Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

The Last Remake of Beau Geste Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 31, 2021

Marty Feldman's "The Last Remake of Beau Geste" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio interview with actor Michael York; new audio commentary by journalist and author Bryan Reesman; trailer commentary; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked'.

Marty Feldman did not just dislike The Last Remake of Beau Geste, he absolutely hated it. However, he insisted that his directorial debut turned out as it did only because Universal produced and dispatched a completely different version of it to its distribution partners. But the true story about what took place is slightly different. The film looks as it does because after Feldman’s version was screened for top brass at Universal there was immediate consensus that it was a total stinker, so an urgent decision was made to reedit it and give the studio a chance to recoup at least some of its investments. This ‘new’ version is in fact the one that survived.

Here’s another very telling bit of information about the production history of The Last Remake of Beau Geste, which was actually revealed by Feldman. Apparently, when Feldman began developing the original concept for the film, he could not quite make up his mind if it was better to shoot a ‘remake’ of The Four Feathers or Beau Geste. For a while he leaned toward the former, but then decided that the latter had more potential. However, the type of spoofing that Feldman thought would work best for his take on The Four Feathers was basically transferred to The Last Remake of Beau Geste. In other words, Feldman’s version of The Last Remake of Beau Geste had issues long before it landed in the editing room.

It is worth noting that despite securing a lucrative deal with Universal that gave him the opportunity to direct three more films after The Last Remake of Beau Geste, Feldman had a very difficult relationship with the studio’s top brass. The main reason for this development wasn’t the fate of The Last Remake of Beau Geste, but his frequent critique of the studio system and insistence that it stifled creativity with all sorts of different official and unofficial restrictions. During the production of In God We Trust, Feldman even went as far as to declare that Universal’s business model was exploitative.

I wanted to mention all of the above because there is a lot of misleading information about the quality of Feldman’s work as a director. Most of it comes from folks that knew Feldman while he was alive, and some comes from folks that have a great deal of admiration for his work as an actor. There is no doubt that Feldman was an incredibly gifted performer, but as a director he clearly struggled. Obviously, there are multiple reasons for this struggle, but in the grand scheme of things their nature is largely irrelevant.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste is one big collage of seriously unfunny and repetitive sequences that twist key elements of the original story from Percival Christopher Wren's popular novel. Feldman plays Digby and follows his brother Beau (Michael York) to the famous citadel in the desert where just like in William A. Wellman's classic film the fate of the missing sapphire is eventually revealed. However, while Digby is slowly transformed into a reluctant hero, Beau is seduced by his stunningly beautiful stepmother (Ann-Margret), and soon after all hell breaks loose.

Feldman’s intent was almost certainly to create a giant circus with the original characters from Wren’s novel that would produce plenty of hilarious moments. Some of the energy in the film is right for that kind of a circus, but the quality of the content is incredibly disappointing.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Last Remake of Beau Geste arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and weak master. The entire film looks very flat and soft, in many areas struggling to retain even basic organic qualities. In darker areas there is plenty of black crush as well, which further exacerbates existing limitations. Colors are stable but look anemic. Many of the key primaries and virtually all of the supporting nuances should boast much better saturation levels. Rather predictably, color balance isn't convincing either. Image stability is good. Some minor specks and black spots remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report in our review. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Last Remake of Beau Geste Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any serious anomalies to report in our review. The audio is clear, stable, and nicely balanced. Can it sound better? I am unsure. If improvements are made, they will likely address the middle and high ranges where some unevenness can be noticed. However, I think that it is very difficult, perhaps even impossible to tell if it is inherited. If I had to guess, I would say that it is.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - Sledge Hammer creator Alan Spencer discusses the production history of The Last Remake of Beau Geste and has plenty of interesting information to share about the evolution of Marty Feldman's career. It is very nice commentary, but Spencer was a good friend of Feldman so his comments are often too positive.

• Commentary Two - this commentary was recorded by journalist and author Bryan Reesman. As usual, there is plenty of factual information that addresses the conception of The Last Remake of Beau Geste as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

• Interview with Michael York - in this exclusive new audio interview, co-star Michael York recalls his involvement with The Last Remake of Beau Geste. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Trailers From Hell - presented here is an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with writer Alan Spencer. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery -
  
  1. Promotional materials
  2. Behind the Scenes
  3. B&W and Color stills

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Last Remake of Beau Geste. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The Last Remake of Beau Geste Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is too much material in The Last Remake of Beau Geste that quite simply does not work. Is it because it was badly reedited by the folks at Universal? Marty Feldman apparently thought so, but I very much disagree. The writing isn't convincing and the acting is all over the place as well. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old and weak master, but features a good selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features.