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The Four Feathers

  • 19391939
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Four Feathers (1939)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer2:46
1 Video
21 Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Romance
A timid 1880s British Army officer resigns, burning his last-day summons to war in Egypt. Accusing him of cowardice, his girlfriend and three friends give him white feathers. To gain redempt... Read allA timid 1880s British Army officer resigns, burning his last-day summons to war in Egypt. Accusing him of cowardice, his girlfriend and three friends give him white feathers. To gain redemption, he shadows his friends to save their lives.A timid 1880s British Army officer resigns, burning his last-day summons to war in Egypt. Accusing him of cowardice, his girlfriend and three friends give him white feathers. To gain redemption, he shadows his friends to save their lives.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Zoltan Korda
  • Writers
    • A.E.W. Mason(novel)
    • R.C. Sherriff(screen play)
    • Lajos Biró(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • John Clements
    • Ralph Richardson
    • C. Aubrey Smith
Top credits
  • Director
    • Zoltan Korda
  • Writers
    • A.E.W. Mason(novel)
    • R.C. Sherriff(screen play)
    • Lajos Biró(additional dialogue)
  • Stars
    • John Clements
    • Ralph Richardson
    • C. Aubrey Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 88User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:46
    Trailer

    Photos21

    The Four Feathers (1939)
    Poster for 1949 rerelease, Quad
    The Four Feathers (1939)
    John Clements, June Duprez, and C. Aubrey Smith in The Four Feathers (1939)
    John Clements and June Duprez in The Four Feathers (1939)
    John Clements and June Duprez in The Four Feathers (1939)
    John Clements and C. Aubrey Smith in The Four Feathers (1939)
    John Clements, June Duprez, and C. Aubrey Smith in The Four Feathers (1939)
    June Duprez and Ralph Richardson in The Four Feathers (1939)
    The Four Feathers (1939)
    The Four Feathers (1939)
    The Four Feathers (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Clements
    John Clements
    • Harry Favershamas Harry Faversham
    Ralph Richardson
    Ralph Richardson
    • Captain John Durranceas Captain John Durrance
    C. Aubrey Smith
    C. Aubrey Smith
    • General Burroughsas General Burroughs
    June Duprez
    June Duprez
    • Ethne Burroughsas Ethne Burroughs
    Allan Jeayes
    Allan Jeayes
    • General Favershamas General Faversham
    Jack Allen
    Jack Allen
    • Lieutenant Willoughbyas Lieutenant Willoughby
    Donald Gray
    • Peter Burroughsas Peter Burroughs
    Frederick Culley
    • Dr. Suttonas Dr. Sutton
    Clive Baxter
    • Young Harry Favershamas Young Harry Faversham
    Robert Rendel
    Robert Rendel
    • Colonelas Colonel
    Archibald Batty
    • Adjutantas Adjutant
    Derek Elphinstone
    • Lieutenant Parkeras Lieutenant Parker
    Hal Walters
    • Joeas Joe
    Norman Pierce
    • Sergeant Brownas Sergeant Brown
    Henry Oscar
    Henry Oscar
    • Dr. Harrazas Dr. Harraz
    John Laurie
    John Laurie
    • The Khalifaas The Khalifa
    Amid Taftazani
    • Karaga Pashaas Karaga Pasha
    Peter Cozens
    • Manas Man
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Zoltan Korda
    • Writers
      • A.E.W. Mason(novel)
      • R.C. Sherriff(screen play)
      • Lajos Biró(additional dialogue)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "Storm Over the Nile (1955)" re-used a lot of the battle sequences from this movie, which did not lend themselves very well to cropping necessary to achieve the width of the CinemaScope ratio, nor did their comparative fuzziness blend well with the new footage which surrounded it.
    • Goofs
      When CPT Durrance feels the face and head of the dead soldier outside his tent, the 'dead soldier' moves his head, lifting and turning it.
    • Quotes

      Harry Faversham: In England, the white feather is the mark of a coward.

      Dr. Harraz: Ah, I see. Then why worry? Be a coward and be happy.

