The Foreign Legion

There are a few things I learned about the French Foreign Legion by watching this tape. Only the French would paint a floor-to-ceiling watercolor portrait of a legionnaire in their barracks to inspire the men. Only the French would brutally punish their soldiers for not singing on key. And at one point, when a tough sergeant throws all the recruits' boots out the window for "insufficient polish." I could just imagine a less fashion conscious enemy lurking in the darkness below gleefully absconding with all the shoes in the Foreign Legion. But if you think joining the Foreign Legion is a Paris fashion show, think again. The filmmakers have penetrated the brutal world of elite basic training, with its punishing medical, intellectual and physical challenges. I watched the first part of this two-part series, which follows the enlistment of Dean Heggie, a young Scot, sharing the many hardships he endures to earn his "kepis"--that dandy white and black cap that is the mark of these few "bonne hommes." Well made and reasonably priced, this video is recommended especially for libraries with an emphasis on military or French subjects (or with a special interest in long montages of men doing push ups), but it is also interesting enough to stand on its own in most collections. Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R.Ray)