Ouida's novel apparently wasn't set in the foreign legion but everyone regards it as such. This has a good solid plot - a mysterious aristocratic British officer (Ronald Colman) fights in the desert for the French, has a fling with a trashy local girl (Claudette Colbert) and falls for lady Rosalind Russell. Victor McLaglen is a sergeant in love with Colbert, and the leader of the rebellious Arabs went to Oxford with Colman.
Watching this its interesting to argue with yourself who is more miscast, Colbert or Russell. Colman and McLaglen are a lot more comfortable in their parts. Colman's character is a bit of a prick - he romances and sleeps with Colbert, who is firey and brave and leads the attack that rescues Colman, but ultimately Colman goes off with bland aristocratic Russell. The movie could've used a decent other subplot - instead its just Arabs having the nerve to rebel against the French, who are in pleasant cahoots with the British as an imperial power. Or maybe it needed more action and suspense.
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