this be an excellent film that most have never hear of because it be make for tv ( turner ) and never show in the theater . not much to add except that the film shed light on the short and little known 1898 spanish american war which while trump up by the medium ( newspaper publisher william randolph hurst play superbly by george hamilton ) catapult the up until then isolationist united state on to the world stage for the first time and which give the united state control of spanish territory around the globe cuba and puerto rico the philippine and wake island and guam and the marshall islands . and allow the united state to flex it military might globally for the first time . there be some historical inaccuracy ( such a the imperial german army advisor aid the spanish and director john milius also make the turn of the century imperial germans the bad guy in his 1975 film the wind and the lion in which brian keith play teddy roosevelt a president during an international incident resolve by his big stick diplomacy send the marine . if you like rough rider see the wind and the lion .