Beau Ideal is a 1931 American pre-Code adventure film directed by Herbert Brenon and released by RKO Radio Pictures.

The last two surviving members of a French Foreign Legion detachment, who know each other as Smith and Brown, are consigned to a grain pit in the desert to die slowly.

As they await death the two soldiers eventually realize that they were childhood friends, John Geste (Ralph Forbes) and Otis Madison (Lester Vail), respectively.

When the uprising is eventually thwarted, the commanders do not believe Otis' story, and assume that he was part of the rebellion, and send him to a penal detail.

Fortunately for the friends, the girlfriend of the Emir, Zuleika (Leni Stengel), also known as "the Angel of Death", is attracted to Otis.

(Cast list as per AFI database)[1] The precursor to Paramount Pictures, Famous Players–Lasky Corp, produced the film Beau Geste, in 1926.

The second book in the series, Beau Sabreur, was made into a film in 1928, starring Gary Cooper, also by Paramount.

[1][9][10] RKO purchased the rights to the novel in July 1930,[11] and Herbert Brenon, who had directed Beau Geste, became the first person attached to the project.

[14] In September 1930, RKO hired an Arab chieftain, Abdeslam ben Mohammed, as a technical consultant for the film.

Later in September, Otto Matieson, Paul McAllister, Hale Hamilton, and Don Alvarado were announced as joining the cast.

[33] According to some sources, the film was considered "...the most wretched picture turned out by the studio in what was, generally, to be a very poor year.

"[35] However other reviews were much more favorable, with The Film Daily calling it a "Stupendous Foreign Legion production with stout direction and excellent photography".

They criticized the story as weak, but also praised the acting of the mostly male cast, and singled out Loretta Young's strong performance.