Beau Hunks
Beau Hunks
NR | 12 December 1931 (USA)
Beau Hunks Trailers

Stan and Ollie join the French Foreign Legion after Ollie's sweetheart rejects him.

Reviews
CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!
Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Beau Hunks" is a Laurel and Hardy film from almost 85 years ago. Wow.. how time flies. It is not silent anymore, but still in black-and-white. Hardy's sweetheart leaves him, so the two end up with the military and they cause lots of mayhem there too as well. In the end they are in the desert and running into enemy forces. The leader of these is actually played by the film's director James W. Horne. He worked with the most famous comedy duo in history many times and this is probably not his best work. I have to say the script is just not good enough for almost 40 minutes runtime. IIt's certainly a case of quantity over quality and there aren't enough jokes in here in my opinion. Enough funny jokes, that is. The film loses itself occasionally in action that involves other characters than the two funny guys. I don't think this is among Stan and Ollie's best works sadly. Not recommended.
oxbridgeup Although "Beau Geste" had already been madewith Ronald Coleman in 1926, "Beau Hunks" is not just a funny play on words.Unlike today, being called a hunk was not a compliment. In those days, "Hunk," "Hunky," or "Bohunk" was a pejorative term for an Eastern European --- (It's a conflation of "Bohemian" and "Hungarian.) The general connotation of the term was that of a stupid, not necessarily clean, undesirable immigrant. So to call someone a Bohunk was quite an insult.It's a pity that the extremely stupid guidelines require ten lines of text, when I could have said everything in five. Are they perhaps taken from the IRS tech-writing standards for tax laws?
bob the moo Spurned by his beautiful fiancée, Oliver decides to take Stanley and join the foreign legion. Once there he finds his fiancée has travelled more than him and decides to leave, but it is too late. The pair go off on training but then the siege of a nearby fort in the desert means they will see more action than expected.One of the best things about Christmas is that the TV channels need to fill the schedules with films etc that feel different from the usual daytime stuff they cram on. One of the ways they do this is mini-seasons of work from various people or themes etc. One such this year has been Laurel and Hardy films and I'm very glad. This film was one I hadn't seen before but it was very funny.The film has really good set pieces but also a running gag that I didn't see coming so I won't spoil it for anyone else. I'm a big fan so I may be a little biased but I be surprised is anyone sat through this without laughing at least a few times. Both the leads are on top form and both have their little things that get me every time – Oliver's looks to camera and Stan's double takes at innocent objects in the background.Overall this is pure gold with hardly a slow moment, even the jokes that were signposted as coming (the spring in the chair) made me laugh out loud. Good for fans and non-fans alike.
ottermole In 1980 I had the good fortune to be invited to the home of legendary motion picture producer HAL E. ROACH. I was there to show him a few films I made, hoping for some good advice. We talked about many things, including Laurel & Hardy.I then asked Mr. Roach what his all-time favorite Laurel & Hardy film was. After a thoughtful pause, he replied: "BEAU HUNKS."In 1939 BEAU HUNKS was remade as FLYING DEUCES (not by Roach) during a temporary lapse in the boys' contracts. The story must have been a favorite of theirs as well. BEAU HUNKS is an odd length (37 minutes), not too long and not too short. A classic which stands alone as one of Laurel & Hardy's most inspired films. No spoilers in this review, but if you are an L&H fan, seek out Hal Roach's personal favorite and you'll be glad you did!