Your time won't be wasted spending a couple of hours with Beau Geste. For a 1966 movie, they are quite realistic, suspenseful and intense, with some liberally spilt blood thrown in for good measure. The other thing that I found unexpectedly good were the handling of the battle scenes primarily in the second half of the film. Sorry, but after appreciating the vivid technicolours in this film, I don't think anyone could convince me (as many of the other reviewers here try to do so), that the earlier black and white versions (with the 1926 version being silent for goodness sake) are more enjoyable watching. What impressed me was how good the film looks and how convincing a substitute Arizona and a Universal backlot is for the Sahara. In 1906, two American brothers join the French Foreign Legion and, led by a sadistic Sergeant-Major, they defend a fort against Berber and Tuareg attack. This time the ostensible lead Guy Stockwell, gets to play a much more personable and loyal brother than the one he plays in his earlier War Lord, where his screen brother is the regularly heroic Charlton Heston. It can't really be said to boast an A-list cast, though Telly Savalas arguably dominates most scenes as the sadistic Dagineau. Having never read the book or seen any of the earlier versions, I have to admit being pleasantly surprised with this, the third version of the famous tale.
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