Americas 250th Birthday Cinemathon #34: Rough Riders (1997)

 

Most of the movies I’ve watched have taken place within the confines of today’s United States. With Rough Riders, America starts to take a more active role on the global stage. Back in the 1890s, a not entirely accurate press whipped up support for Cuban independence from Spain. After the destruction of the military USS Maine  (long proven to have been an accident and not a Spanish plot) off Havana, Cuba, the US declared war and ended up with several overseas possessions. The idea of creating an overseas empire was extremely controversial at the time, with detractors seeing it as an attempt to emulate the aggression of European powers and the defenders believing it would serve America’s economic interests or, as Theodore Roosevelt believed, keep America’s heroic frontier spirit alive.

The Spanish-American War was an extremely lopsided victory for the United States. Naturally, the only part of the war that could warrant a heroic war film were the land battles in Cuba, where Teddy Roosevelt and his volunteer Rough Riders would distinguish themselves at San Juan Hill. Such a film materialized as a TNT miniseries thanks to Roosevelt fans Tom Berenger and John Milius. Berenger was the initiator, having gotten the idea while playing James Longstreet in Gettysburg. He wasn’t going to direct, however, and chose John Milius for the job.

Milius had already filmed Roosevelt in his 1975 epic The Wind and the Lion, where Brian Keith (who plays President James McKinley for a couple scenes in Rough Riders) turned in an incredible performance as the 26^th president (I almost added this movie to my list to get more Roosevelt, but alas this is his solo appearance). Milius, a rare firm conservative in Hollywood, perhaps saw himself in Roosevelt, as both used mental and physical dedication to overcome a sickly childhood.

Mini-Series Review: Death by Lightning (2025)

 

As far as the general public is concerned, one of the most least known parts of American history is what occurred in the eastern part of the nation between the Civil War and the rise of Theodore Roosevelt. This is ironic, because the most filmed part of American history is probably the Old West of the same period. So imagine my pleasant surprise when, just a week before its release, I learned there was a four-part Netflix series on President James Garfield and his assassin Charles Guiteau!

James Garfield is one of the most fascinating and over-looked figures in American political history. Born into a poor Ohioan family and raised for most of his childhood and youth by a single mother, He became a voracious reader and was noted for his vast knowledge as an adult. Initially a teacher, he entered politics as a Republican and an Abolitionist. In the Civil War Garfield joined the Union Army and, with quite a bit of good fortune, rose to the rank of brigadier-general before leaving the army to become a US Representative as well as a lawyer. In 1880 he went to the Republican Convention in New York to support John Sherman as presidential candidate, but surprisingly found himself nominated after he gave a rousing speech defending certain delegates from expulsion (the speech is one of the more historically altered moments in the show).

Movie Review: Last Samurai (2003)

 Last Samurai, directed by Edward Zwick, is inspired by real historical events in 19th Century Japan. Japan has recently opened up to the outside world and is rapidly modernizing. In order to accomplish this successfully, the Meiji government brings in many foreign advisors to build them up. The main character is Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), who comes to Japan to train its army. He is also expected to help lead it against the titular Last Samurai, rebellious warriors under Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) who believe that Japan's rapid modernization has enabled corrupt and greedy individuals to gain power over the Emperor at the people's expense. Impressed by Algren's ferocity and courage, Katsumoto has him taken prisoner rather than killed after a major defeat for the government. Algren, suffering from personal demons, becomes fascinated by the samurai and finds renewed purpose by helping them instead. It's a bit like Dances with Wolves.

This movie is heavily inaccurate, yet it's awesome and I recommend watching it. It's inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, in which incorruptible samurai Saigo Takamori led a revolution. It also combines elements with the Boshin War (1868-1869). Katsumoto, the coolest characters thanks to Watanabe's performance, is based on Saigo. Like the character in the film, Saigo felt that the Meiji government was moving too fast, and that this enabled many to enrich themselves at the expense of good governance. He and other samurai were also distressed by the loss of privileges they once held, such as guaranteed rice payments and the right to carry swords anywhere. The movie's inspired version on the other hand is more purely conservative, with him and his followers effectively maintaining a pre-modern lifestyle. Thus their war with the government in the film borrows elements from the Boshin War, in which the more conservative shogunate warred with the Meiji faction. Even then the Shogunate employed modern weapons in its armies. Only politically and culturally was it old-fashioned.