The Four Feathers (1939)
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- Passed
- 2h 9min
- Adventure, Drama
- 04 Aug 1939 (USA)
- Movie
A timid 1880s British Army officer resigns, burning his last-day summons to war in Egypt. Accusing him of cowardice, his girlfriend and three friends give him white feathers. To gain redemption, he shadows his friends to save their lives.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
John Clements | ... |
Harry Faversham
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Ralph Richardson | ... |
Captain John Durrance
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C. Aubrey Smith | ... |
General Burroughs
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June Duprez | ... |
Ethne Burroughs
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Allan Jeayes | ... |
General Faversham
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Jack Allen | ... |
Lieutenant Willoughby
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Donald Gray | ... |
Peter Burroughs
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Frederick Culley | ... |
Dr. Sutton
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Clive Baxter | ... |
Young Harry Faversham
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Robert Rendel | ... |
Colonel
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Archibald Batty | ... |
Adjutant
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Derek Elphinstone | ... |
Lieutenant Parker
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Hal Walters | ... |
Joe
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Norman Pierce | ... |
Sergeant Brown
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Henry Oscar | ... |
Dr. Harraz
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John Laurie | ... |
The Khalifa
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Amid Taftazani | ... |
Karaga Pasha
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Peter Cozens | ... |
Man (uncredited)
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Christopher Cozier | ... |
(uncredited)
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Joe Cozier | ... |
(uncredited)
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Joseph Cozier | ... |
(uncredited)
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Bess Flowers | ... |
Bit Part (uncredited)
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Carol Hughes | ... |
Bit Part (uncredited)
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Alexander Knox | ... |
Bit Part (uncredited)
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Jack Lambert | ... |
(uncredited)
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John More | ... |
Soldier (uncredited)
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Hay Petrie | ... |
Mahdi Interpreter (uncredited)
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Leslie Phillips | ... |
Boy Doffing Cap at Parade (uncredited)
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Udham Singh | ... |
Man #2 (uncredited)
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Josephine Wilson | ... |
Mrs. Brown - Sgt. Brown's wife (uncredited)
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Directed by
Zoltan Korda |
Written by
A.E.W. Mason | ... | (novel) |
R.C. Sherriff | ... | (screen play) |
Lajos Biró | ... | (additional dialogue) (as Lajos Biro) and |
Arthur Wimperis | ... | (additional dialogue) |
Produced by
Irving Asher | ... | associate producer |
Alexander Korda | ... | producer |
Music by
Miklós Rózsa | ... | (musical score) (as Miklos Rozsa) |
Cinematography by
Georges Périnal | ... | (photography) (as Georges Perinal) |
Editing by
Henry Cornelius |
Editorial Department
William Hornbeck | ... | supervising editor |
Natalie Kalmus | ... | color director: Technicolor |
Production Design by
Vincent Korda | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume Design by
Godfrey Brennan | ... | (costumes) |
René Hubert | ... | (as Rene Hubert) |
Production Management
David B. Cunynghame | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Geoffrey Boothby | ... | second unit director |
Art Department
Vincent Korda | ... | settings designer: in colour |
Sound Department
A.W. Watkins | ... | sound director |
John Aldred | ... | sound assistant (uncredited) |
Jerry Brunker | ... | sound maintenance (uncredited) |
H.G. Cape | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
John Cook | ... | sound mixer (uncredited) |
John W. Mitchell | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
W. Percy Day | ... | matte painter (uncredited) |
Peter Ellenshaw | ... | assistant matte artist (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
Osmond Borradaile | ... | photography by: in the Sudan |
Willy Beavers | ... | clapper loader: Sudan (uncredited) |
Jack Cardiff | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
Wilkie Cooper | ... | camera operator: locations (uncredited) |
John Godar | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
Henty Henty-Creer | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
Robert Krasker | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
Vic Margutti | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
Geoffrey Unsworth | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
Muir Mathieson | ... | musical director |
London Symphony Orchestra | ... | music performed by (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
Donald Anderson | ... | technical and military adviser (as Captain Donald Anderson) |
Charles David | ... | producer's assistant: in the Sudan |
Alexander Korda | ... | presenter |
Lt. Col. Stirling | ... | technical and military adviser (as Lt. Col. Stirling D.S.O.M.C.) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- United Artists (1939) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as United Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- United Artists (1939) (Canada) (theatrical) (as United Artists Corporation, Ltd.)
- United Artists (1939) (United States) (theatrical)
- United Artists (Australasia) (1939) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Artistas Unidos (1939) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Los Artistas Unidos de América del Sur (1939) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1939) (Sweden) (theatrical) (as United Artists A/B)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1939) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Sonoro Filme (1940) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Associated British Film Distributors (A.B.F.D.) (1943) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (re-release) (as Ealing Distribution)
- Filmsonor (1945) (France) (theatrical)
- Film Classics (1948) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Alexander Korda Films (1948) (United States) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (United States) (VHS)
- Carlton Visual Entertainment (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (United States) (DVD)
- KSM (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Emerald (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2011) (United States) (DVD)
- Elephant Films (2012) (France) (video)
- Intergroove Media (2014) (Germany) (DVD)
- Intergroove Media (2014) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- Topanga Canyon Films (2018) (Spain)
- Státní Pujcovna Filmu (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
- Embassy Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (United States) (video) (Laserdisc)
- Nelson Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- Pidax Film (2023) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Resigning his commission on the eve of his unit's deployment against Egyptian rebels, a British officer seeks to redeem his cowardice by secretly aiding his former comrades, disguised as an Arab. When his unit is overwhelmed and captured by the rebels, the hero finds an opportunity to return the "feathers" of cowardice sent to him by his former comrades by freeing them. |
Plot Keywords | |
Taglines | Real Adventure! Real Life in the Raw! (from re-release print ad) See more » |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
Trivia | "Storm Over the Nile (1955)" re-used a lot of the battle sequences from this movie, which did not lend themselves very well to cropping necessary to achieve the width of the CinemaScope ratio, nor did their comparative fuzziness blend well with the new footage which surrounded it. See more » |
Goofs | When CPT Durrance feels the face and head of the dead soldier outside his tent, the 'dead soldier' moves his head, lifting and turning it. See more » |
Movie Connections | Edited into Storm Over the Nile (1955). See more » |
Soundtracks | Auld Lang Syne See more » |
Crazy Credits | Opening credits prologue: In 1885 the rebellious army of cruel dervishes enslaved and killed many thousands of defenceless natives in the Sudan, then laid siege to Khartoum. The scanty garrison's heroic commander, General Gordon appealed for help from England - but no help reached him. See more » |
Quotes |
Harry Faversham:
In England, the white feather is the mark of a coward. Dr. Harraz: Ah, I see. Then why worry? Be a coward and be happy. Harry Faversham: No, Doctor. I have been a coward, and I wasn't happy. See more » |