Storm Over the Nile

One Sunday afternoon in 1982 BBC 1 broadcast STORM OVER THE NILE . Nothing remarkable in itself with this scheduling but later that evening the ITV channel broadcast THE FOUR FEATHERS remake from the late 1970s ! Two different versions of the same story broadcast a few hours within each other on the two network channels ! Amazing , and not something that was unnoticed since myself and several school colleagues remarked upon this the next day . We were all in unanimous agreement that STORM OVER THE NILE was the much superior movie . Strangely over the years every time Terence Young's version is broadcast the TV guides don't have kind words for the 1955 film version of AEW Mason's story and after seeing the original 1939 version of THE FOUR FEATHERS I understand why - It's a rip off !

In the past I have criticised movies like CRITICAL MASS and RANGERS that use extensive film footage from other movies like TERMINATOR 2 and NAVY SEALS . With STORM we see the exact same thing . The truly great battle scenes weren't directed by Young they were directed by Zoltan Korda almost 20 years earlier . To be fair I don't think the producers are claiming that this is an entirely original movie hence the credit for both Korda and Young in the directors slot but I did see the 1939 version a week earlier on channel 4 and this spoils the enjoyment of STORM since the script is identical as are most of the action scenes . If you've never seen the original you'll like this movie but if you remember the unforgettable 1939 version by the Korda brothers you'll be left with a cynical feeling watching this

Although you wouldn't guess it from the title, Storm Over the Nile is a version of Four Feathers. This is the fourth film version I have seen, and it is quite good, with only one problem: Laurence Harvey is not the hero, and he is far too likeable. In the other versions, the leading actor is the likable one, so you are able to easily root for him to win back the affections of his fiancé and live happily ever after. In this one, though, Anthony Steel is the lead. He is not unlikable on his own, but Laurence Harvey's performance is very sensitive and sweet, and you can't help but like him better. You hope that he is the one who can win back affections of Mary Ure and live happily ever after. Even though the story clearly revolves around Anthony's quest for honor, Larry is the one you care about.

Besides that, it's a solid period drama. The music tries to evoke Miklos Rozsa's original themes, and Zoltan Korda's direction reminds us how well he directed the earlier 1939 version. If the casting were reversed, it probably would have been a very good movie. Love Larry in this? Check him out in The Alamo or Walk on the Wild Side.

If the name The Sudan is familiar today it is probably on account of the constant references to the exploits of his youth by Jonesy in 'Dad's Army' of the time he spent engaging the Mad Mahdi, briefly seen played by John Laurie in footage from the 1939 version.

Here you get a chance to see the thing played straight in this CinemaScope remake by Zoltan Korda of his classic thirties Ripping Yarn back in the days when Britain still had an empire.

Anthony Steel is a colourless substitute for John Clements as Harry Faversham and the less said about Lawrence Harvey in the role originally played by Ralph Richardson the better; but the late Mary Ure makes a charming and gracious heroine, while Osmond Borradaile's original location footage continued to give good value in this and a subsequent seventies version.

A lot of critics gave this movie a really hard time. I never read critical reviews until I've seen a film and I must confess that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Maybe it did use footage from a previous shoot and there were certainly flaws. But all in all, this was a good schoolboy yarn. I liked the lengthy build up to the scenes in Sudan, it really helped set the scene and made you care about the characters. The plot lingered long enough to give the viewer a feel of the longevity of the piece. The plot was well moved along and there was suitable emotion shown. James Robertson Justice so often just barks out his lines and in this movie he....Well, just barked out his lines! A real shame. A small blemish on an otherwise enjoyable movie.

This is a remake of the classic 1930' s movie The Four Feathers ,with directorial chores being split between Terence Young ( soon to be a James Bond helmsman) and Zoltan Korda ,whose brother Alexander produced the earlier version The movie is faithful both to the earlier picture and the source novel by A E W Mason .It tells how Harry Faversham is unjustly accused of cowardice when resigning his commission in the British army on the eve of the war in the Sudan against the Mahdi (For a fuller cinema treatment of the conflict see the Heston -Olivier picture "Khartoum ") 3 of his friends and his fiancée hand him white feathers ,emblematic of cowardice .Faversham disappears from London society and travels to Africa and disguises himself as a native ,in which role he comes to the aid of one of his accusers

Their is a slightly cheapskate air about the production whose battle scenes are largely taken from footage shot for the earlier movie .The acting is pretty wooden -espaecially from Anthony as Faversham and Laurence Harvey as his chief accuser .The peppy cameo from James Robertson Justice as a crusty old general adds needed vigour to the acting department as does a pre Hammer movies Christopher Lee as a native tribesman The movie is not downright bad but it lacks the brio and pace that would have lifted it a notch or two higher and overall is competent but slightly plodding