Rough Riders (1997)
|
Our Price: $16.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here) Category: VHS Video See more movie releases |
|---|
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
VHS Movie Reviews of Rough Riders (1997)
Movie Review: Rough Riders
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a big fan of history, but this movie made me enjoy it allot.Movie Review: TR comes to life
Summary: 4 Stars
As Roosevelt himself might have said, I was dee-lighted to learn that this made-for-TV movie was getting its long overdue transfer to DVD. I remember when this aired originally on TNT back in the late 90's. Being a huge TR buff I was shocked to here that Tom Berenger was playing the lead role. I really could not picture him as TR. However, from the movie's beginning, a recreation of one of Roosevelt's speeches at the Naval War College, I was floored. And I remain impressed to this day. I never see Berenger in this movie, not one bit. All of it is TR. Tom Berenger is to be applauded for his attention to detail, particularly the voice. But not only the voice -- the mannerisms, the walk, the eyes, and of course, those teeth. I have head a few people comment that Berenger appeared to portray a somewhat cartoonish version of TR. But no, this is Theodore Roosevelt done about as well as Theodore Roosevelt would have played Theodore Roosevelt. The scene that really does it for me is towards the beginning, at a formal dinner function when TR is still trying get his regiment assembled. He is so full of energy that he virtually cannot control himself. Making it a point to talk to everyone, telling them his point-of-view (in full detail), running into people in between, and never letting the fact that his opinions are ill received by some deter him from letting it all hang out. Almost clumsy, not because he was uncoordinated, but because he possessed what could almost be described as too much energy.
The other characters are good, actually very good, but they don't quite mirror their historical counterparts to the degree that Berenger does. Sam Elliot's version of Bucky O'Neil appears to be in his late forties or early fiftes and remarks at one point that he is "Getting to old for this sort of thing." We are also told when we first meet his character that he has killed 30 men. In fact, the real life "Buckey O'Neill" was only 38, was never recorded as killing anyone, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, not the little plot that we see at the movie's end. Still, he was an Arizona Sheriff (from Prescott, not Sidewinder), who was in charge of one of the regiment's groups, and his line, "the Spanish bullet is not made that will kill me" is a least based on Rough Rider folklore.
Other characters are equally enjoyable. Gary Busey has almost too much fun playing General Joe Wheeler, a leftover Civil War General who fancies the Spanish as next generation Yankee troops. While he mentions that he too is getting old early in the film, he looks much younger, thicker, and less bearded then the real-life Joe Wheeler, who looks to be very old and frail in surviving photos from the Spanish-American war. Also there is Brian Keith playing President McKinley. Keith looks nothing like TR's predecessor and probably acts like him even less. His role in the film is obligatory -- he played TR in an earlier Milius Film, the Wind and the Lion. Still, he is fun to watch in his role.
This film takes an interesting approach to telling the story of Roosevelt's volunteer calvary in that a large part of the story is told from the point of view of a semi-fictitious character named Henry Nash. I say semi-fictitious because although history reports there was a Sgt. Nash in the regiment, he was an Arizona School Teacher and not a Stage Coach Robber. According to legend, the real life Buckey O'Neill captured a group of bandits known as the Canyon Diablo train robbers (that part is fact) and one of the bandits, William Sterin, joined the Rough Riders under a different name and was killed on San Juan Hill. In this film he survives the siege of San Juan Hill and is a better man for his experience.
There are those who have been pretty hard on this movie for not being step-to-step with history and accuse John Milius of taking too much of an artistic license. It needs to be remembered that this is not a documentary, but a movie based on historical events. Maybe some historical points do get stretched, but while the Spanish American was was brief, it still takes some doing to put its highlights into a 4 hour movie. Particularly one that is so enjoyable to watch. All of the names, places, and primary events important to the story of the Rough Riders are present, most importantly, the eternal Theodore Roosevelt. One does not need to be a history expert or a TR buff to enjoy watching this movie. In fact it would be an adequate introduction to the Spanish American war for anyone looking to start studying that period in American history.
The only thing keeping me from giving this DVD a 5 star rating is the video quality and the lack of extras. For as long as this movie took to get released onto DVD, one would have hoped for a better image quality. I realize that this was made for TV, so I was not expecting an anamorphic print, but a thorough restoration/re-mastering would have been nice. There are a few scenes that look very nice. But there are several that struggle to look fair, and a few that look like out takes from an early 1970's western. Extras would also have also been a welcome addition. There are plenty of TR documentaries and other material (I would love to hear Berenger talk about becoming TR) that could have been put onto a third disc that would have made this a stellar package. Still its great to have this finally release on DVD, so I'll keep my gripes to a minimum.
Movie Review: Great DVD, a must for collectors of this genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally a war movie about the Spanish American War. The acting was great and it looked very accurate in detail. Especially, Tom Berenger did a good Teddy Roosevelt. I never really knew how the Rough Riders really got started, the movie showed how. I really liked how Gary Busey as General Joe Wheeler, who was a Confederate general during the Civil War, still called the troops "blue bellies". He gave a good performance. Also this was Brian Keith's last performance. If you like war movies or even westerns, this is one for your collection.Movie Review: Rough Riders
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the alltime best movies ever produced. All weapons and uniforms are correct as well as the overall story is historical correct. For the history buff this is out standing. There is enough added "story line" to make a great "normal" movie that my wife and son enjoyed for just the story, but this is a real part of the history of the United States. ShaneMovie Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
The most disappointing thing about this movie is that on the end, the movie is losing it as far as history is concerned. I have read every book on the Spanish American war, including the book Theodore Roosevelt wrote himself, and it is sad that such a well researched series gives in to inaccuracies and stoops to propaganda. What I am referring to is the depiction of German Advisors to the Spanish troops. There is not one word about advisors in any of the books, on the contrary, Theodore Roosevelt speaks of a German Count(German Attache) very well and that he was a "good man"! That the movie lowers itself to not so nice a human trait is disappointing.