The Four Feathers (1939)

I've been around for awhile and have seen lots of movies, and I think the 1939 version of The Four Feathers is one of the best action movies ever! The photography, interior shots especially, often looks like oil painting. Sir Ralph Richardson, with his "good old Weatherby" line is unforgettable. A great motion picture rendition of a great story.

Fmovies: One of my all-time favourite films of the 30s, perhaps even ever. For me, this is my personal favourite of all the Korda brothers films, and it is a true gem of a film that shouldn't be missed.

There is very little to fault The Four Feathers. It has truly evocative location work, sweeping cinematography and rich bold colours that still look amazing. The script is tight, the story is epic and always compelling and the film is perfectly paced with some great action. Miklos Rosza's score is just outstanding, easily up there as one of his best, while Zoltan Korda directs beautifully, and the acting of John Clements, Ralph Richardson and C.Aubrey Smith is excellent.

Overall, this film is a must see for so many reasons especially for its wonderful visuals and score. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It's ridiculous that movies like THE FULL MONTY and 28 DAYS LATER that have a British producer , director and screenwriter that were filmed entirely in Britain with an entirely British cast are not classed " British " simply because they were made by American studios . Somewhat ironic then that one of greatest British - And I mean truly British -films owes so much to the Korda brothers who came to this country from Hungary while the man responsible for the breath taking colour cinematography was from France

But I'm not going to be internationalist about THE FOUR FEATHERS because this is a movie that makes you proud to be British , something that is sadly no longer allowed to happen these days . Perhaps the most stirring thing I can say about this movie is the way it wipes the floor with the contemporary competition that was coming out of Hollywood at the time . While the American studio were making similar monochrome movies with Errol Flynn and David Niven as the leads Ralph Richardson's performance alone is a reason to watch this movie and even if it wasn't there's still the story itself featuring themes like courage , honour , romance and redemption . You want battle scenes ? There's several in this movie as well choreographed as any thing seen in cinema at this time but perhaps the most what sets this British movie apart from other movies that were being produced across the pond is that it's a bit more gritty and sadistic than what Hollywood was producing . In one scene a British officer is flogged like a dog and he screams in pain as the camera pans on to the Mufti's face , a face lit up in sadistic glee , then the scene cross fades into a crowded dungeon where the prisoners are kept , a dark hell hole where the audience can actually taste the pain , fear and misery from the unfortunate prisoners . Even in those days Hollywood would pull their punches while a film like THE FOUR FEATHERSwould not

Sadly THE FOUR FEATHERS was released in 1939 which meant it qualified for the legendary Oscar ceremony the following year when GONE WITH THE WIND swept the board . A great pity because this very British movie deserved a hat full of awards . Sadly too Britain no longer has a film industry of its own and is reliant upon American finance , but perhaps the saddest thing is even if we did have a film industry no one in the business would want to film such an exciting historical epic in case they were labeled reactionary or racist

The Four Feathers fmovies. A British army officer is forced to redeem himself after being branded a coward by his Army buddies and the woman he loves. Improbably, he decides to go off to the war in the Sudan to rescue his fallen comrades. That is the gist of this story--but it makes a powerful, absorbing British film in excellent early Technicolor.

June Duprez is the scornful woman, pretty as a picture in the only feminine role. Uncharismatic British actor John Clements is only adequate as the man who receives the "four feathers" and must redeem himself--but Ralph Richardson has the most memorable scenes as the sun-struck soldier who loses his helmet under the blazing sun and is blinded. Many gripping scenes as the hero undertakes a long journey to the Sudan.

Handsome Alexander Korda production rightfully deserves its ranking as a screen classic of 1939, but I have to say it's not without its faults as far as the structure of the story goes.

First of all, too much time is spent on hundreds of extras in battle scenes that become repetitious after awhile and interrupt the flow of the story and what is happening with our hero. Furthermore, the actor chosen for the "stiff upper lip" role of Haversham is John Clements, and much of his performance is too stiff to come alive. A more appealing and charismatic actor from that era would have sufficed and made the story stronger. Thirdly, there's a hint of incredibility in the tale of a man who would go to such extremes to regain his honor and go on a mission in which he would be reunited with the very men who scorned him. A bit much in the realm of credibility, but it does make a good story.

