Under Two Flags (1936)

The Worst Film Ever

Sadly Over-hyped

Brilliant and touching

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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.

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.

During the 1930s and 40s, there were a bunch of movies that glorified the French Foreign Legion and featured them as the good guys. Considering the films were made here in the States, it does seem odd that these colonials were talked about at all as well as glorified...but there was apparently some sort of romantic notion of bravery and chivalry associated with this army. Films such as "Beau Hunks", "Beau Geste", "Under Two Flags" and "Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion" are just a few of the many such films of the era about this outfit.This film is set in North Africa and you must ignore that the natives are sometimes referred to as Arabs...they are most likely Libyans, Algerians, Tunesians or, perhaps, Moroccans--all North African countries occupied by the French at that time. The commanding officer, the Major (Victor McLaglen), has a bit of an infatuation with a girl oddly named 'Cigarette' (Claudette Colbert) and after a while, so does Sergeant Victor (Ronald Colman). But when a British lady (Rosalind Russell) shows up in the middle of this desert town, Victor is smitten and now has TWO ladies who think he's their boyfriend. Amidst these smoldering passions is an uprising (what else?!) among the natives and it's up to the Legion to kick butt and restore the peace.While the cast is quite nice in this one, the film itself is only ordinary. I think much of the problem is that "Beau Geste" came out about the same time and was simply a much more exciting and interesting movie. It's watchable and mildly interesting but not much more.FYI--It is interesting to see Claudette Colbert playing a French lady and using a French accent, as she was born and lived in France until she was a young girl. I assume her family must have spoken French at home and approximating the French accent must have been pretty natural for her.

Under Two Flags was the last of a series of films that Ronald Colman did for the newly formed 20th Century pictures which only lasted about two or three years before it merged with Fox to form that colossus of a studio that Darryl Zanuck ran. This film was in fact done under the banner of the new colossus.Having starred in the silent version of Beau Geste, Colman certainly had the Foreign Legion credentials cinema wise. But Under Two Flags drags in spots the way Beau Geste never does. In fact the first half of the film deals with a romantic triangle between Legionaire sergeant Colman and the two women who love him, camp follower Claudette Colbert and British aristocrat Rosalind Russell. And there's Colman's commanding officer Victor McLaglen who is jealous over the fact that Colman has Colbert panting over him while she won't give McLaglen the time of day.Another component of the Colman/McLaglen rivalry is that McLaglen is a professional soldier up from the ranks and Colman while a good sergeant is clearly upper crust. But back in those days one joined the Foreign Legion to get away from problems in civilian life wherever you came from. In fact where Under Two Flags is most similar to Beau Geste is why Colman joined the Legion. It's a plot device lifted from Beau Geste and one typical of those romantic days before World War I.With Colbert and Russell in the film this will not be a male bonding adventure film. Russell as she did in her early films played aristocratic women of class. This was way before her gift for comedy was discovered and utilized. As for Colbert this film belongs more to her than anyone else. This was the most atypical part for her I've ever seen her do, but she does it superbly. Claudette was clearly poaching on Marlene Dietrich's territory as the camp following daughter of the legion that Marlene did so well in Morocco.I don't think fans of romance and fans of adventure were completely satisfied with Under Two Flags. The genres didn't quite blend together successfully for a great film. Still Under Two Flags has its moments for everyone.