I Watch Films: The Four Feathers

 

The Four Feathers

Harry Faversham (Beau Bridges) joined the army at the urging of his father the General, but isn’t really interested in it, though he’s highly skilled. Having got engaged to Ethne Eustace (Jane Seymour) he resolves to leave the army, though she would be happy as a lieutenant’s wife. At his engagement ball, the day before his resignation goes through, some telegrams come for him and his three friends. They’ve been mobilised for the Sudan. He burns them, though one of them sees him do it.

On realising that he destroyed the telegrams to avoid going on active service the three friends each send him a white feather, indicating cowardice. When Ethne finds out she gives him a fourth one. Having lost the esteem of his friends, the woman he loves and his father he decides to go to Egypt where he takes on local dress and joins with a local guide attached to the army. When they ignore their warnings the regiment is ambushed; Faversham able to rescue one of his friends though the friend is blinded. He returns to England.

Faversham goes on to rescue another friend when he’s escorting an officer who is negotiating with locals in Sudan, and gives him back his feather. The last one has been taken prisoner. Faversham realises the only way to arrange an escape is to get himself imprisoned with them; he does so despite the terrible conditions. He gets the last friend out and returns his feather. Despite telling them not to tell Ethne or each other, they put the pieces together and Faversham and Ethne are re-engaged.

The Sudan and Sudanese are very much just the backdrop (Faversham is fairly easily able to disguise himself in part because his Sudanese guide is played by a White British actor). There’s a little bit more to Faversham, there’s a moment where he considers suicide that cements his reckless daring, not so much courage as having nothing left to lose. The film tries to tell us this is something to do with his mother dying as a boy and his father only interested in him so far as he’s in the army, his real love. But it’s more that a man compromises his honour to keep hold of what he values, only to lose that too and so has to get it back in whatever way he can – or die trying.

Watch This: Old fashioned adventure film with all the virtues (and vices)
Don’t Watch This: Even less interested in the Sudan and the Sudanese than the book, or Khartoum