Beau Geste (1939)

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The story had such good potential, but the talents of the leading actors were simply wasted. Future Academy Award winners, Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, and Susan Hayward, unfortunately, were given scripts that were totally amateurish and wooden.By strange irony, however, Brian Donley is brilliant as the sadistic sergeant Markov. Blessed by a powerful script, Donley gives one of the finest best supporting roles in Hollywood history. Whenever I watch this movie, I often just fast forward to the scenes featuring Sgt. Markov ... so deliciously evil with his cocked eye and imposing demeanor.

How, in the middle of a desert, did they find stone to build the fort? Or to build the oasis walls? Why are they dressed in such heavy uniforms in the desert? The only one I ever saw sweating was a few beads of sweat on Markov while he was setting up the dead soldiers on the battlements. The Tuaregs (the enemy) are portrayed like they used to portray "Indians" in cowboy movies, completely anonymously and as "bad guys". Ignores the fact that the French Legion had no business being in North Africa at the time other than as an imperialist power. Why would Digby stand straight up in full view of the enemy and blow his bugle? Did he have a death wish? Why would Markov have tolerated his little sycophant (played by J. Carroll Naish) since he was a completely untrained soldier and coward? Contradicted everything Markov stood for. It took place in England, but none of the brothers had English accents (though the young Donald O'Connor tried to produce one)? Susan Hayward was totally wasted with only a few lines and just there to look pretty. If she was raised as a sister to the brothers, it makes no sense that one would have been in love with her since childhood.Just too many holes making this movie awfully dated. The only decent acting was done by Brian Donlevy (Markov).

I first saw this back in the '60's when little, seen it umpteen times by now over the decades and still love it. The classic first novel of the Beau trilogy by P. C. Wren was an excellent read ("the mystery and adventure story of a generation" first published in 1924), but both the 1926 and 1939 films were special too and each added something of their own to the tale while staying as faithful as possible. It was perhaps also the first time I understood and appreciated the purpose of a flashback, with the grim opening fully explained by the logical ending.In the desert a Foreign Legion relief troop comes across Fort Zinderneuf being defended from the native Touaregs by seemingly motionless legionnaires. Previously in England a sapphire worth GBP 30,000 is stolen seemingly by one of the three inseparable Geste brothers played by Cooper, Preston and Milland – who escape possible retribution by joining the Legion. There they and the rest of the troop become soldiers under the "trifle uncouth" leadership of Sgt Markoff played by Donlevy. It's a fabulous story fabulously played and fabulously produced, rich in adventure, emotion and good old fashioned honour, duty, devotion and courage. Everyone – and I mean everyone in the marvellous cast gives one of the best performances of their careers; watching this it's even hard to recall some of the clinkers Milland was involved with when he was older! There's so many memorable bits, from the naval battle when they were children to Rasinoff laughing like a mirthless hyena in the tower at Zinderneuf; the funeral promise movingly fulfilled; but especially cinematic was the rolling and running down the sand dune sequence by Preston and Milland.One of my all time favourites: it's Art, utterly gorgeous in its bright black and white. But it's always seemed to me that the major Hollywood studios had to try very hard to produce a film that was less than very good in 1939; it wasn't quite the same after that wonder year. However, the future onslaughts of TV and rock & roll would have curtailed the making of routinely decent movies like this anyway. This is an entertainment classic that even though probably now incomprehensible in its mores to many people will outlast the many already incomprehensible films made today such as Man Of Steel. Give me Men Of Gold any day.

*Spoiler/plot- Beau Geste, 1939. Most men join the French Foreign Legion to forget, the three Geste's brothers joined to be forgotten by everyone. They're running from a family scandal of the theft of a missing 'Bue Water' sapphire. But their troubles are overshadowed in the burning Sahara desert under the tyranny of a sadistic sergeant and defending a desert fort from the native uprising Arab riflemen.*Special Stars- Gary Cooper, Ray Millard, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, J. Carrol Nash, Broderick Crawford.*Theme- Family is all important.*Trivia/location/goofs- B & W. One of the most remade film stories/plots in film history. Fort was in Yuma, AZ. The French flag is flying before a soldier is ordered to climb the tower to put it up. Several University of San Deigo students discovered the Location of the fort and then shot their own version of Beau Geste in the 40s.*Emotion- This is the best and most memorable version of the Beau Geste script. The wonderfully casted and acted lead roles make this film the hallmark of how the other remakes are judged. A gem of an entertaining and dramatic film that everyone should see at least once.