The Four Feathers [DVD]

I Totally agree with other reviewers about this film being a classic amongst British films , a great love story wrapped in a fantastic Victorian war/adventure story , i wont deal with the overall story as i know others have done a better job of this before , my brief review is for anyone thinking about whether it is worth buying the new Bluray copy which has been released over maybe an old dvd copy they have . lets remember firstly that this movie is 76 year old , and although it has been restored because of the film stock used at that time there is a lot of graininess in many parts of the film , mostly in the internal studio shot scenes , and in the filtered darkness scenes midway through the film , this is to be expected , what i didn't expect was the fact that most of the movie especially the scenes shot outside would be so stunning and so very very well restored . i had to stop rewind and just glory in some of these scenes , they were so sharp and so bold with the contrast and colors that they looked like they had been filmed last week . The red of the British tunics was stunning the colors of the African landscape and the native tribesman robes etc was so sharp and distinct , even the mighty Nile looked incredible with the muddy waters rushing by with great clarity and definition , now i watched this on a Samsung 55 inch Led T.V. and i was extremely impressed with the jump up in quality from the old dvd copy i have in my collection , this is surely the best this old classic has ever looked , and how many times do we here of a totally below par dvd transfer to Bluray failing to impress . There,s a couple of extras on the disc which i have not had time to look at yet inc a 1975 interview with Ralph Richardson and the usual original film trailer , also a newsreel film called " A DAY AT DENHAM " as well as an image gallery , the cover artwork is great and who ever did the restoration made an incredible job of the old film , it is in my opinion WELL WORTH the upgrade especially if you have the right T.V. and set up to get the best out of the Bluray disc , so don't hesitate to get it and enjoy this classic all over again as you have never seen it before ..

The above statement is chortled lustily by a white-whiskered veteran of the Crimea, as he, along with his chums, brandies and cigars in hand decry the 'modern' soldier. Though this vibrant Technicolour adventure was released as WW2 was unleashed, we're talking of the late Victorian period and the Sudanese battles. Starchily stiff in both attitudes as well as English accent and starting off a little hoary, it's actually a damn fine story and remains one of Britain's best epics of the time. First made in 1929 as an early talkie and also a dull and more violent version in 2002, with Heath Ledger unfortunately lacking the essential charisma. 'Storm over the Nile' was a remake in 1956 and a TV movie was shown in 1977. Cowardice IS the subject, but don't get too misled that the British Army and its attitudes were slipping on this contentious issue, as recompension and doing one's duty above and beyond are what it's all about. Though a little improbable at times, it's more akin to Lawrence of Arabia in complexity and characterisation than, say Michael Caine in Zulu, though this pre-dates both those by 25 years or so. Moments in the desert still evoke quite scary watching, boosted by Miklos Rosza's rousing score and Henry Korda's excellent and tight directing. Scenes of the running battles on horseback with the natives were so well reproduced, some have been used in films since and still pass muster today - they must have appeared even more formidable 63 years ago. The way the human story, the wartime adventure and the sense of family duty, marriage and honour are all interwoven is what makes this a steadfastly watchable film for all the family to this day.

Wonderful boys own stuff,Great!

I recently decided to pick up The Four Feathers when it was on a pretty good discount. I had a hunch that this film was one I watched when I was younger. I had a lot more familiarity with the Heath Ledger remake but felt that it was worth having a gander at this film as a change of pace from the recent mass release of comic book films. I was not disappointed in the film, not in the slightest. The Four Feathers is a film by Zoltan Korda and was released all the way back in 1939. The films plot is pretty basic and quite easy to follow. basically the story follows a British soldier who is branded a coward by his three friends (and fellow soldiers) as well as his fiance. The symbol of choice being a card with a white feather on top. Despite having no desire to soldier, the main character takes this as an insult to his character and goes on a spectacular adventure to return each feather to their owner. A good 2/3 of the film follows the main character through some epic battles and a great escape of sorts. I can't imagine many people struggling to keep up with the plot. It is basic and does everything it really needs to. The film has a lot of enjoyable set pieces from great sandy deserts to some great shots of the river Nile, each one serves the story perfectly. There are a few set pieces clearly done on a stage, but they're quite convincing for the most part. In fact, since most of the staged sets were mainly representing England, I think it shows a nice contrast between the home country and the sand covered environments that dominate the movie. It's a good contrast and was handled very well. Especially from a time when the difference between an in studio set and an exterior shot could look extremely different. Unfortunately, the beauty of the landscape is let down by the visual quality of the film itself. It is very clear that the source for this "The British Film" bluray is not up to the usual standard. There is a lot of scratches and discolourisation through out the film. There are a number of scenes that look quite good but the majority of the film looks like it has seen better times. It is a bit of a shame really as this film would look beautiful if it was given the treatment of Gone With the Wind from the same year, as an example. With all that said, this is still a great movie to own. There is a lot of things to love about the film, even if the image quality is a bit dodgy. I personally thought the pacing of the film was spot on (until the rather abrupt ending) and the humour placed through out was good fun. I wouldn't recommend this specific version of the film at full price. But if you can get this on a discount like myself, it is worth it. A very enjoyable movie, indeed.

