Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The year was 1939, and the world seemed to be cloaked in an overwhelming sense of dread. After the failure to stop Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland and the consequent military buildup, everyone from France to the United Kingdom to the United States was nervous about Adolf Hitler's machinations in central Europe. Allied reaction to the looming Wehrmacht is expressed in the films each country produced at the time. The French produced what is arguably their greatest cinematic achievement, Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game (1939) a complex and bitter tragic-comedy about an aristocracy blissfully unaware of their own impracticality. The United Kingdom released the ostentatious British-Empire film Four Feathers (1939) and the thriller The Spy is Black (1939) both typifying the trappings of their genre but still fatalistic in theme. Finally there was the United States famous around the world for two things, Hollywood glitz and rebellious bluster; to that end Gone with the Wind (1939) satisfied both criteria to become the most popular film ever.Beau Geste pre-dates Casablanca's (1942) coalition building tale of an American helping European refugees in Vichy France. Beau Geste is the story of three English brothers who join the French Foreign Legion played predominately by Americans and produced by an American studio. The three brothers Beau (Cooper), Digby (Preston) and John (Milland) are adopted by the Brandon Abbas estate headed by lady of the house aunt Brandon (Thatcher). The estate is secured by the possession of "The Blue Water" a supposedly cursed diamond that the never seen patriarch is anxious to sell. The diamond disappears promptly followed by Beau then Digby then John. Both Beau and Digby have left confessions of the theft. While in the Foreign Legion, the brothers are separated in North Africa, John becoming a cavalryman while Beau and Digby remain under the abusive thumb of Sergeant Markoff (Donlevy) at Fort Zinderneuf.In some ways Beau Geste acts like a white man's burden, Christianize Africa, make way for progress, British-Empire film with the appealing call for adventure and the hordes of nameless "savages". Yet there is no talk of colonialism and its supposed good. The novel originally written by P.C. Wren borrowed the title from "Chanson de geste" a genre of medieval French poetry literally translated to "song of good gesture". This manner of poetry celebrated grand adventures and the value of the group or the stock over the individual of romantic poems. They also tended to be epic, bittersweet and cyclical. Beau Geste definitely accentuates the theme of brotherhood, chivalry and good gesture but also hints that that may not be enough.The foil to the brothers is Sergeant Markoff, a Russian born former criminal made cruel by Siberian prisons. This worthy adversary along with fellow Russian Rasinoff (Naish) find out about the diamond and try to betray the brothers much like Russia would betray the Allies with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Yet while he's duplicitous and a tyrant Markoff proves resourceful in battle and practical immediately following a mutiny. After every attack wave of nameless, faceless Arabs, Markoff takes the dead soldiers and props them up on the Fort's embrasures and insists the bugle be played to intimidate the enemy. His resourcefulness is hard won unlike the brothers; at an early point Markoff examines John's hands and states "never done a days work in your life have you?"Yet every important figure in the film comes to realize everyone has their reasons for fighting, none of which will suffice alone. Beau fights for glory, Digby fights for his brothers, John fights to see the lovely Isobel (Hayward) again and Markoff fights because he craves power and control. There are also two Americans in the mix Hank (Crawford) and Buddy (Barton) both of which are hobos who join the French Foreign Legion simply because it provides three square meals a day. There's a moment before the infamous Fort Zinderneuf mutiny where Beau remains loyal to Markoff out of a sense of allegiance to the French Flag. It's a poignant and old-fashioned scene which unlike the rest of the film rings hollow. Is it hollow because on the eve of World War people felt jaded about Nationalism and director William A. Wellman knew it? Did he want to subtly critique the duty-bound works of Rudyard Kipling and H. Rider Haggard? Or does it seem hollow because I, as a contemporary audience member am unable to fully grasp the context?Beau Geste was released in August of 1939. By September, Germany invaded Poland thus stoking the fire of what would eventually become WWII. In the years before the United States entered the war, there were plenty of films that tried the coax the populous into supporting intervention, most made by European refugees. You had Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940), Wyler's Mrs. Miniver (1942) and Lang's Man Hunt (1941) as well as the aforementioned Casablanca which began production days before the Japanese bombardment of Pearl Harbor. While many of these films remain well known to this day Beau Geste has fallen by the wayside despite the presence of Hollywood superstar Gary Cooper. It's a shame too because this film is not only an adventurous row but a bittersweet goodbye to a standard of fortitude gone by. An excellent companion piece to The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Beau Geste should be rediscovered by all.

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.

At the beginning, the title of "Beau Geste" appears for a brief moment elusively in dunes of wind and dust. After this the viewer follows a French platoon discovering a deserted fortress all of whose guards are armed but dead. The incomprehensible mindlessness of war is drawn with simple crude strokes, leaving the audience gasp of astonishment. Taking a few steps back to shed light on the beginning, the film tells the story of three brothers who join the foreign league. During their service they come across with a cruel general, Arabic rebels and moral that is highly questionable. "Beau Geste" is really a basic classic of adventure film but also one of William A. Wellman's highest achievements. In the film, Wellman draws grand yet personal -- both individual and social -- lines of war and misery in a reduced fashion. After WWII he continued such depiction in "Story of G.I. Joe" which immersed deeper into the inhumane world of war. Although "Beau Geste" is very clear in means of narrative, it also features profoundly intense emotional depth. It has a severe tragic undertone but, at the same, it's filled with romantic and even comic moments. There is one gentle scene between two brothers, who rest for a while under attack in the zone between life and death, which particularly gave me the impression of this being an utterly moving film. I must confess that I wasn't expecting much of "Beau Geste" on the account of unfair factors that normally don't affect me when it comes to my viewing habits. Therefore, I apologize and recommend this film even to those who aren't interested. All in all, "Beau Geste" grows out to be a beautiful tale of brotherly love, enhancing the importance of fraternity. It is truly a film to remember.

One way that I personally know this is a really good film is because I expected not to like and probably turn it off after the first 15 minutes. Instead I was glued to the screen! I thought I wouldn't like the film because I expected it to be along the lines of "Gunga Din". But in the early scenes of the film you realize it's really a mystery about a stolen sapphire (great early scene in the secret crypt). Not just another film of men trudging through the desert fighting Arabs (although there is that, too, although not until well into the second half of the film, and then only to advance the plot surrounding the mystery).But even before you realize the mystery surrounding the gem, there's the opening mystery of why the French Foreign Legion fort is deserted, except for all its dead soldiers. Spooky! And answered so well at the close of the film.The early scenes when the main characters are children are delightful, and it's particularly interesting to see Donald O'Connor as one of the boys -- Beau. Much to my surprise, it was his 9th film! As the kids mature they turn into Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Ray Milland, and Robert Preston, and then the family gem is stolen and one of the boys appears to be the thief...so off the 3 boys go to the French Foreign Legion to hide and attempt to figure out which one of them has the jewel.Once in the Foreign Legion they meet up with all sorts, including a very odd American cowboy -- Broderick Crawford! Brian Donlevy, as the sergeant doesn't seem quite so bad at the beginning, but becomes increasingly sadistic as the film went on (and received an Academy Award nomination for his performance).The closing scenes of the movie, beginning with the attack by the Arabs, are quite remarkable -- among the best I've seen in any movie. The attack scenes in the desert are stunning...not always easy to say for black and white. The scene where Gary Cooper dies and is cremated...remarkable. And the way the film comes to a conclusion is quite unique.However, beyond the action of the film, this movie has real depth. It is as much a psychological drama as it is an action flick. You just have to focus on the drama of what must have been an almost untenable life.A wonderful film from that remarkable year 1939.