This adventure film starts out as a whodunnit (and a pretty good one), about the theft of a valuable piece of jewelry. The real heft of the film is the will of the three brothers against the heavy, SGT Markoff. The Sahara is the setting and the Arab revolt (well-deserved) is of secondary importance, as far as 1930s Hollywood producers were concerned. Like the old Westerns, where we rooted for the cowboys to kill the indians, we used to root for the Foreign Legion to kill the Arabs. In the 21st century, we root for the Indians to kill the cowboys, and for the Arabs to kill the colonialists. Things change. Ray Milland gives a standout performance.
Review of Beau Geste
