Figure 1.--Here is a scene from the 1939 film "Beau Geste". Donald O'Connor as a child actor can be seen in the suit of armor. This was the first taklkie version nd starred Gary Cooper.

Beau Geste was a popular adventure novel by P. C. Wren. This was one of 33 novels and short story collections that Wren wrote, mostly dealing with colonial soldiering in Africa. Wren was British and his background was more with India, but he claims to have served in the French Foreign Legion. The title is French for 'Good Gesture', meaning something like 'gentlemanly gesture' It describes the adventures of three very close English brothers. The three Geste brothers are orphans raised in Brandon Abbas, a stately home, by their aunt Lady Patricia. The boys are brought up with English upper class values which were portrayed as long passed by time. Written after World War I, there is a wiff of blaming such attitudes on the War. The idea of 'the decent thing to do" is the central them tht the boys follow. The boys enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel (the Blue Water) from the country house of a relative. Suspicision falls on the brothers. Wren wrot the book in 1924, but set in the period before World War I. There re several screen adaptations. The first was a silent version (1926). This 1939 version was the forst talkie and stared Gary Cooper. The film begins ith the three briothers as boys. One of the brothers is played by a 14 year-old Donald O'Conner. They are English orphans taken in my an aristocratic family. The family has one girl and a bore of a cousin who appear with the brothers at the beginning of the film. Somewhat varied, but interesting costuming. The three brothers at times appeared in blue sailor suits. The two older boys wear longs, but the younger one has his pants legs rolled way up, they may be rolled up shorts, but it is hard to tell. The tattle-tale cousin is in a white sailor suit with shorts, but short white socks. The girl wears a white sailor suit dress, white knee socks and Mary Jane patent leather shoes. Subsequently the boys appear in suits and ties. The older boy wears knee pants buttons at the hem. The middle boy wears knickers. The younger boy wears a smart black suit with rather longish shorts, wide collar, and knee socks. The boorish cousin wears an Eton suit with longs. There is no real attempt to create period costuming, although perhaps the sailor suits for older boys might be a bit of an attempt. I assume the costuming must representative what Americans thought well-to-do English boys wore in the early-1900s. While knickers were common for Americans boys to wear. I think they were less common in Britain, alt least in the 20th cenmtury.

The Book

Beau Geste was an popular adventure novel by P. C. Wren. This was one of 33 novels and short story collections that Wren wrote, mostly dealing with colonial soldiering in Africa. Wren was British and his background was more with India, but he claims to have served in the French Foreign Legion. Film makers seem to have taken more interest in the French Foreign Legion thn British colonial soldering. The title is French for 'Good Gesture', meaning something like gentlemanly orvgracious gesture'. The title is French because in conveys the idea of a fine of chilverou gesture with unintended or futile consequences. There is an allusion to the chanson de geste, a type of early French poetry celebrating the legendary deeds of a medieval knightly hero, sych as the 'Song of Rolnd'.

The Plot

It describes the adventures of three very close English brothers. The three Geste brothers are orphans raised in Brandon Abbas, a stately home, by their aunt Lady Patricia. The boys enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel (the Blue Water) from the country house of a relative. Suspicision falls on the brothers. Wren wrot the book in 1924, but set in the period before World War I. There re several screen adaptations. The first was a silent version (1926). This 1939 version was the forst talkie and stared Gary Cooper. The film begins with the three brothers as boys. One of the brothers is played by a 14 year-old Donald O'Conner. They are English orphans taken in by an aristocratic family. The family has one girl and a bore of a cousin who appear with the brothers at the beginning of the film.

Leitmotif

The boys are brought up with English upper class values which were portrayed as long passed by time. Written after World War I, there is a wiff of blaming such attitudes on the War. The idea of 'the decent thing to do" is the central them that the boys begininng with their games follow.

Costuming

Somewhat varied, but interesting costuming. The three brothers at times appeared in blue sailor suits. The two older boys wear longs, but the younger one has his pants legs rolled way up, they may be rolled up shorts, but it is hard to tell. The tattle-tale cousin is in a white sailor suit with shorts, but short white socks. The girl wears a white sailor suit dress, white knee socks and Mary Jane patent leather shoes. Subsequently the boys appear in suits and ties. The older boy wears knee pants buttons at the hem. The middle boy wears knickers. The younger boy wears a smart black suit with rather longish shorts, wide collar, and knee socks. The boorish cousin wears an Eton suit with longs. There is no real attempt to create period costuming, although perhaps the sailor suits for older boys might be a bit of an attempt. I assume the costuming must representative what Americans thought well-to-do English boys wore in the early-1900s. While knickers were common for Americans boys to wear. I think they were less common in Britain, alt least in the 20th cenmtury.

Created: 12:09 AM 9/22/2004
Last updated: 5:06 AM 11/13/2018