The Four Feathers
The fifth filming of the adventure classic about a British soldier in the 1880s who fights to regain his honor after being given four white feathers, symbols of cowardice.
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- Cast:
- Beau Bridges , Robert Powell , Simon Ward , Jane Seymour , Harry Andrews , Richard Johnson , David Robb
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Reviews
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
This remake is set turn of the XIX century and concerns on Harry Faversham ( Beau Bridges ) , a British officer who resigns from army and is branded as coward and given four feathers as symbols of cowardice by his engaged fiancée Ethe ( Jane Seymour ) and his three friends ( Robert Powell , Simon Ward ) and the shame his father ( Harry Andrews ). Determined to save honor and disguised himself as an Arab native he heads to Sudan against the Derviches ,where his friends live during the Kitchener campaign , expedition for defeating the ¨Madhi¨ who had vanquished General Gordon ( events developed in ¨Khartoum ¨ film with Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier ). His objective will be save the four friends from certain death and take back them and retrieve lost honours , being determined to prove his courage . This fifth version is plenty of action, adventures, a love story , heroism and is pretty entertaining . It's a TV adaptation but exhibited at movie theater with spectacular action and interior-exterior scenes are very well done . Beau Bridges as hero is nice but Robert Powell as Jack the best friend and fellow officer is convincing , he steals the show, especially when is blinded and lost in the heat of desert. Jane Seymour as the gorgeous heroine is charming and attractive. Colorful and breathtaking cinematography by John Coquillon . The film is rightly directed by Don Sharp . Other versions of A.E.W.Mason novel are the classic(1939) by Zoltan Korda with John Clemens, Jane Duprez and Ralph Richardson, ¨ Storm over the sand ¨ (1955) by Terence Young with Anthony Steel and recent remake(2000) by S.Kapoor with Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson.
Absolutely my favorite version of the 3 versions I have seen. I think the actors are part of it as I've always enjoyed Beau Bridges and Jane Seymour in this movie was breathtaking. You could identify with the characters, a guy torn between love and duty pressured by an overbearing father where it's his way or no way. A woman who is expected to support her man without question no matter how dangerous his 'duty' may be. Friends who expect their buddy to stick with them because that's what a man in the late 19th century does. A likable hero, gorgeous love interest, plenty of action and a happy ending.......What more could you ask for??
Anyone who has seen the 1939 version of "The Four Feathers" will be totally disappointed with this offering. The cast does try to instill some compassion for this story of a coward show redeems himself. Very poor performances by all involved. Jane Seymore is not in the same acting performance as June Dupree. And Beau Bridges is almost amusing as Harry Faversham. Very disappointing movie. The only thing worst than this is the 2001 release. That was awful! I remember seeing the 1939 version as a small boy growing up in Detroit. This was and has always been my all time favorite movie. The color was outstanding. The battle scenes were the finest ever filmed. The main characters showed why the English were the best when doing drama and romance.
Although it pales next to the 1939 classic version, as a made-for-television feature this film is well worth watching. It tells the story of a young Englishman driven to extreme lengths to prove to himself & his friends that he is not a coward.Surrounded by a fine British cast, Beau Bridges might seem wrongly cast in the main role, but he does a stalwart job throughout. Good action scenes set in Muslim Africa. Co-stars include Jane Seymour, Harry Andrews (great as Bridges' fierce old father), Robert Powell, Richard Johnson, Simon Ward, David Robb & Robin Bailey.