The Champagne Safari

The »Citizen Kane /Schindler«-esque saga of Charles E. Bedaux (1986 - 1944), millionaire, explorer, inventor of the so-called »B-System«, an industrial efficiency programme that was later mocked by Chaplin's MODERN TIMES, one of the most enigmatic and frighteningly influencial figures of this century. First time feature director George Ungar spent 16 years making this film, having discovered never-seen-before footage of Bedaux's bizarre and extravagant 1934 Canadian wilderness trek - a sort of Versailles on wheels - beautiful filmed by Hollywood cinematographer Floyd Crosby. This surreal trip becomes the background for an exploration of a man who eventually appears to be a member of a dark international elite whose fortunes were tied to the Nazi plot for world domination. EASILY THE MOST COMPELLING DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR (The Globe & Mail); A BRILLIANTLY RESEARCHED AND MASTERFULLY CONSTRUCTED FILM (Take One); RIVETING FROM START TO FINISH (Variety). When broadcast last November, the film scored the highest viewership ever for a documentary on TV Ontario.