over the status of Cuba, a Spanish colony in rebellion. Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, was one of the most outspoken advocates of war against Spain. Once the war was underway, Roosevelt put his money where his rhetoric had been and helped organize a volunteer cavalry regiment for the anticipated campaign in Cuba. The regiment, thanks in part to Roosevelt's recruiting efforts, was an unusual mixture of cowboys, desperadoes, Ivy League athletes, and some old sweats from the Regular Army. The movie follows the Rough Riders to Cuba, where they fought dismounted for lack of transport to move their cavalry mounts. The Rough Riders would distinguish themselves in the assault on the Spanish lines outside Santiago De Cuba, in the famous charge up San Juan Hill. Roosevelt's leadership of the Rough Riders was the making of his political career. He would become, successively, Governor of New York, Vice President, and President of the United States, and would receive a posthumous Medal of Honor for San Juan Hill. The movie is extraordinarily well-cast. Tom Berenger is pitch-perfect as Roosevelt, with his boundless enthusiasm making up for a lack of military experience. Gary Busey is priceless as General Wheeler, an aging former Confederate officer who commanded the U.S. expedition to Cuba and occasionally forgot who he was fighting. Chris Noth has a brillant cameo as one of the Ivy Leaguers, quoting Shakespeare's "Henry V" during the famous charge. Sam Elliot does his standard stalwart turn as Bucky O'Neill, one of the NCO's who helped whip the regiment into fighting trim in time for the move to Cuba. This movie is very highly recommended both as an entertaining movie and as a painless piece of education on a largely forgotten war.

Rough Riders Available from Amazon Price: $11.49 Updated on 9-20-2008.

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