      Harry Faversham: No, Doctor. I have been a coward, and I wasn't happy.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: In 1885 the rebellious army of cruel dervishes enslaved and killed many thousands of defenceless natives in the Sudan, then laid siege to Khartoum. The scanty garrison's heroic commander, General Gordon appealed for help from England - but no help reached him.
    • Connections
      Edited into Storm Over the Nile (1955)
    • Soundtracks
      Auld Lang Syne
      (1788) (uncredited)

      Lyrics by Robert Burns, music traditional

      Heard during the departure of the Regiment

    User reviews88

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    The Meaning of Courage in Victorian England and in the Sudan
    Few people read A.E.W.Mason anymore, but his historical novels were once very popular. The best known title, due to being the source of several movies, is THE FOUR FEATHERS.

    Young Harry Faversham grew up in a household where his father, a general, tried to inculcate the idea of military duty and patriotism to him. Perhaps overkill would be a better description. We see his father having dinner with his military cronies, most notably General Burroughs (Sir C. Aubrey Smith), and hear the most fire-eating conversations about the military. Harry's father even tells about how one cowardly officer did the only decent thing he could - he blew his brains out.

    Years pass. Faversham has gone into the military and has three close friends: Captain John Durrance (Ralph Richardson), Lt. Thomas Willoughby (Jack Allan), and Peter Burroughs (Donald Gray). He is engaged to Ethne Burroughs (June Duprez). Then, in 1896, his regiment is ordered to the Sudan to fight the Mahdists. This is the same war that began in KHARTOUM, and that even shows a scene when Gordon is speared by the Mahdists when his fort fell. Durrance, Willoughby, and Burroughs are looking forward to the great game of war, and of fighting as a unit together. Duprez is hopeful her beloved hero will return with a great military reputation. But Faversham does not want to go. He resigns his commission, saying he just does not feel like fighting. The real reason is that he is tired of this militaristic crap he's fed all his life. Since his father is now dead he doesn't have to put up with it anymore. Unfortunately, his three friends and his fiancé disagree. Each sends him a white feather - a silent comment saying that he is a coward. None want to hear his explanations.

    He confides to his one gentle friend, Dr. Sutton (Frederick Culley). Sutton understands him, but points out that his bad timing makes any explanation look suspicious. So Harry decides on a plan. He goes back to Egypt, and gets himself dressed up as a native, who can't speak (a tribe was punished by having their tongues cut off, and their cheek branded - so they don't speak Arabic at all, and Harry might be able to get away with passing himself off as a native). Then he proceeds into the war zone as a spy.

    In the meantime, his three chums have had nothing but misfortune. Willoughby and Burroughs are captured by the Mahdists in a battle, and are tormented daily in a cell at Omdurman (the capital of the Mahdists, now ruled by "The Khalifa" (John Laurie)). Worst perhaps is Durrance's tragedy. He managed to flee a massacre site by accident, but lost his pith helmet in the desert. The intense sun of the Sahara destroyed his optic nerves, and he is now blind. So of the four chums, two are imprisoned by the enemy and one is useless for the war effort.

    Harry's efforts to save his friends and aid his country, ending in the battle at Omdurman in 1898, are the conclusion of this great movie. The acting is good, although stolen by Richardson as the blind Durrance, demonstrating his ability to read Braille in one scene, and learning belatedly that the person who saved his life in the desert was a man he maligned. Aubrey Smith added to his moments of creative acting on the screen in his famous description of the battle of Balaclava (he insists modern war is not as deadly as the Crimean, forty years before) using the dinner table and the food to show the Charge of the Light Brigade. It is pleasant to relate that at the end of the film Clements teaches the old fart that there are elements to the story he has hidden that Clements knows about that undercuts the heroics.

    The Zoltan Korda version of THE FOUR FEATHERS is the best known of the filming of the novel. It was also in color, and blazing color at that. The film is best seen as a follow-up to KHARTOUM (possibly with THE LIGHT THAT FAILED in the middle), but be prepared for a degree of racism towards the Mahdists. In one scene, Laurie watches the torture of a British soldier, and the gleam in his eyes is a bit much. But then again, given the way Al Quaeda cheers on beheadings of "infidels" and the destruction of Americans in collapsing U.S. skyscrapers maybe that gleam is not so far from the truth?
    helpful•20
    1
    • theowinthrop
    • Jun 24, 2006

    FAQ2

    • Why is this film not available in the original 130 minute release length, always cut down to 115 minutes?
    • Why is this film not available in the original 130 minute release length, always cut down to 115 minutes?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 4, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Hero
    • Filming locations
      • Sudan
    • Production company
      • London Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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