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Men from all over the world have left their pasts behind to start a new life as elite soldiers in the French Foreign Legion. Director/Producer Elisabeth Nord has been granted unprecedented access to follow this legendary defence force from the inside. The Foreign Legion Tougher than the Rest looks beyond the myths and brutal reputation of the French Foreign Legion, portraying the legionnaires and their lives within the Legion. This exploration reveals the true face of one of the most famous, mysterious and secretive fighting forces in the world.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Anyone seeking insights in to what makes the Foreign Legion such a formidable and storied fighting force would do well to look elsewhere for enlightenment. Most of this film was concerned with the Legion's traditions and we see any number of clips showing them marching (88 paces a minute we are told on numerous different occasions) and singing, preparing their creches for Christmas and celebrating the all important Camaron Day. We do meet a number of officers, NCOs and other ranks and this represents the best of the video. Understanding the soldier's motivations for joining, and in some cases leaving, the Legion was worthwhile. But the film comes up short for anyone wanting to understand the "Tougher than the rest" claim made in the title. If you have read Simon Murray's "Legionnaire" or Tony Sloane's "The Naked Soldier" you will already have some sense of what this means. Sadly this video didn't provide any corroborating evidence and the Legion looks no more formidable than any other well trained light infantry unit (2 REP and others are among the elite regular units in any army but this video doesn't give much sense of this). Also lacking was any insight in to the recruitment process and basic training - more than one soldier interviewed in the course of the film described how tough the first five months of their training was, how desperatley they wanted to quit etc but there is nothing of this shown here. We see a few clips of Legionaires negotiating obstacle courses, a live fire excercise and some of ther facility in Djibouti but little else. A greater emphasis on the blood and guts aspects of the Legion would have imroved this film markedly. Finally, much of the footage was repeated. The same shots again and again lend nothing to the narrative and looks very lazy - perhaps testament to the producer's lack of ideas. If you are interested in the Foreign Legion read one of the books mentioned above or perhaps try a different video (though I can't recommend any).
This documentary is a very powerful tool for anyone that wants to dive into the history and background of this legendary part of French defence. Their very nature of being a diversified group of men ranging from all walks of life united into one body of well-trained, well-behaved and brave soldiers is a story anyone needs to be familiar with.
There might only be Navy Seals as strong as the Foreign Legion, but from a European perspective these are simply the best soldiers around.
A DVD I can warmly recommend all should watch.
There might only be Navy Seals as strong as the Foreign Legion, but from a European perspective these are simply the best soldiers around.
A DVD I can warmly recommend all should watch.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I ENJOYED THIS VIDEO AND AS I HAD ORIGINALLY WATCHED IT ON ITV 3 OR 4 I WANTED TO HAVE A COPY. I HAVE A SON IN THE SECOND PARACHUTE REGIMENT OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION AND IT HELPS EXPLAIN A LOT OF THINGS. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN MORE ABOUT THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT AND PERHAPS A LITTLE LESS OF THE CHRISTMAS CRIB MAKING,ALSO I AM NOT SURE THAT IT EXPLAINS FULLY WHY THEY ARE ELITE. MY SON HAS SEEN IT AND HAS APPROVED IT,(WHICH MUST BE A GOOD RECOMMENDATION) RECOGNISING QUITE A FEW PEOPLE IN THE VIDEO AS HIS COMRADES. FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION IT IS A GOOD STARTING PLACE.
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