Under Two Flags is a
1936The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*nov 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon*February 15 - first Republic serial, Darkest Africa, released*September 28 - The Marx Brothers' Harpo Marx marries actress Susan Fleming...
adventure filmAdventure films are a genre of film.-History:The adventure film reached its peak of popularity in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, when films such as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro were regularly made with major stars, notably Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power, who were...
, directed by
Frank LloydFrank Lloyd was an Academy Award-winning film director, scriptwriter and producer...
and starring
Ronald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
,
Claudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American stage and film actress.Born in Saint-Mandé, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
and
Victor McLaglenVictor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English actor, boxer and World War I veteran.-Early life:...
. It was based on the 19th century novel of the same name by writer
OuidaOuida was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé .-Biography:...
. The film has portions of action and melodrama and was widely popular with audiences of its time.
Victor (
Ronald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
) has taken the blame for his younger brother's crime and joins the
French Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
to escape his past, taking with him his valet, Rake (
Herbert MundinHerbert Mundin was an English-born Hollywood character actor. He was frequently typecast in films as older cheeky eccentrics, a type helped by his jowelled features and cheerful Cockney disposition....
).
Under Two Flags is a
1936The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*nov 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon*February 15 - first Republic serial, Darkest Africa, released*September 28 - The Marx Brothers' Harpo Marx marries actress Susan Fleming...
adventure filmAdventure films are a genre of film.-History:The adventure film reached its peak of popularity in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, when films such as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro were regularly made with major stars, notably Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power, who were...
, directed by
Frank LloydFrank Lloyd was an Academy Award-winning film director, scriptwriter and producer...
and starring
Ronald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
,
Claudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American stage and film actress.Born in Saint-Mandé, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
and
Victor McLaglenVictor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English actor, boxer and World War I veteran.-Early life:...
. It was based on the 19th century novel of the same name by writer
OuidaOuida was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé .-Biography:...
. The film has portions of action and melodrama and was widely popular with audiences of its time.
Plot
Victor (
Ronald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
) has taken the blame for his younger brother's crime and joins the
French Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
to escape his past, taking with him his valet, Rake (
Herbert MundinHerbert Mundin was an English-born Hollywood character actor. He was frequently typecast in films as older cheeky eccentrics, a type helped by his jowelled features and cheerful Cockney disposition....
). His commander is the ruthless Major Doyle (
Victor McLaglenVictor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English actor, boxer and World War I veteran.-Early life:...
), who becomes jealous when Cigarette (
Claudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American stage and film actress.Born in Saint-Mandé, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
), a cafe singer, sets her sights on Victor. He, however, is more interested in a refined Englishwoman, Lady Venetia (
Rosalind RussellRosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Auntie Mame in film...
), and he eventually dumps Cigarette for her. Then, Doyle sends Victor off on a suicidal mission to get rid of his rival.
Cast
- Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
as Sergeant Victor
- Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American stage and film actress.Born in Saint-Mandé, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
as Cigarette
- Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English actor, boxer and World War I veteran.-Early life:...
as Major J.C. Doyle
- Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Auntie Mame in film...
as Lady Venetia Cunningham
- Gregory Ratoff
Gregory Ratoff was a Russian-born American film director, actor and producer. His most famous role as an actor was as producer Max Fabian who feuds with star Margo Channing in All About Eve ....
as Ivan
- Nigel Bruce
William Nigel Ernle Bruce was a British character actor on stage and screen, best known for his brilliant portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes .-Biography:Bruce was the second son of Sir William Waller Bruce, 10th Baronet...
as Captain Menzies
- C. Henry Gordon
C. Henry Gordon was an American film actor. He appeared in 79 films between 1930 and 1940. He was a mellifluous-voiced Hollywood villain of the 1930s....
as Lieutenant Petaine
- Herbert Mundin
Herbert Mundin was an English-born Hollywood character actor. He was frequently typecast in films as older cheeky eccentrics, a type helped by his jowelled features and cheerful Cockney disposition....
as Rake
- John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns.-Early life:...
as Cafard
- Lumsden Hare
Lumsden Hare was an actor who appeared in a large number of stage productions, many on Broadway, and films...
as Lord Seraph
- J. Edward Bromberg
Joseph Edward Bromberg was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s....
as Colonel Ferol
- Onslow Stevens
Onslow Stevens was an American stage, television and film actor.-Career:Born Onslow Ford Stevenson in Los Angeles, California, he was the son of character actor Housley Stevenson...
as Sidi-Ben Youssiff
- Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also an expert chess player and a champion fencer....
as French Governor
- Thomas Beck
Thomas Beck was an actor during the mid to late 1930s.Beck was featured in 28 films in his career. with his most notable roles being in several Charlie Chan films: Charlie Chan in Paris , Charlie Chan in Egypt , Charlie Chan at the Race Track , and Charlie Chan at the Opera...
as Pierre
- William Ricciardi as Cigarette's Father
- Frank Reicher
Frank Reicher , was a German actor, director and producer born in Munich, Germany who eventually emigrated to the United States. During the early part of the twentieth century he was often on Broadway, occasionally in leading roles, but he is most familiar to modern audiences as a supporting...
as French General
- Francis McDonald
Francis McDonald was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Although never really a headlining actor, he made 41 film and television appearances between 1913 and 1965, appearing in films such as The Temptress in 1926 with Greta Garbo...
as Husson
- Harry Semels
Harry Semels was an American film actor. He appeared in over 315 film between 1917 and 1946.-Career:Semels was born in New York City and appeared in his first film in 1917...
as Sergeant Malinas
- Nicholas Soussanin as Levine
- Douglas Gerrard
Douglas Gerrard , was an Irish actor and film director of the silent era. He appeared in 116 films between 1913 and 1949. He also directed 23 films between 1916 and 1920....
as Colonel Farley
Trivia
- A large payment to cover the cost of remaking this movie caused Darrel F. Zanuck to become familiar with Lloyd's of London and led to him making the movie of the same name in the same year. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London_%28film%29
- The role of 'Cigarette' was originally filmed with Simone Simon
Simone Thérèse Fernande Simon was a French film actress who began her film career in 1931.-Early life:...
but when Zanuck wasn't impressed with her footage he refilmed it with Claudette Colbert.
- Under Two Flags was previously filmed in 1912, 1916 and 1922.
Filming Locations
Imperial County, CaliforniaImperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361....
, USA
Indio, CaliforniaIndio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, east of San Bernardino, and east of Los Angeles. The population was 49,116 at the 2000 census...
, USA
La Quinta, CaliforniaLa Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, USA, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 23,694 at the 2000 census. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination...
, USA
Palm Canyon, California, USA
Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, approximately 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 42,807. Golf, swimming, tennis, horseback riding and hiking in the nearby desert and mountain areas are...
, USA
Yuma, ArizonaYuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2006 Census Bureau estimated population of 87,423....
, USA