The Four Feathers

On the eve of the Sudan campaign of 1898, the young officer Harry Faversham (John Clements) resigns his commission. Three comrades and his fiancée Ethne (June Duprez) send him white feathers as a mark of cowardice. To regain his honour, Harry travels to the Sudan disguised as a mute native. There he rescues his blinded friend Durrance (Ralph Richardson) and frees his comrades from the prison of Omdurman. Produced by Alexander Korda, this adaptation of A. E. W. Mason’s novel is regarded as a gem of British adventure cinema. It impresses with magnificent Technicolor photography shot on location in the Sudan and with thrilling battle and crowd scenes. The film also exemplifies the rise of British cinema in the 1930s, shaped decisively by the Hungarian émigrés Alexander and Zoltan Korda (director). With Denham Studios, they set out to rival Hollywood. Premiered shortly before the outbreak of war, the film concludes Korda’s Empire trilogy. Historical context: At the same time, the French master director Jean Renoir was dissecting class society in films such as “The Rules of the Game” and rejecting nationalism, war and racism in “La Grande Illusion”. “The Four Feathers”, by contrast, celebrates the British Empire on the eve of war without reservation. From today’s perspective, the film’s narrative and staging are decidedly problematic. It celebrates the reconquest of the Sudan as an act of honour and as revenge for General Gordon. The Sudanese appear as a faceless, fanatical mass. The fact that the Battle of Omdurman was a one-sided massacre with thousands of dead is largely ignored. This makes “The Four Feathers” a fascinating period document of imperial self-glorification, but one to be enjoyed only with a critical eye.