Sean Connery – who appears on screen for thirty minutes at most – stars as a dashing desert brigand who, in turn of the century Morocco, kidnaps an American woman (Candice Bergen) and her two children and takes off across the dunes with them, hoping to embarrass the sultan. Playful banter between Connery and Bergen ensues, while her children take to becoming desert Lost Boys.

President Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith, who walks away with the movie), uses the abduction as a platform for his “big stick” foreign policy, seeking to blow “an American wind” across both oceans and face down tyranny with “democracy.” His answer is to send the Marines into Morocco and provoke a near world war with the Germans.

Elegantly envisioned, ambitiously made “boys’ adventure” written and directed by John Milius bares little to no resemblance to actual historical events, but as a homage to David Lean, is glorious to watch.

With photography by Billy Williams and a rousing musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, Milius faithfully recreates the epic vistas and romanticism of Lawrence of Arabia (creatively lensing the entire production in Spain) while also telling the story of a macho yet textured U.S. president who matches wits with his Arab opponent, whom he comes to respect greatly.

Brian Keith is so terrific as “TR” that we wish Milius had made a three-hour biopic of the president, with the Moroccan business thrown in somewhere in the middle. Bergen gives a decent performance (she is a natural equestrian) but her role is so underwritten by Milius and we never buy that anything interesting is happening between her and Connery.

The film owes much to Lean and Rudyard Kipling, and Milius did not let historical facts come in the way of a good yarn. There is much good humor and near slapstick throughout (including Bergen participating in the climactic shootout with the U.S. Marines), but it’s elegantly staged slapstick.

Milius was never given much due as a director, but his work from 1975-1982 with The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday and Conan the Barbarian reflect an imaginative visual palette and zeal for gloriously told boys’ adventures.