Brothers Beau, John and Digby Geste join the Foreign Legion, where they fall under the rule of tyrannical Sergeant Markoff. Beau and John are assigned to Fort Zinderneuf, where Markoff tries to break their spirit, aware of a dark family secret concerning a fabulous jewel one of them carries. As tensions rise, Arabs attack the fort and rivalries must be thrown aside in a desperate battle for life.
Acting
Ronald Colman's eyes do ALL the talking.
Practical Effects
Real camels, real sand, real suffering—no CGI cop-outs.
Production
That fort set could survive an actual siege.
Director
Herbert Brenon
Ronald Colman
Michael 'Beau' Geste
Neil Hamilton
Digby Geste
Ralph Forbes
John Geste
Alice Joyce
Lady Patricia Brandon
Mary Brian
Isabel Rivers
Noah Beery
Sgt. Lejaune
Norman Trevor
Maj. de Beaujolais
William Powell
Boldini
George Regas
Maris
Bernard Siegel
Schwartz
Victor McLaglen
Hank
Donald Stuart
Buddy
Paul McAllister
St. Andre
Bhogwan Singh
Prince Ram Singh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The famous 'dead soldiers propped at windows' trick was so effective Paramount reused the footage in four later films.
This 1926 hit cemented the Foreign Legion as cinema's go-to metaphor for men running from their past—still quoted in 'Beau Hunks' parodies today.
US
