Beau Geste (1939)

Three adopted English brothers join the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, after one of them steals their adoptive family's famous heirloom sapphire.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Robert Carson (screen play), Percival Christopher Wren (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Cooper	...	Beau Geste
Ray Milland	...	John Geste
Robert Preston	...	Digby Geste
Brian Donlevy	...	Sergeant Markoff
Susan Hayward	...	Isobel Rivers
J. Carrol Naish	...	Rasinoff
Albert Dekker	...	Schwartz
Broderick Crawford	...	Hank Miller
Charles Barton	...	Buddy McMonigal
James Stephenson	...	Major Henri de Beaujolais
Heather Thatcher	...	Lady Patricia Brandon
James Burke	...	Lieutenant Dufour
G.P. Huntley	...	Augustus Brandon (as George P. Huntley)
Harold Huber	...	Voisin
Donald O'Connor	...	Beau Geste as a Child

Storyline

Beau, John, and Digby Geste are three inseparable, adventurous brothers who haven been adopted into the wealthy household of Lady Brandon. When money in the uppercrust household grows tight, Lady Brandon is forced to sell her most treasured jewel the mighty "Blue Water" sapphire. The household gets it out for one final look, the lights go out and it vanishes stolen by one of the brothers, no doubt. That night, Beau, Digby, and John each "confess" and slip out, John leaving behind Isabel, whom he loves. They all join the Foreign Legion, and Beau and Digby are split from John and put under the command of the ruthless and sadistic Sergeant Markoff. Things begin to get hairy as the rest of the Legionaires plot a mutiny against Markoff, in the midst of an attack by Arab hordes.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | sapphire | mutiny | north africa | fort | 

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Taglines:

AGAIN...the three Gestes face a thousand dangers of the Sahara for each other...and love!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

24 July 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drei Fremdenlegionäre

Filming Locations:

Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the film's world premiere, the first reel of the 1926 silent version of "Beau Geste" was shown just before the entire 1939 sound version, in an effort to demonstrate how far films had advanced in thirteen years. This almost backfired because the 1939 film apparently followed the 1926 one extremely closely, and some of the first-night critics were annoyed rather than pleased at this, feeling that the 1939 version should have been more imaginative. However, this did not keep the 1939 version from becoming a smash hit and a film classic.

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Goofs

When Beaujolais is examining the corpses at the beginning of the film, Voisin half-blinks twice.

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Quotes

Foreword: "The love of a man for a woman waxes and wanes like the moon, but the love of brother for brother is steadfast as the stars and endures like the word of the prophet." Arabian proverb

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Connections

Referenced in Dad's Army: Don't Fence Me In (1970)

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Soundtracks

The Legionnaire's Song
(uncredited)
Music by Troy Sanders
Lyrics by Frank Loesser

User Reviews

A Gem

A really memorably "evil" villain.. A noble protagonist.. Haunting mystery that for moments takes us ahead to the "Portrait of Jennie".. Surreal moments that remain on the thinking mind for a very long time.. Black and White composition.. What more to ask of a film?

Only a racist or a dull would fail to appreciate such a masterpiece. Strongly recommended. Study material.