The Four Feathers (1939)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

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: Position of Durrance's hat relative to a nearby rock changes several times.

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 "Fame: The Crazies (#1.11)" (1982)

Britain Beats Hollywood At Its Own Game

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