Beau Geste (TV series)

Beau Geste is a BBC television serial, based on the novel by P. C. Wren. The series aired in 1982 and starred Benedict Taylor, Anthony Calf and Jonathon Morris as the three brothers.

Plot

Although minor plot points separate the versions, all of the versions share a common element of a stolen gem, which one of the Geste brothers, Beau Geste, is thought to have stolen from his adoptive family. This version, unlike the Hollywood movies, stays true to the book, in that the three young brothers join the legion, are later commanded by Sergeant Major Lejaune (not Markov like in one of the Hollywood versions), and this TV adaptation contains the scene from the book where the surrounded Legionnaires defiantly sing 'Le Boudin'. The Legionnaires' equipment is spot-on too, right down to the correct mess-tins and bayonets. Filmed entirely in England, at various locations, with its desert scenes being filmed in a sand pit in Dorset.

Cast

Beau Geste

Beau Geste is a 1924 adventure novel by P. C. Wren. It has been adapted for the screen several times.

Plot summary

Michael "Beau" Geste is the protagonist. The main narrator (among others), by contrast, is his younger brother John. The three Geste brothers are a metaphor for the British upper class values of a time gone by, and "the decent thing to do" is, in fact, the leitmotif of the novel. The Geste brothers are orphans and have been brought up by their aunt at Brandon Abbas. The rest of Beau's band are mainly Isobel and Claudia (only daughter of Lady Patricia, and in a way, also reason enough for Michael to join the French Foreign Legion), and Lady Patricia's relative Augustus (always considered "the heir" of Sir Hector Brandon).

When a precious jewel known as the "Blue Water" goes missing, suspicion falls on the young people, and Beau leaves Britain to join the French Foreign Legion, followed by his brothers, Digby (his twin) and John. There, after some adventure and separation from Digby, the sadistic Sergeant Major Lejaune gets command of the little garrison at Fort Zinderneuf in French North Africa, and only an attack by Tuaregs prevents a mutiny and mass desertion (only the Geste brothers and a few loyals are against the plot). Throughout the book and adventures, Beau's behaviour is true to France and the Legion, and he dies at his post. At Brandon Abbas, the last survivor of the three brothers, John, is welcomed by their aunt and his fiancée Isobel, and the reason for the jewel theft is revealed to have been a matter of honour, and to have been the only "decent thing" possible.

Beau Geste (disambiguation)

Beau Geste is a 1924 adventure novel by P. C. Wren.

Beau Geste may also refer to:

Beau Geste (1926 film)

Beau Geste (1926) is a silent film, based on the novel Beau Geste by P. C. Wren. This version starred Ronald Colman as the title character.

Synopsis

The plot concerns a valuable gem, which one of the Geste brothers, Beau, is thought to have stolen from his adoptive family.

Cast

References

See also

External links