THE LAST REMAKE OF BEAU GESTE / IN GOD WE TRUST - Andy's Marty Feldman Double Feature Review

[AndyDursin]

THE LAST REMAKE OF BEAU GESTE
7/10

IN GOD WE TRUST
5.5/10

Assorted Mel Brooks alumni ventured into their own, solo comedic vehicles in the late '70s – some more successfully than others. While Gene Wilder produced a couple of hits during his mixed tenure as a star/director, his fellow “Young Frankenstein” cast mate Marty Feldman was greeted with lesser commercial receipts by a pair of vehicles he wrote, starred and directed in over at Universal – the only two films he would make as part of a much-hyped five-picture contract he had with the studio. Despite their respective flaws, each are quite enjoyable and appealing in their own way, and are worthy of rediscovery on Blu-Ray.

THE LAST REMAKE OF BEAU GESTE (85 mins., 1977, PG) yields more laughs in a decidedly scattershot but at-times funny parody of '30s foreign legion films like “Beau Geste” as well as “The Four Feathers” (which was initially what Feldman wanted to send-up). Feldman and Michael York play the identical twin brothers (!) who end up in the desert where shenanigans ensue, all the while an all-star cast supporting Feldman – here making his feature directorial debut – include Ann-Margret (as the boys' stepmother), Peter Ustinov, Trevor Howard, James Earl Jones, Roy Kinnear, Henry Gibson, and Terry-Thomas among many others (Ed McMahon included!).

“The Last Remake of Beau Geste” is paced rapid-fire like a typical “parody movie” of the late '70s and '80s, yet as Feldman friend Alan Spencer notes in his commentary, the original intention of Feldman – who wrote the film with Chris Allen – was more of a free-form Monty Python piece. Universal reportedly recut the movie against Feldman's wishes, and had John Morris – who scored the film initially – rescore the picture nearly wall-to-wall with music (thankfully, his score is a delight – one of the perpetually underrated Morris' best – so it's not much of an issue). The end result robs the movie of its connective narrative tissue and rarely stops long enough to let gags sink in – which is a shame, because some of the material is pretty funny. Even the unfunny moments are at least likeable in nature, all bearing Feldman's personality – it's a relentlessly good-natured comedy, even if it's been overly cut up in terms of pacing.

Kino Lorber's Blu-Ray debuts this seldom-screened Universal release via a standard studio catalog transfer (1.85) that's decent though obviously not sourced from a newer scan. Spencer's commentary – like his talk on “The Nude Bomb” – is a gem, offering many personal anecdotes about Feldman off-camera and on, as well as his many struggles making the film, including its nightmarish location shooting in Ireland and Spain, where weather was a major problem. Spencer has also seen Feldman's original cut and notes the many alterations Universal made, while a laryngitis-plagued Michael York reaffirms Spencer's point of view in a new audio interview. A “Trailers From Hell” segment with Spencer, the trailer, and a commentary with Bryan Reesman close out the disc.

“Beau Geste” apparently did well enough to let Feldman have more of a free hand with his second (and final) Universal feature, IN GOD WE TRUST (97 mins., 1980, PG), which in this instance, may not have been that wise of a decision.

A modern-day comedy about a monk (Feldman) who heads to L.A. in order to raise $5,000 to save his monastery, “In God We Trust” follows Feldman as he meets a prostitute (Louise Lasser) with a heart of gold (of course), a con artist (Peter Boyle) and a televangelist (Andy Kaufman) who thinks Feldman can provide a profitable lifeline to God himself (Richard Pryor in a “special appearance”).

Feldman and Chris Allen's script certainly starts off well, and Universal let Feldman have a little more room for his film to breathe, since the 97-minute running time enables the characters to develop in a much less schizophrenic manner than “Beau Geste.” The unfortunate problem is that the characters – Lasser and Boyle especially – aren't that interesting, and as the story moves further away from Feldman and his more straightforward comedy – and more towards topical humor with Kaufman's broad performance – “In God We Trust” loses its early momentum and never really recovers.

Another Universal release that has received scant play on home video and TV over the years, Kino Lorber's welcome Blu-Ray of this flawed though not unlikeable film – one that's still very worthwhile for Feldman fans – includes another older studio catalog master (1.85) with DTS MA mono audio. John Morris again contributes a lovely score – it's a shame nobody ever released this and “Beau Geste” together – with another terrific commentary by Alan Spencer diving into the movie's background and eventual commercial failure. Another commentary with Bryan Reesman and trailers round out another fine Kino Lorber package.