Summing up: Good adventure tale in which C. Aubrey Smith has one of his most memorable character roles as a stuffy "Colonel Blimp" type of career soldier recounting his favorite war tales.

This is one of the best from the now happily recovered & preserved great Korda collection(for some years blocked by much litigation)when the huge Denham Studios were on a roll,having arisen from the embers of an earlier fire. Under the sheer dedication of the hungarian Kordas, they simply couldn't fail until in the middle of what must be their most popular hit, The Thief of Baghdad,they were forced to move to the US by the outbreak of WW2. Each brother has left much to posterity. Alex, the entrepreneur was subsequently knighted for his contribution to British films. In a fascinating but poignant BBC documentary of the 70s,on the great studio's rise & fall, Elizabeth Bergner {another European import) referred to him as "a prankster". This vividly technicolored remake is splendid adventure, its Sudan locations compare well with those of Lawrence of Arabia and as in "Thief" the object of my attention had to be the beautiful, husky young June Duprez.

As in Stanley Baker's "ZULU" these giant black warriors are fearsomely portrayed with the scenes inside the primitive prison where the "dumb" spy Harry Faversham eventually finds himself are quite grim. And as another reviewer has commented, crusty Sir Aubrey as ever is the perfect & amusing retired tactician at the start & finish. A glare from under those bushy eyebrows was always enough! Great entertainment.

Few people read A.E.W.Mason anymore, but his historical novels were once very popular. The best known title, due to being the source of several movies, is THE FOUR FEATHERS.

Young Harry Faversham grew up in a household where his father, a general, tried to inculcate the idea of military duty and patriotism to him. Perhaps overkill would be a better description. We see his father having dinner with his military cronies, most notably General Burroughs (Sir C. Aubrey Smith), and hear the most fire-eating conversations about the military. Harry's father even tells about how one cowardly officer did the only decent thing he could - he blew his brains out.

Years pass. Faversham has gone into the military and has three close friends: Captain John Durrance (Ralph Richardson), Lt. Thomas Willoughby (Jack Allan), and Peter Burroughs (Donald Gray). He is engaged to Ethne Burroughs (June Duprez). Then, in 1896, his regiment is ordered to the Sudan to fight the Mahdists. This is the same war that began in KHARTOUM, and that even shows a scene when Gordon is speared by the Mahdists when his fort fell. Durrance, Willoughby, and Burroughs are looking forward to the great game of war, and of fighting as a unit together. Duprez is hopeful her beloved hero will return with a great military reputation. But Faversham does not want to go. He resigns his commission, saying he just does not feel like fighting. The real reason is that he is tired of this militaristic crap he's fed all his life. Since his father is now dead he doesn't have to put up with it anymore. Unfortunately, his three friends and his fiancé disagree. Each sends him a white feather - a silent comment saying that he is a coward. None want to hear his explanations.

He confides to his one gentle friend, Dr. Sutton (Frederick Culley). Sutton understands him, but points out that his bad timing makes any explanation look suspicious. So Harry decides on a plan. He goes back to Egypt, and gets himself dressed up as a native, who can't speak (a tribe was punished by having their tongues cut off, and their cheek branded - so they don't speak Arabic at all, and Harry might be able to get away with passing himself off as a native). Then he proceeds into the war zone as a spy.

In the meantime, his three chums have had nothing but misfortune. Willoughby and Burroughs are captured by the Mahdists in a battle, and are tormented daily in a cell at Omdurman (the capital of the Mahdists, now ruled by "The Khalifa" (John Laurie)). Worst perhaps is Durrance's tragedy. He managed to flee a massacre site by accident, but lost his pith helmet in the desert. The intense sun of the Sahara destroyed his optic nerves, and he is now blind. So of the four chums, two are imprisoned by the enemy and one is useless for the war effort.

Harry's efforts to save his friends and aid his country, ending in the battle at Omdurman in 1898, are the conclusion of this great movie. The acting is good, although stolen by Richardson as the blind Durrance, demonstrating his ability to read Braille in one scene, and learning belatedly that the person who saved his life in the desert was a man he maligned. Aubrey Smith added to his moments of creative acting on the screen in his famous description of the battle of Balaclava (he insists modern war is not as deadly as the Crimean, forty years before) using the dinner table and the food to show the Charge of the Light Brigade. It is pleasant to relate that at the end of the film Clements teaches the old