User Reviews

"Beau Geste" is a story of the three Geste brothers Michael, Digby and John who end up in the French Foreign Legion and their adventures therein.

The film has a creepy opening sequence where a relief battalion led by Major de Beaujolais (Norman Trevor) arrive at an isolated desert fort and find it apparently deserted. On further inspection, Major Beaujolais finds dead soldiers propped up at each of the openings of the rampart and no apparent survivors within. His trumpeter scales the wall and disappears as do two of the bodies.

To solve the mystery, we go to the flashback of the three brothers and Isabel Rivers playing war games as children. Michael, who is called "Beau" and Digby make a death pact that if one of them dies before the other, the survivor will give the deceased a Viking funeral.

The brothers grow up to be Ronald Coleman (Beau), Neil Hamilton (Digby) and Ralph Forbes (John). John and Isabel (Mary Brian) are a couple. Lady Paricia Brandon (Alice Joyce) has raised the boys following her sister's death. She is experiencing financial difficulties and is forced to bring out the family treasure, the "Blue Water" sapphire with a view to selling it.

The jewel is stolen at a family gathering. Beau takes the blame and flees in disgrace to join the foreign legion. Digby soon follows. He also takes the blame for the theft. John soon follows and catches up with his brothers at the Legion's recruiting station. United once again the brothers meet fellow recruits Hank (Victor McLaglan), Buddy (Donald Stuart) and snake in the grass Boldini (William Powell).

At the fort the men are introduced to sadistic Sgt. Lejeune (Noah Beery). Boldini overhears the boys discuss the Blue Water and believes that Beau has the jewel. He tries to rob Beau one night and is caught. Through him Lejeune learns of the priceless jewel and vows to get it for himself. He then separates the brothers with Beau and John going with him. Digby, Hank and Buddy are sent to another fort.

Some of the soldiers plan a mutiny against Lejeune but he learns of it. As he plots his revenge a large scale attack by Arab forces begins and..........................................

At the film's climax, all of the missing points in the film's opening scenes are explained and the mystery of the Blue Water's disappearance is solved.

The performances in the film are outstanding. Although Ronald Coleman is the star, he doesn't get all that much to do. To me, the film is stolen by Noah Beery as Lejeune. He dominates the action and is feared by all who know him. The battle scenes are amazing. The Arabs on the desert look like a colony of ants scurrying about.

A great film. Remade in 1939 and 1966.

Regarding the above title, I must digress here for a moment, for it reminds me of one of the best Laurel and Hardy short subjects "Beau Hunks"; obviously a takeoff on Beau Geste. Hardy, with Laurel in his footsteps (excuse the pun here), joins the Foreign Legion to forget -- believe it or not -- gorgeous Jean Harlow, and still carries her autographed picture with him wherever he goes. This great little film ends with searching the captured Arab chieftain who, under his burnoose surrenders an assortment of knives, then pleads not to take his last possession, which turns out to be the very same Jean Harlow photo. But to get on with Beau Geste. I have just obtained (with considerable effort) a VHS of this 1926 version, and while of disappointing quality, is still far better than nothing, especially to this writer, who has had a lifelong fascination with the Legion and a regret that I was not also able to wear the "kepi blanc". Other user comments here describe the film commendably, so instead, while I don't consider it nit-picking, I would still like to comment and question a few of the differences in the 1926 and 1939 versions. Unfortunately the 1926 film is silent with only organ accompaniment, nevertheless the film itself is exceptionally well done considering it is now all of 81 years young. A good print would be a joy to see.

Why, for instance, did the 1939 version have a villain "Gussie" playing off against the young Geste's, but no Gussie character in the 1926 film? I did read Beau Geste many years ago but do not remember if this character was included. Brian Donlevy, in the role of his life as Sgt. Markoff, instead of a French Legion sergeant, has now become a sadistic Russian, expelled from a Siberian penal colony (for cruelty) in the 1939 version. 1930's politics, I imagine. Also William Powell's 1926 Italian villain, Boldini, is renamed Rasinov (Russian again), ably played by J. Carrol Naish in the 1939 version. Noah Beery is outstanding in his role as the evil Sgt. Lejaune, nearly as good as his counterpart Donlevy in the later film. Digby Geste in the silent version wanders off to die in the desert, sacrificing himself to save brother John and two other legionnaires, one of these played by the strapping young Victor McLaglen in a minor role. The 1939 Digby meets his end differently, at the hands of an Arab rifleman while blowing his bugle, feigning a Legion attack. As the 1926 Beau Geste winds down John, now back in England, a Legion deserter, makes his confession to family friend and Foreign Legion Major de Beaujolais, expecting arrest. But no, the major, derelict in his duty, refuses to arrest him -- a highly unlikely action either in 1926 or today -- but then we must remember that we are dealing with Hollywood here.

Two great versions of P. C. Wren's novel, with Colman the Englishman more believable as Beau (even without sound, for who can forget that distinctive Colman voice) than the midwestern drawl of Montana cowboy Gary Cooper portraying an Englishman in the talkie. Hard to choose, but if I had my druthers I must go with the 1939 version, mainly because the Beau Geste story is ideal for sound, and also for it's stellar cast, dominated by Brian Donlevy's magnificent performance. He (Donlevy) was nominated for the Academy Award's best supporting actor for the film but lost, I believe, to Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean in The Westerner, also, as in Beau Geste, starring Gary Cooper.