The Last Remake of Beau Geste ** (1977, Marty Feldman, Ann-Margret, Michael York, Peter Ustinov, Trevor Howard, James Earl Jones) – Classic Movie Review 7796

The hysterical bug-eyed comedian Marty Feldman co-writes (with Chris J Allen) and directs the 1977 foreign legion spoof comedy The Last Remake of Beau Geste, a daft but fairly enjoyable parody retelling of the classic tale of an aristocratic foreign legionnaire.

Feldman plays pathetic Digby Geste, the daffy brother of high-minded Beau Geste (Michael York), who both go from Surrey to the Sahara in search of the love of a good woman and a precious sapphire – the priceless Blue Water.

Trevor Howard plays old Sir Hector Geste, dying back home, and Ann-Margret is his new wife Flavia, who also dashes off to North Africa to claim the gem. Beau gets the sapphire but nips off to keep it from his stepmother.

A very fine vintage British comedy cast works hard and provides a fair measure of good guffaws, but The Last Remake of Beau Geste all gets far too silly, and the tale unravels way before the end.

Also in the cast are Peter Ustinov, James Earl Jones, Henry Gibson, Terry-Thomas, Roy Kinnear, Spike Milligan, Hugh Griffith, Irene Handl, Abery Schreiber, Sinéad Cusack, Henry Polic II, Ted Cassidy, Burt Kwouk, Val Pringle, Gwen Nelson, Philip Bollard, Nicholas Bridge, Michael McConkey, Bekki Bridge, Roland MacLeod, Martin Snaric, Stephen Lewis, and Ed McMahon.

The Last Remake of Beau Geste is directed by Marty Feldman, runs 85 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by Marty Feldman and Chris J Allen, based on a story by Marty Feldman and Sam Bobrick, is shot in Technicolor by Gerry Fisher, is produced by William S Gilmore Jr, George Shapiro and Howard West, is scored by John Morris and is designed by Leslie Dilley.

Feldman was disappointed by the final cut, which was the version edited by Universal Pictures. Although already short at 85 minutes, NBC edited another 11 minutes from the film for its 1982 American network TV premiere.

Tragically, Feldman died of a heart attack after shellfish food poisoning while filming Yellowbeard (1983) in Mexico City on 2 December 1982, aged 48. A week earlier he said: ‘I am too old to die young, and too young to grow up.’

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7796

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