In many respects The Four Feathers is not pc in the 21st Century. Regardless it represents a world view of the British Empire that still existed prior to the 2nd World War and postmodern sensibilities. Now most of us, I think correctly, regard empire building and colonization to be responsible for doing great evil to many of our brothers and sisters around the world, evil that unfortunately has metamorphosed into even greater grief to our human population. That being said, I believe that when The Four Feathers is viewed as a narrative about human loss, shame, humiliation, and finally redemption that we, as viewers, are exposed to ineluctable human values such as love and forgiveness. Plus it's a great adventure tale.

Alexander Korda's "The Four Feathers" (1939) is perhaps one of the greatest triumphs of British filmmaking -- a crowning achievement in Imperialistic propaganda and a nostalgic testimony to the societal traditions which once inhibited us as individuals. Simply put, "The Four Feathers" is a cinematic masterpiece in the vein of "The Drum" (1938), "Kim" (1950), "The Jungle Book" (1942) and "Gunga Din" (1939). It also represents a rare instance in which a film is far superior to the original novel. The original novel upon which the film is loosely based was penned by A.E.W. Mason and has an actual excuse for being somewhat flimsy: Following the bloody outbreak of World War I, Mason wrote the story as a mere identity cover while doing espionage work for the British government. He was able to scout northern Africa under this guise of an accomplished author gleaning material for the plot of the novel. The plot of "Four Feathers" is simple yet engrossing: A young man, Harry Faversham (the dashing John Clements), is brought up by his distant father (Allan Jeayes) in a lonely household steeped in Imperial tradition which values courage and honor above happiness or life itself. His natural human instinct of self-preservation is accentuated into possible cowardice by the horrifying war stories told around the dinner table by old veterans. As he matures, Faversham falls deeply in love with Ethne Burroughs (the radiantly beautiful June Dupréz) and decides that he would rather spend his life in his own way than be trapped in the futile repetitiveness that is a soldier family. On the eve of his unit sailing for Africa, he resigns his commission and is branded a coward -- one of the worst labels in Victorian England -- by both his friends and his betrothed. To reclaim his honor and prove both to himself and others that he is not a coward, Faversham sails to darkest Africa. In Africa, our dauntless hero is embroiled in unfolding military history as General/Lord Horatio Kitchner ventures into the blistering Sudan with 20,000 British personnel against the varied 50,000 warriors of the Khalifa (John Laurie). The film terrifically climaxes in the breathtaking Battle of Omdurman, a historical engagement which a young Winston S. Churchill witnessed and, in one of his most famous literary pieces, fittingly described as a "victory snatched from the jaws of peril!" When I was very young, my parents would show me this particular film as an example of a forgotten way of life: of lavish ballrooms where uniformed officers and young ladies in ornate Victorian gowns danced the night away on the eve of war amidst whispered pledges of love and marriage. The film taught me that a true gentleman never insults another in public; a leader must be able to command his own self before he can command others; to honor your word even if it may kill you in the process and to be unafraid of whatever befalls you as long as you are true to yourself. Film Rating: ***** (five) out of ***** (five) stars. A mesmerizing period piece.

Schnelle Lieferung , Gut verpackt , Danke .

Legendaria película de aventuras coloniales dirigida por el maestro Zoltan Korda. Por fin en versión original y en el formato en el que fue concebida, 1/37:1. Editada en Alemania por TB Classic Productions. Digitalmente remasterizada en la Filmklassiker Collection.

This is the first version, before the remake by the same man, but without his brother, and what may we be without "brothers of the desert"?