The Four Feathers (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Film Buffs look to your neighbors across the Pond. I ordered "A Matter of Life or Death in VHS/Pal and converted it to DVD.The Brits have it in DVD/PAL The locals (USA) dont seem to want to budge (people who could get this on DVD). I'd suggest the same with this wonderful movie. I wrote to Carlton Films/e-mail to check on titles. Film Buffs of the Classics of Korda - there is a wealth of film sitting on the shelf. To serve the many the few are forgotten. Thanks.

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.

This review is for The Four Feathers (The Criterion Collection) ASIN: B005DI9906 written April 2013.

This 1939 film is a really excellent film; its exciting with a great plot and terrific character development. I highly recommend it to anyone over age 12.

And normally Criterion Collection obtains or makes excellent restorations.

*However* in my opinion this version of this film is poorly restored. I do NOT recommend this version of this film (restored sometime prior to April 2013).

It made me nauseous. I had to stop watching after 45 minutes and resume watching the next day. Vertical scratches on some opening scenes, red and green fringes in too many later scenes.

I hope that one day Criterion Collection or someone else makes a better restoration of what is a great film. To me, this restoration was useless because poorly restored sections were so frequent.

(From having watched the descriptions of other properly restored Criterion Collections I can say that the green and red fringes come from the fact that early Technicolor films used 3 negatives. The 3 negatives would have slightly different shrink rates, meaning that the red, green or blue images would differ slightly in size causing these fringes. Normally computer restoration fixes this problem. In this version of the film the problem remains.)

From Criterion Collections website:
New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the
Blu-ray edition) [As I say above, I thought the restoration was poor. Simply not up to Criterion Collection standards in my opinion.]
Audio commentary by film historian Charles Drazin
New video interview with David Korda, son of director Zoltán Korda
A Day at Denham, a short film from 1939 featuring footage of Zoltán Korda on the set
of The Four Feathers
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: An essay by film critic Michael Sragow