The Four Feathers (2002)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writers (WGA):

A.E.W. Mason (novel)
Michael Schiffer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

Freedom. Country. Honor. Passion. To save his best friend, one man must risk everything he loves.

Plot:

A British officer resigns his post just before battle and subsequently receives four white feathers from his friends and fiancee as symbols of what they believe to be his cowardice.

Plot Keywords:

Cowardice | British | Sudan | North Africa | Church Of England

Cast

Wes Bentley	...	Jack Durrance
Mohamed Bouich	...	Sudanese Storyteller
Campbell Brown	...	Dervish Ansar
Daniel Caltagirone	...	Gustave
James Cosmo	...	Col. Sutch
Andy Coumbe	...	Colonel Other Regiment
Angela Douglas	...	Aunt Mary
Karim Doukkali	...	Egyptian Orderly
Lucy Gordon	...	Isabelle
Megan Hall	...	Millie
James Hillier	...	Drunken Corporal
Nick Holder	...	British Lion
Djimon Hounsou	...	Abou Fatma
Kate Hudson	...	Ethne Eustace
Alex Jennings	...	Colonel Hamilton

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, disturbing images, violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

131 min | Canada:125 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 (original rating) | Malaysia:U | Australia:M (TV rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39145) (edited for re-rating) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The major fight scene is the Battle of Abu Klea, which took place on January 17, 1885. A British Desert Column of approximately 1,100 troops fought a Mahdist force of over 12,000 dervishes. The scene depicted in the film, however, is a fictional version of the actual battle.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the actual 1884-1885 campaign in the Sudan, the British soldiers were wearing grey tunics instead of the scarlet ones depicted in the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: By 1884 over a quarter of the earth's surface had been conquered by the British Army. There was no greater honor for a young man than to fight for Queen and Country. Those that refused the call to arms brought shame and humiliation on their friends and families...
Title Card: The Symbol of their disgrace was the white feather of cowardice...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (2004)

Unjustly overlooked

In my opinion, The Four Feathers deserved a better fare. While not a classic, this film is one of the few adventurous historical epics made in the last decade that really tried to do something with that worn out genre. Shekhar Khapur is without a doubt a capable director and here he succeeds in recreating some of the spark that epics like "Lawrence of Arabia" had. That's what makes this film a worthwhile affair.

Heath Ledger plays a young English cadet officer who refuses to join his regiment to fight in Sudan. This is the end of the 19th century and the colonies are just starting to rebel against their oppressors, in this case the British Empire. That is what makes Harry's involvement a moral question and his decision not to participate in the war against the natives is seen as cowardice. At the same time his friend Bentley and fiancée Hudson don't understand Harry's actions and treat him the same as the rest of the establishment.

The story is well crafted and the scenes are shot very well, especially action scenes. The photography and the music complement the film well. Ledger delivers one of his best performances here, although Hudson is a wooden doll as usual and Bentley doesn't get enough screen time. Djimon Hounsou is always a pleasure to see and his character is sympathetic since he plays Ledger's only friend and ally in a difficult situation.

The anti-colonial stance and the epic nature of this film make it a quite unique work. Some argue that it gets boring, but that can't be avoided with such films. Even Lawrence of Arabia wasn't always exciting and in comparison with Master and Commander this is a much more exciting film. Those who wrote it off the first time oughta give it another look.