Beau Geste
About the Film
Beau Geste thrums with action and drama as a trio of British brothers — future Oscar-winner Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton forty years before he became Commissioner Gordon on TV’s Batman, and the prolific Ralph Forbes — find themselves in the French Foreign Legion and at the mercy of a sadistic commanding officer (Noah Beery). William Powell shines in the supporting cast, eight years before he portrayed Nick Charles in the The Thin Man movie series. One of Paramount Pictures’ most popular films of the 1920s, Brenon’s epic spectacle inspired multiple sequels, remakes, and, eventually, parodies and, with this monumental restoration, can now reach modern audiences.
About the Restoration
Beau Geste was a 1926 Paramount production that was awarded Best Picture of 1926 by Photoplay Magazine—the year before the Academy Awards arrived. Directed by Herbert Brenon, the film starred Ronald Colman, Alice Joyce, Neil Hamilton, Noah Beery, William Powell, Ralph Forbes and Norman Trevor, and was based upon the best-selling novel by P.C. Wren. The film was originally released in roadshow format with an intermission and went through two cuts. A final print was struck from the original negative in 1939 for research toward the remake. At that time the negative had hundreds of splices and missing and damaged footage. Unfortunately, that print was struck on a printer for sound films, and the left side of the image was lost. Because of the importance of the film, there was a perception that it was protected. Multiple archives held different elements, but the reality was that not a single complete element of high quality had survived.
Restoration Partners
Film Preserve Ltd.
Maltese Film Works
San Francisco Silent Film Festival
