As Quatro Penas Brancas

The 1939 version of Four Feathers deserves to be better known. It's one of those action classics like The Scarlet Pimpernel or Mutiny on the Bounty whose conflicts are as relevant to one era as another. In this case they revolve around different forms of courage and honor. A man from a prominent military family is snubbed as a coward by his fellow officers and even his fiancée when he refuses to participate in Britain's Sudanese campaign of the 1890s which he believes is imperial folly. He gradually regrets his decision and decides to make amends by secretly traveling to the Sudan to help his regiment as a spy behind enemy lines. To get away with this ruse he takes drastic steps to disguise himself as a local tribesman.

The Technicolor photography is eye-poppingly rich, at the same level as three other 1939 color classics—namely, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Drums Along the Mohawk. Particularly effective are the transitions from the browns and yellows of North African military outposts, with their punctuations by the red, white and blue of the Union Jack, to the deep greens of rural England. To top it off, much of the film was actually shot in the Sudan with what seems like thousands of native extras. By looks alone, sometimes it's hard to believe that this production predates the Second World War. It might have been a huge hit if it had had a Cary Grant or a Clark Cable or an Errol Flynn in the lead. As things go, John Clements is as good as can be, if not exactly bursting with charisma. Ralph Richardson gives a bravura performance as Clement's fellow officer, though he is saddled with a sequence that strains credulity beyond the breaking point. Let's just say that it takes a physically fit man longer than 30 seconds of direct exposure to the desert sun before he suffers total disorientation and unconsciousness. And if the sun can do that much damage so swiftly, then surely the flesh of the unconscious man's face, exposed for hours, would be cooked to a cinder.

C. Aubrey Smith plays his usual crusty old Brit, this time as a bombastic Crimean War veteran who complains that men are no longer men and war is no longer war. His repetitious boasting wears thin after a while. June Duprez barely registers as the female love interest.

A young English army officer resigns his commission just as war in Africa breaks out. His 3 best friends, officers all, and his fiancée each give him a white feather - the sign of the coward. Shunned & ostracized, he undertakes a mission to clear his honour & prove his courage.

This is a wonderful British adventure film, equally on a par with anything Hollywood was to produce in that golden year of 1939. Shot in color, with spare-no-expense filming in the Sudan, THE FOUR FEATHERS is a paean to the glory days of Victoria's Empire & the men who fought to build it.

Sir John Clements is excellent as the young hero. Although virtually unknown to American audiences his entire career, Sir John was a very fine actor with a warmly distinctive voice which he uses here to advantage. Sir Ralph Richardson appears, terrific as always, as one of the friends; so does John Laurie, very good as the troublesome Khalifa. Sir C. Aubrey Smith, magnificent as a curmudgeonly old general, provides the final hurdle Sir John must jump to regain his reputation.

No, this isn't how we regard military service or Empire anymore, and I hope it's not how we regard other peoples and races, but there are things about this picture that still getcha.

The film celebrates friendship and mutual obligation. It celebrates courage and determination. It celebrates a beautiful young couple and the love that conquers all, and celebrates the fact that the movies never let the funny-looking guy get the girl. It celebrates C. Aubrey Smith's eyebrows, and that's reason enough to watch any film.

The real heroes are Ralph Richardson, for acting at least 100% in every scene, never coasting or losing concentration for a minute, and the euphoniously named Osmond Borrodaile, whose second unit cinematography in faraway locations with monstrous cameras under difficult conditions enlivened many a movie.

I cannot recall when I first saw this movie, certainly more than 30 years ago, but it is one that I've never forgotten and watch again whenever I can. Of the actors, only Ralph Richardson and C. Aubrey Smith are familiar. However, the ensemble play of the lesser known actors is certainly outstanding. I can still remember the determination of young Faversham desperately trying to regain his honor and his girl. After all these years I don't remember the finer details, but the film as a whole, as well as the book on which it is based are classics, and I'm certain Miklos Rozsa's lush strains added much to the overall effect. It's a film well worth seeing for those who enjoy derring-do and historical drama. I've never seen any of the other versions to see if I enjoyed them even half as much.

One of my all-time favourite films of the 30s, perhaps even ever. For me, this is my personal favourite of all the Korda brothers films, and it is a true gem of a film that shouldn't be missed.

There is very little to fault The Four Feathers. It has truly evocative location work, sweeping cinematography and rich bold colours that still look amazing. The script is tight, the story is epic and always compelling and the film is perfectly paced with some great action. Miklos Rosza's score is just outstanding, easily up there as one of his best, while Zoltan Korda directs beautifully, and the acting of John Clements, Ralph Richardson and C.Aubrey Smith is excellent.

Overall, this film is a must see for so many reasons especially for its wonderful visuals and score. 10/10 Bethany Cox