The Champagne Safari

Time magazine once said that should a movie ever be made about Charles Bedeaux's life, the facts would need to be toned down to keep it within the realm of believability. Intriguing though these facts may be, this Champagne is a little flat. A school dropout and apprentice to a Paris pimp, Bedeaux came to the United States in 1906 at the age of 19. He spoke no English and had $1 in his pocket. By 1934, he was a pioneering management consultant and workers efficiency expert, and one of the country's top income earners. Bedeaux was apolitical, stating that he was neither left nor right, but instead preferred to go forward. His business dealings with Nazi Germany led to his downfall, and he apparently committed suicide before he could be charged with treason. The centerpiece of this documentary is recently discovered footage of a lavish Bedeaux expedition that was photographed by High Noon cinematographer Floyd Crosby. In British Columbia, we are told, a mountain bears Bedeaux's name, but it lies "untouched and forgotten." Despite this film's best efforts, that would seem to be Bedeaux's fate as well. As one observer notes, he remains in the end, a mystery. Optional. (K. Lee Benson)