Beau Geste

A well-directed melodrama with a near-flawless cast. Director Herbert Brenon (or his editor) lets the story unfold at a steady but never slow pace, nicely managing the suspense, but giving you perhaps too much time to ponder some of the oddities that crop up in the plot. Why, for instance, when everyone is standing in a room from which a valuable jewel has just been stolen by a culprit who is clearly still present, do they not simply search the room? Why do the three brothers, each separately on the run, condemn themselves to joining the French Foreign Legion (simultaneously, no less!) if all of them know they're not guilty of any great crime and thus consciously ignore their family's desperate financial straits? They could have at least sent some of their Legion pay back home to mother.

Those Legionnaires got paid a wad of dough because -- in real life, anyhow -- they were brutal, mercenary killers employed by an imperialist power to wipe out Arabs and anybody else who got in its way. Not that the Arabs were such nice guys either but, of course, the film presents all this with the complexity of a cowboys-and-Indians B western. Having your hero join the Legion with no qualms is sort of like having your hero join the Ku Klux Klan, except that the Klan wasn't as efficient a group of racist mass-murderers.

Absurdities and implausiblities aside, the film holds its grip pretty well, not because of epic elements like mobs of attacking Arabs, shots of marvelously oppressive desert vistas, etc., but because of the unstressed acting amidst all the mayhem and intrigue. I tend to agree with the critic who wrote that, in the 1939 version, Gary Cooper merely played Gary Cooper but that, in the '26 version, Ronald Colman embodied Beau Geste. Everyone else is fine and if the villain is over-the-top, it's certainly forgivable on this occasion.

There's a lot of bugling in these French Foreign Legion pictures and whoever accompanies this long silent will have to struggle to stay in perfect sync with all the various fanfares, especially a necessary rendition of "Taps" near the climax.

If you're a fan of the 1939 William Wellman version of Beau Geste, then do yourself a BIG favor and rent the 1926 film starring Ronald Colman. I was shocked by the similarities in style and composition between both films; it almost seems as if Wellman was making an homage to the earlier film which, by the way, he was up for but didn't get the job to direct. In any case, there are some different twists to the story which make it very enjoyable to watch even if you're already familiar with the story. Fantastic locations and set designs.

The lesser known silent original Beau Geste footprint is a near match of its 39 carbon copy save for a few changes. Not exactly a shot for shot reproduction but filmed on the same locale (Yuma, AZ) with an outstanding cast conveying both high desert adventure along with a sense of desperation within the walls of Fort Zindernuff where a sadistic sergeant fends off a massive Arab assault.

Even without his sonorous voice Colman as Beau exudes a dashing nobility while Noah Beery as the sergeant holding down the fort is the silent equal of the magnificent Donlevy performance in the 39. William Powell as the craven Boldini is surprising effective playing against his usual urbane self.

As silent epic Beau Geste succeeds in nearly every facet with immense production values and fine performances in the key roles. But with a pristine print non-existent and the specter of the more popular sound version where Alfred Newman's score gives even more voice to the desert.

Beau Geste begins at the end when a group from the French Foreign Legion find a post in the desert guarded by dead bodies which soon go up in smoke mysteriously. Flash to the childhood of some of the soldiers. Three little boys and one girl stage a viking funeral while playing war with toy boats. We see them grow up into fine young men (Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilon, and Ralph Forbes) and women (Mary Brian) who are as close as can be. Then, crisis when a family jewel is stolen and one of the boys is guilty of the crime. To avoid shame, they all enlist in the Foreign Legion, a childhood dream realized. There, they find that service is filled with tough sergeants (Noah Beery) and criminals (William Powell).

None of the characters have quite enough time to become quite endearing as individuals, but the mysteriousness of the opener makes the film enjoyable to watch. However, audiences are greeted with many familiar and competent actors. Don't worry though; the ending is very satisfying.

I was delighted to see Ronald Colman in the first silent that I've had the pleasure to watch him in! The cast is excellent, and the plot device of starting the movie at almost the end of the story, and going back in time to solve the mystery is unusual for the time and well conceived.

The plot revolves around three brothers, their love for each other, and a missing family jewel called "The Blue Water." The jewel is taken at the beginning of the movie, and Colman's character, the eldest Geste brother, Michael (Beau), is believed to be the culprit. The mystery of who took the priceless jewel and why, is solved as the story slowly unfolds with each brother joining the French Foreign Legion.

The desert shooting in this film is supposed to be some of the best ever photographed and the director, Herbert Brenon manages the Legionaries and Arabs treks across the desert splendidly! A fine cast with Neil Hamilton (Digby Geste), Ralph Forbes (John Geste), Alice Joyce (Lady Patricia Brandon), Noah Berry (Sgt. Lejaune), and William Powell (Boldini) go all out! This film is silent film making at it's best and rarely misses a beat! It will keep your attention from start to finish and is one of those films that must be watched closely in order not to miss out on the plot development and fine nuances of the characters.

I haven't yet viewed the remake with Gary Cooper, but it apparently follows almost verbatim with the original, which is the greatest of compliments!