Beau Geste | 1926 | Adventure, Drama

Title: Beau Geste | 1926 | Adventure, Drama Director: Herbert Brenon Studio: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation Starring: Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton, Ralph Forbes, Alice Joyce, Mary Brian, Noah Beery, William Powell, Norman Trevor Based on: Beau Geste by P. C. Wren Release Date: August 25, 1926 Runtime: 101 Format: Silent; black-and-white with two-color Technicolor sequences; 35mm; 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Adventure, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Desert fort mystery 00:13:00 The missing sapphire 00:33:30 Enlistment in the Foreign Legion 00:55:00 Sergeant Lejaune’s command 01:15:00 Siege of Fort Zinderneuf --- Summary: Beau, John, and Digby Geste are English brothers whose lives are upended when a priceless family sapphire disappears. To shield their guardian from scandal, each brother assumes guilt and leaves for the French Foreign Legion. The story, framed by a grim discovery at a desert fort, follows their service in North Africa, where loyalty, sacrifice, and a brutal command test their bond. As the brothers confront mutiny, siege, and the weight of a secret, the film blends adventure with a mystery that resolves in a revelation about the jewel and a final act of fraternal devotion. --- Background: Paramount’s Famous Players-Lasky produced the film with Herbert Brenon adapting P. C. Wren’s novel. Location plans for Algeria were abandoned due to the Rif War; desert scenes were staged in California and near Yuma, Arizona, a site later reused for the 1939 remake. Released at New York’s Criterion Theatre on August 25, 1926, the film incorporated two-color Technicolor sequences within its predominantly black-and-white photography. --- Trivia: The film won Photoplay magazine’s Medal of Honor, one of the earliest American awards recognizing a year’s outstanding motion picture. Noah Beery’s portrayal of Sergeant Lejaune drew strong praise from contemporary reviewers. William Powell and Victor McLaglen appear in supporting roles before achieving greater fame in the sound era. The film survives and has been screened at festivals; archival sources note extant prints and restorations. Portions were shot in the desert near Yuma, Arizona, and in California after overseas filming proved impractical. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 25, 1926 Original Studio / Distributor: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation / Paramount Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: BeauGeste 1926 SilentFilm PublicDomain RonaldColman HerbertBrenon ParamountPictures FrenchForeignLegion ClassicCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beau_Geste_(1926).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Beau_Geste_%281926%29.webm