Beau Geste

Several years before Universal put this movie together, it had a bigger-budget version planned with Tony Curtis and Dean Martin as the Geste brothers and Charlton Heston as Sgt.Markov. That version was not made. Heston turned down the offer and was fairly derisive about it in his book, "The Actor's Life" - an attitude shared by most critics when the film finally appeared.

Throughout the film the legionnaires wear the collar insignia of the 2nd Regiment of the Foreign Legion (2e REI.) Yet most of their geographic references are to Algeria. When the detachment relieves Ft. Zinderneuf the previous commander's orders are to return to Sidi bel Abbes, the Legion HQ in Algeria. Likewise, during the mutiny the legionnaires discuss escaping across the border to Morocco. Additionally the legionnaires are in combat with the Tuaregs, a Saharan tribe found in Southern Algeria. However, during the period of the film (and throughout the inter-war period) the 2e REI was stationed in Morocco, fighting the Berbers, and not in Algeria, which was instead garrisoned by the 1e RE.