The Four Feathers

In 1885 the rebellious army of cruel Dervishes enslaved and killed many thousands of defenceless natives in Sudan . Then laid siege to Kartooum , the scanty garrison's heroic commanded General Gordon appealed for help from England , but no help reached him . The film deals about Harry Faversham (John Clemens), a British officer young man . He resigns from military army and being rejected , he is branded as a coward , receiving four feathers as symbols of cowardice by his engaged fiancée (Jane Duprez) and his three comrades friends . Determined to save his honour , he heads towards Suakin on the red sea (Sudan) . His purports are the helping his friends from uprising ¨Madih¨ who had defeated to General Gordon (deeds narrated in ¨Karthoun¨ by Basil Dearden with Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier) . He's determined to prove his courage and retrieve the lost honors . Meanwhile , the Kitchener army heads for Ondurman to fight against the Dervishes and Fuzzy Whuzzi rebels .

This is the best version of A.E.W Mason novel and contains a plethora of adventures , heroism, a love story and breathtaking battles. John Clemens as brave hero is memorable and Jane Duprez as gorgeous heroine is charming . Ralph Richardson as the blind comrade is awesome . Touch of humor is supplied by C. Aubrey Smith as the resourceful veteran military . Special mention to cinematography in a colorful and glimmer Technicolor at charge of George Perinal . Spectacular musical score by the classic musician Miklos Rozsa . The film has been magnificently realized by Korda brothers , Zoltan (direction) , production design (Vincent) and production (Alexander Korda). Other versions of Mason novel are ¨Storm over the sand¨ (1955) by Terence Young with Laurence Harvey, Anthony Steel and Mary Ure ; 1977 Television remake with Beau Bridges , Robert Powell and Jane Seymour and last adaptation (2000) by S. Kapoor with Heath Ledger , Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson . The motion picture will appeal to adventure genre fans and classic cinema enthusiasts .

In my 71 years I still hold "The Four Feathers" as my all time favorite movie. The acting is outstanding and the photography is beautifully done. You'll never see anything like this again if you live to be 200. It's too bad that this was released in 1939 when so many block busters were released by Hollywood.

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

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.

The 1939 version of Four Feathers deserves to be better known. It's one of those action classics like The Scarlet Pimpernel or Mutiny on the Bounty whose conflicts are as relevant to one era as another. In this case they revolve around different forms of courage and honor. A man from a prominent military family is snubbed as a coward by his fellow officers and even his fiancée when he refuses to participate in Britain's Sudanese campaign of the 1890s which he believes is imperial folly. He gradually regrets his decision and decides to make amends by secretly traveling to the Sudan to help his regiment as a spy behind enemy lines. To get away with this ruse he takes drastic steps to disguise himself as a local tribesman.

The Technicolor photography is eye-poppingly rich, at the same level as three other 1939 color classics—namely, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Drums Along the Mohawk. Particularly effective are the transitions from the browns and yellows of North African military outposts, with their punctuations by the red, white and blue of the Union Jack, to the deep greens of rural England. To top it off, much of the film was actually shot in the Sudan with what seems like thousands of native extras. By looks alone, sometimes it's hard to believe that this production predates the Second World War. It might have been a huge hit if it had had a Cary Grant or a Clark Cable or an Errol Flynn in the lead. As things go, John Clements is as good as can be, if not exactly bursting with charisma. Ralph Richardson gives a bravura performance as Clement's fellow officer, though he is saddled with a sequence that strains credulity beyond the breaking point. Let's just say that it takes a physically fit man longer than 30 seconds of direct exposure to the desert sun before he suffers total disorientation and unconsciousness. And if the sun can do that much damage so swiftly, then surely the flesh of the unconscious man's face, exposed for hours, would be cooked to a cinder.

C. Aubrey Smith plays his usual crusty old Brit, this time as a bombastic Crimean War veteran who complains that men are no longer men and war is no longer war. His repetitious boasting wears thin after a while. June Duprez barely registers as the female love interest.