The Four Feathers

This Technicolor spectacular, directed by Zoltán Korda, is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A. E. W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British empire’s exploits in Africa, and a crowning achievement of Alexander Korda’s legendary production company, London Films. Set at the end of the nineteenth century, The Four Feathers follows the travails of a young officer (John Clements) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum; he must then fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers (including Ralph Richardson) and fiancée (June Duprez). Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal and Osmond Borradaile, The Four Feathers is a thrilling, thunderous epic.

United Kingdom
1939
115 minutes
Color
1.37:1
English
Spine #583

Special Features

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
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
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: A new essay by film critic Michael Sragow

New cover by Gregory Manchess

Blu‑ray 1 Disc $27.96 SRP: $39.95

DVD 1 Disc $20.96 SRP: $29.95

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Special Features

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
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
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: A new essay by film critic Michael Sragow

New cover by Gregory Manchess

Cast & Credits

Cast

John Clements: Harry Faversham
Ralph Richardson: Captain John Durrance
C. Aubrey Smith: General Burroughs
June Duprez: Ethne Burroughs
Allan Jeayes: General Faversham
Jack Allen: Lieutenant Willoughby
Donald Gray: Peter Burroughs
Frederick Culley: Dr. Sutton

Credits

Director: Zoltán Korda
Producer: Alexander Korda
Based on the novel by: A. E .W. Mason
Screenplay: R. C. Sherriff
Set design: Vincent Korda
Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Cinematography (in the Sudan): Osmond Borradaile
Additional dialogue: Lajos Biro
Additional dialogue: Arthur Wimperis
Supervising editor: William Hornbeck
Editor: Henry Cornelius
Music: Miklós Rózsa
Musical director: Muir Mathieson

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The Kordas

Director, Producer, Production Designer

During sound cinema’s first full decade, the Hungarian-born Korda brothers—Alexander, Zoltán, and Vincent—built a British empire. The mastermind behind their legendary company, London Films Productions, was producer, director, writer, and eventual mega-mogul Alex; born Sándor Kellner, he became interested in the art of silent cinema as a teenager in his home country, writing criticism and even founding a movie magazine before finding success making his own films all over Europe. In the late twenties, following a short stint in Hollywood, Alex was sent to England to head up Paramount’s British Production Unit; in 1932, he established London Films and brought aboard his younger siblings, Zoltán as a writer/director and Vincent as a production designer. Their first big hit was The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), which earned Charles Laughton an Oscar and the Kordas international attention. The rest of the thirties held highs (The Rise of Catherine the Great, Elephant Boy) and lows (The Private Life of Don Juan) for the company. But its films—often about historical personalities (Rembrandt) or the exploits of the British Empire abroad (Sanders of the River, The Four Feathers)—remain exemplars of a grand period of British cinema. In the forties, the Kordas only grew in stature—due not only to such immensely popular titles as The Thief of Bagdad and That Hamilton Woman but also to the selection of Alexander, the first film director to be so honored, for knighthood.