The Four Feathers

It is easy to spot the stock shots from the 1939 epic of Empire. This film having been shot in Technicolor Monaco whereas the original was shot in Frisco and gives a completely different quality.

Everything about this remake is inferior to the original. The worst problem is the casting of Beau Bridges in the lead.

They have truncated and abridged the story taking out the tension and most exciting elements of the original.

The climactic fight looks as if shot on a beach in Spain. You almost expect Terry Jones to stagger on and say"and now for something completely different". At least that would add entertainment to this poor and pointless remake.

The son of a general, much is expected of Harry Feversham. However, on the eve of his regiment going to the war in the Sudan, he resigns his commission. Three of his fellow officers and his fiancée each present him with a white feather, a symbol of cowardice. Distraught at this turn of events, Feversham sets off to the Sudan to restore his honour.

Not great: plot is so-so, filled with empty melodrama and a stuffiness that makes some stretches quite tedious. Beau Bridges is miscast as Feversham: he lacks the necessary dash for the role and his non-Englishness shows. Where no English actors deemed suitable for the role? (Yet all the main supporting parts are played by English actors).

However, it is fairly entertaining. The battle scenes are great and there are some good adventures along the way.

Overall, okay, but nothing more.

Although it pales next to the 1939 classic version, as a made-for-television feature this film is well worth watching. It tells the story of a young Englishman driven to extreme lengths to prove to himself & his friends that he is not a coward.

Surrounded by a fine British cast, Beau Bridges might seem wrongly cast in the main role, but he does a stalwart job throughout. Good action scenes set in Muslim Africa. Co-stars include Jane Seymour, Harry Andrews (great as Bridges' fierce old father), Robert Powell, Richard Johnson, Simon Ward, David Robb & Robin Bailey.

I guess I am just a sucker for the old movies ca. 1939, but I mean...anyone who likes this 1978 version really should see the 1939 movie just to compare it. See what the 1939 Faversham goes through to redeem himself, and compare it to Beau Bridges. The 1978 is completely BORING. I kept fast forwarding it hoping to see something as impressive as the 1939 version, but that never happened. Please try the 1939 version; I Know that you will not be disappointed

If you want to see Feversham subject himself to a REAL disguise, please watch the 1939 version. 1978 guy grows a beard - pffft. Big deal.\

1939 version. YOW - a real sacrifice!