The Restorationists Behind ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ‘Spartacus,’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ Turn to a Forgotten Epic

In 1926, Paramount Pictures released the first adaptation of “Beau Geste,” a rousing adventure novel by P.C. Wren that would be remade in 1939 and 1966 and parodied by comedian Marty Feldman in the 1977 comedy “The Last Remake of Beau Geste.” The 1926 incarnation was a commercial and critical success and won Photoplay magazine’s top prize — one year before the birth of the Academy Awards — at a time when that was the most prestigious recognition a movie could…