Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

weezeralfalfa Yet another French Foreign Legion Film, with the obligatory war with a rebel desert chieftain. For sheer entertainment value, I recommend "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion", instead. Ron Coleman, who plays the leading man, and one of the heroes, lacks any charisma, to me. I can't see him attracting two very different very attractive young women, as his character does. They each complement a different aspect of his personality, hence believe that the other is unsuitable for him. The tom boyish Claudette Colbert, as Cigarette(terrible mutation of Claudette) complements his playful and daredevil self. On the other hand, the interloper Lady Cunningham(Rosalind Russell), who suddenly shows up at this hell hole , from England, appeals to his aristocratic background, including a degree from Oxford. Soon, Victor has more or less dumped Cigarette for Rosalind. This causes Cigarette to sob every now and then, but she still has some hope of regaining Victor's love. In fact, she seems to love Victor more than Rosalind does. But, she's destined to be the loser, as she dies in battle with the Arabs. Posthumously, she is officially recognized for her essential role in the defeat of the Arabs, as well as for her other qualities. See the film to discover how she accomplishes this. It's mostly sheer luck combined with her crazy mission to somehow save Victor from death on the battlefield. In fact, she is the main attraction of this rather cheesy film, for her beauty, courage, occasional humor and continued devotion to Victor under discouraging circumstances. It's an ideal role for her. .....Onslow Stevens, who plays the rebel chieftain, clearly comes across as being of Teutonic heritage, rather than Arab or Bedouin. And, it's just too coincidental that the chieftain went to Oxford when Victor did, and speaks good English! Victor almost loses his life in attempting to sidetrack the Arabs into fearing an unlikely attack by an imaginary British army. How he got into the chieftain's tent to discuss things during a lull in the fighting is left to the viewer's imagination. See it on YouTube.

clanciai Unfortunately, Ouida's great classical novel of dishonor, exile, love, war and sacrifice in Algeria with the French foreign legion has not been awarded with that great film script it deserves. A deep tragedy of human greatness has been transformed into a rather superficial Hollywood romance entertainment, where even Ronald Colman makes a rather poor figure, far from the sadly noble hero of the original. Nevertheless, it's a Frank Lloyd film, who also made "Cavalcade" and "Mutiny on the Bounty", and there are great moments, especially of the desert scenery. Claudette Colbert as Cigarette is the real star of the film, though, but then she is also the most memorable character in the novel. Rosalind Russell is good enough and adds some heart-warming romance, while the worst failure of the film is the alteration of the grim reality of the French foreign legion with a sinister discipline worse than that of the 'Bounty' into some loose barrack ballads with plenty of brandy. The grim nature of the colonel in the novel is deleted, and Victor McLaglen is only Victor McLaglen, whom you can't take seriously. It's a good enough entertainment but not more than that, while the novel is so much more.

Alex da Silva Sgt Viktor (Ronald Coleman) is in the foreign legion to forget about his life. He is far too intelligent to be there and far too intelligent for his superior JC Doyle (Victor McLaglen) who is having an affair with the rather stupidly named Cigarette (Claudette Colbert). Cigarette takes a shine to Sgt. Viktor before Lady Venetia (Rosalind Russell) appears on the scene to further complicate matters. There are romantic complications between these main 4 characters with the result that JC Doyle "has it in" for Sgt Viktor and pretty much signs a death warrant for him by sending him on missions where he is unlikely to survive. At the film's end, both JC Doyle and Cigarette show up to try and save him..........and someone gets shot and dies.....There is absolutely no guesses as to who is going to die at the end of this film. It's bloody obvious. The story drags out and there is nothing original in this tale of a woman's love for a man in the foreign legion. Ronald Coleman is very smooth and likable and Victor McLaglen plays his role well.......it's the women's roles which don't quite work - Colbert with a ghastly fake French accent and Russell just looks a bit odd.The film is OK but the story never really grabs the viewer and gets going. My girlfriend liked it but I didn't feel anything once it had finished.......or during it.

boblipton Ah, the bygone glories of the French Foreign Legion story. Almost everyone knows BEAU GESTE, from the 1939 version starring Gary Cooper. This was a lesser brother. Great actors, great direction, great cinematography and a script full of -- nowadays -- laughable bits. Claudette Colbert plays Cigarette, the Daughter of the Legion. Ronald Colman, plays the legionnaire who is trying to forget, and a young Rosalind Russell -- what a looker! -- play Lady Venezia Cunningham with a posh accent. What can you expect from a movie in which Ronald Colman is torn between Cigarette, daughter of the Legion and Lady Venezia Cunningham with the Production Code in full force? Well, this one. An amusing way to spend a couple of hours, if you are prepared not to take things too seriously. Or you could look at the Laurel & Hardy BEAU HUNKS.