The Four Feathers (1939)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Zoltan Korda

Writers:

A.E.W. Mason (by)
R.C. Sherriff (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 August 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

See...The Dreaded Dervishes! - Kipling's Famous FUZZY WUZZIES!

Plot:

A British army officer who resigns his commission on the eve of his unit's embarkation to a mission...

Plot Keywords:

Cowardice | Cavalry | Blindness | Pith Helmet | Redemption

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

John Clements	...	Harry Faversham
Ralph Richardson	...	Captain John Durrance
C. Aubrey Smith	...	General Burroughs
June Duprez	...	Ethne Burroughs
Allan Jeayes	...	General Faversham
Jack Allen	...	Lieutenant Willoughby
Donald Gray	...	Peter Burroughs
Frederick Culley	...	Dr Sutton
Clive Baxter	...	Young Harry Faversham
Robert Rendel	...	Colonel
Archibald Batty	...	Adjutant
Derek Elphinstone	...	Lieutenant Parker
Hal Walters	...	Joe
Norman Pierce	...	Sergeant Brown
Henry Oscar	...	Dr . Harraz

Runtime:

129 min | 115 min (TCM print) | West Germany:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R13 | UK:A | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #02457) | UK:U (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of Durrance changes after he falls the second time, to include the angle of his arm, and the position and orientation of the hat.

Quotes:

Harry Faversham: I *am* a coward, Doctor. If I'd been anything but a soldier I might have lived my whole life and concealed it. But to be a soldier *and* a coward is to be an impostor, a menace to the men whose lives are in your hands.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Never disgrace the regiment

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.