Beau Ideal (1931)

An American joins the French Foreign Legion in order to rescue a boyhood friend.

Director:

Herbert Brenon

Writers:

Percival Christopher Wren (by), Elizabeth Meehan (adapted by),

Stars:

Frank McCormick, Ralph Forbes, Lester Vail

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank McCormick	...	Carl Meyer
Ralph Forbes	...	John Geste
Lester Vail	...	Otis Madison
Otto Matieson	...	Jacob Levine
Don Alvarado	...	Ramon Gonzales
Bernard Siegel	...	Ivan Badinoff
Irene Rich	...	Lady Brandon
Myrtle Stedman	...	Mrs. Frank Madison
Loretta Young	...	Isobel Brandon
John St. Polis	...	Judge Advocate (as John M. St. Polis)
Joe De Stefani	...	Prosecuting Attorney (as Joseph De Stefani)
Paul McAllister	...	Sergeant Frederic
Hale Hamilton	...	Major LeBaudy
George Regas	...	The Emir
Leni Stengel	...	Zuleika

Storyline

In England, Otis Madison learns from the girl that he loves, Isobel Brandon, that the man she loves is his best friend, John Geste, and so there is nothing that Otis can do but stiffen his upper lip and set sail for Morocco and tell John that he is the man that Isobel loves. This is not easy to do as John is confined to a prison for disgraced Legionaires and the people who put him there aren't overly concerned about who Isobel loves. But the resourceful John promises his love to an Arabian beauty, Zuleika, the 'Angel of Death', which gets him out of prison, and then he has to go after the evil Emir who caused him to fall into disgrace. Isobel waits patiently in England.

---

Plot Keywords:

england | prison | emir | french foreign legion | machine gun | 

---

Taglines:

Again! Sun-Swept Passion of the Savage...Untamed Sahara...Fierce Spectacle and Romance Agaisnt Morocco's Blazing Skies! (original poster)

---

Genres:

Adventure | Romance | War

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Framlingslegionen

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min 79 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A colossal flop, the film lost nearly $350,000, an astronomical amount of money in the early 1930s. As a result, the story of the Geste family was considered such a financial risk that producers weren't sure that making Beau Geste eight years later was a good idea.

---

Connections

Version of Hermoso ideal (1948)

---

Soundtracks

"Oriental Atmosphere"
(uncredited)
Music by J.S. Zamecnik
Synchro Fox Music Library

User Reviews

Neither "Beau" nor "Ideal"

This needless sequel to 1926's "Beau Geste" suffers from that stiff, stagey quality common in early "talkies." The slightly-muffled nature of its sound recording merely emphasizes the lifeless quality of its dialog - perhaps its most dated feature. There are some good desert-scapes showing lines of Legionnaires crossing the Sahara, and the final reel has a rousing, if politically-incorrect, assault by rebellious tribesmen, but in general, "Beau Ideal" is little more than a mild curiosity for film historians. Loretta Young gets prime billing but has only a modest part.