Whats your number legionaire?.Hollywood 45. (Beau Travail (DVD))

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Product:	Beau Travail (DVD)
Date:	10/03/01 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: French class

Disadvantages: Not enough dialogue

My only foreign legion film experience since this afternoon was Sons of the Desert and Laurel and Hardy when Stan throws the tacks down to repel the enemy, brilliant. Well this is not quite as humorous as that, in fact it’s a little too serious and borders on the marouse.
It’s very beautifully filmed on the baron West Coast of Africa in some wildly desolate locations. It’s a kind of metaphor for just how dehumanizing military service can be, and theres none more disciplined and mythical than the legion.
The story is lose and simple about a jealous base sergeant who is festering anger and resentment over a new recruit who’s the bees knees in the eyes of the camp commandant, Bruno Feistier who is the only man sergeant Galope really admires.
As Giles Sentain (the new boy) shines brighter than a star in the regiment with more acts of heroism including a brave helicopter crash, our sergeant reaches breaking point and plans the young legionaries’ downfall.
The soldiers up sticks from their base in Djibouti to the stunning volcanic locations of Africa’s West Coast
To set up a new base for further intense pointless training regime, well that’s the military for you.
The day begins with a bit of rock breaking for no particular reason followed by some yomping with 40lb Bergen’s followed by something even more pointless.
Sergeant Galope is presented a chance to get his teeth into the young recruit when young Giles covers for a guard who defaults on guard duty .The soldier gets his due punishment in Legionnaire tradition by digging a big hole all day with out water. But young Sentain breaks the rules by giving the soldier a drink, which is kicked out of the hand by the jealous sergeant.
A right hook later from Sentain to his sergeants left cheek and the youngster is up for some serious retribution from his superior, which involves being left in the burning desert all alone and a long way from base w
ith only a rigged compass from his sergeant to get back alive.
The young recruit falls to the ground on a salt lakebed ready for the Vultures to claim him. Luckily a passing nomad tribe picks up his near lifeless body and takes him to safety.
Meanwhile back at base, Sergeant Galope is in stuck because the faulty compass has turned up at a desert bazzare and he’s immediately court marshaled.
The film ends as it started with a reflective Sergeant Gulope walking the streets of Paris, lost with out his beloved legion and the regimented life he had always adored to.
The story is irrelevant to be honest and the true power of the flick lies in the stunning locations and lack of dialect coupled with the long panoramic camera sweeps and silences.
The movie was nominated for the 1999 Palm de Or in Cannes and it’s a typically strong well acted French film with definite homosexual undertones of young fit guys taking of their shirts, none more so revealing than the final scene where are disgraced sergeant breaks out into his Saturday Night Fever routine on a deserted dance floor to The Rhythm of the Night tune sung by…. Very strange.
Theres lots of press ups and assault course through out the flick and its definitely one for the ladies who like to see raw fit young guys stretching there muscles and the other things guys do when theres nothing else but rock around.
One annoying thing is when the boys are doing their yoga and stuff,this awful French noisy Opera music breaks out causing you to hide in the loo
This film is not for everyone and needs total concentration by the meek and at times is a little to serious in true French genre. Saying that though theres a lot worse foreign film out there and I would definitely give this a run if you like visual penetrating French cine.

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