The Four Feathers (2002)

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.

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writers:

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

Stars:

Wes Bentley, Mohamed Bouich, Kate Hudson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Set in 1884 Sudan, this fifth film to be adapted from the A.E.W. Mason novel follows a British officer who resigns his post right before his regiment ships out to battle the rebels. Perceiving his resignation as cowardice, his friends and fiancée give him four white feathers, the symbol of cowardice, but little do they know he's actually going undercover and plans to redeem his honor.

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Plot Keywords:

cowardice | battle | friend | white feather | british | 

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Taglines:

What would you kill for?

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Paramount

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las cuatro plumas

Filming Locations:

Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$165,725 (Japan) (19 September 2003)

Gross:

$495,874 (Japan) (26 September 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Miramax Films, Jaffilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min 125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

At 52.30 when the British soldier fires at the guys escaping on camels, he also fires two shots without reloading in between. Again this would have been impossible with the Martini-Henry rifles as they are single shot breech-loaders (as seen famously in 'Zulu' and 'Zulu Dawn').

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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...

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Connections

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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Soundtracks

"The British Grenadiers"
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Beautiful-Looking, Old Fashioned War Melodrama

"Four Feathers" reminded me of "Dances With Wolves," a beautiful try at PC reinterpretation of a soldier's role in an imperialistic war.

While I haven't read the original novel or have seen any of the previous five filmed versions of the story and my knowledge of the history of this period is pretty much formed by movies and "Masterpiece Theatre," this is the first one done by someone born in a former British colony, director Shekhar Kapur, so I was curious to see how the natives were treated (well, more like the Pawnee than the Lakota in "Wolves").

This version also carries today's symbolic weight of Western soldiers against Muslim warriors, especially as the enemy is identified as the Mahdi -- who Osama Bin Lama proclaimed as the last glory of Islam that he aspired to replicate.

This new interpretation has Heath Ledger refusing to fight in the Sudan not because of the cowardice symbolized by the titular feathers but more in the spirit of Country Joe McDonald's view of the Viet Nam War.

I got lost a few times in the geography and rescue choreography and found Djimon Hounsou a noble African with no motivation or reason for being there whatsoever.

However, the cinematography is gorgeous and will all be lost in video. Particularly thrilling are the battle scenes, which rate up there with "Barry Lyndon." I was especially impressed that Kapur didn't keep repeating the same sight lines, as most show-off directors do about shots that must have taken hours to set up.

While crossing and re-crossing the sands didn't make a lot of sense with little explanation as to survival, the treks and fights there were lovely.

And heck, I'm a fan of the three leads, Ledger (who looks great even in a fright wig), Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson (who mostly gets to dress up and look pretty), so I just sat back and enjoyed an old-fashioned big-screen Hollywood adventure (despite the endless chatter from the row of old ladies behind me).

(originally written 9/21/2002)