It's ridiculous that movies like THE FULL MONTY and 28 DAYS LATER that have a British producer , director and screenwriter that were filmed entirely in Britain with an entirely British cast are not classed " British " simply because they were made by American studios . Somewhat ironic then that one of greatest British - And I mean truly British -films owes so much to the Korda brothers who came to this country from Hungary while the man responsible for the breath taking colour cinematography was from France

But I'm not going to be internationalist about THE FOUR FEATHERS because this is a movie that makes you proud to be British , something that is sadly no longer allowed to happen these days . Perhaps the most stirring thing I can say about this movie is the way it wipes the floor with the contemporary competition that was coming out of Hollywood at the time . While the American studio were making similar monochrome movies with Errol Flynn and David Niven as the leads Ralph Richardson's performance alone is a reason to watch this movie and even if it wasn't there's still the story itself featuring themes like courage , honour , romance and redemption . You want battle scenes ? There's several in this movie as well choreographed as any thing seen in cinema at this time but perhaps the most what sets this British movie apart from other movies that were being produced across the pond is that it's a bit more gritty and sadistic than what Hollywood was producing . In one scene a British officer is flogged like a dog and he screams in pain as the camera pans on to the Mufti's face , a face lit up in sadistic glee , then the scene cross fades into a crowded dungeon where the prisoners are kept , a dark hell hole where the audience can actually taste the pain , fear and misery from the unfortunate prisoners . Even in those days Hollywood would pull their punches while a film like THE FOUR FEATHERSwould not

Sadly THE FOUR FEATHERS was released in 1939 which meant it qualified for the legendary Oscar ceremony the following year when GONE WITH THE WIND swept the board . A great pity because this very British movie deserved a hat full of awards . Sadly too Britain no longer has a film industry of its own and is reliant upon American finance , but perhaps the saddest thing is even if we did have a film industry no one in the business would want to film such an exciting historical epic in case they were labeled reactionary or racist

In the 1930s, there were quite a few adventure films made that portrayed the good British soldiers bravely fighting against the evil rebels. What none of these films actually discussed was that the British had seized the countries "for their own good" and the rebels were just people who wanted to have self-rule. Oddly, Hollywood embraced the genre and again and again made films portraying the good Brits versus the evil rebels--such as LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER, GUNGA DIN, BEAU GESTE (promoting French colonialism in this case) and even BONNY Scotland (with Laurel and Hardy). Of these films made in the 1930s, however, the best of them was the British film THE FOUR FEATHERS.

So what made this film so good? Well, first, unlike the rather jingoistic tone of the other films, THE FOUR FEATHERS actually questioned some of the patriotism and glory you see in the other films. Now this is NOT to say that the film questioned British imperialism--rather, it challenged the "war is fun" notion of these other films. After all, being killed or maimed should be a rational concern for any sane man!! And, in the case of our hero, growing up with countless tales of bravery and death, he naturally doesn't like the prospect of going to war and getting his head blown off--particularly as he's about to get married. So, he makes the rational decision to resign his commission rather than go off to war, though this clearly backfires. His fiancée thinks he's a coward and refuses to marry him and over time he starts to see himself as a coward as well. So, it's up to the man to spend most of the rest of the film on a one-man crusade at redemption--to prove to himself and his four friends that he is indeed a man.

As far as the action goes, it's all very good and there is very little about this film not to like--other than the blatant imperialism. Oddly, this film came out the same year they entered WWII and because of the war, this was one of the last big-budget color films to come from the UK for some time.

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