Jim Morris Movies

The Champagne Safari was a foolhardy 1,200 mile expedition across Northern Canada backed by millionaire entrepreneur Charles Bedaux. To make the 1934 journey Bedaux brought along five Citroen half-track tanks, 130 pack horses, kegs of champagne and tons of gourmet French cuisine. He also brought along an entire library of books, a crew and Oscar winning cameraman Floyd Crosby. The expedition was a bust and the resulting film footage was lost until 1984 when Canadian filmmaker George Ungar found it in a Paris basement and used it in this fascinating biography of the enigmatic, megalomaniacal American industrialist, entrepreneur and WW II-era traitor Charles Bedaux, a man who had a tremendous effect on the rise of the Nazis to power. The film took over 16 years to make and is narrated by actor Colm Feore. In addition to Crosby's fascinating footage, the story is told via reenactments, archival photos and interviews with historians, writers, and relatives. The Champagne Safari was but one incident in Bedaux's life. He earned his fortune by using scientific methodology to create the "Bedaux System" of worker management. Other American corporations liked the methods and he became wealthy. Bedaux soon became known for his exotic expeditions. But there was a dark side to Bedaux, and his close ties to the Nazi party are also explored in the film. It was this shadowy relationship that ultimately caused the downfall and suicide of Bedaux who died just before he was to stand trial for treason in the US. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Mae West (1892-1980) was perhaps the original comic sex goddess of American cinema. Originally a vaudeville performer, she became a national sensation following her 1926 Broadway show Sex, which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in. She continued to outrage the sensibilities of her time on Broadway before coming to Hollywood and doing the same there throughout the 1930s. She perfected her double entendre humor onscreen and gradually fell out of favor with an increasingly prudish film-going public, though her career underwent several brief revivals. Even as an extremely old woman, she affected the manners and dress of a reigning sex queen. The 1978 release of Sextette, based on her own original scenario, marked her final screen appearance. It was not well received by critics nor the public, and was an undignified note on which to end her sensational career. In this farcical and star-studded film, West plays the fading movie star Marlo Manners, whose attempts to consummate her marriage to Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), her sixth husband, are humorously interrupted by the preceding five. Marlo is also dictating the unexpurgated story of her life, and when one of the tapes goes missing, it threatens to cause an international incident, as well as ruining a number of reputations (including her own). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide