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October 1, 2002
The Four Feathers
Composed and Conducted by James Horner
Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax SK 89744
Tracks: 13 Total Time = 79:18
Courage, sacrifice, cowardice, redemption, friendship, love, honor, country. Any one of these can make a great story. So go for broke, use them all. Mix in exotic desert locales, British soldiers defending a shrinking empire, battles, glorious set pieces. Finally, throw in some camels.
You should have an epic.
THE FOUR FEATHERS is a classic chestnut. Written in 1902 by A.E.W. Mason, it’s been filmed no less than five times for the big screen, with and without sound. Zoltan Korda made a terrific version with Rozsa music in 1939. Now bring in some new blood, make one for the new millennium. It can’t miss.
So what happened?
I was really looking forward to this movie. Since it fell apart before my eyes I’ll say something about this.
I went to see THE FOUR FEATHERS. This version is a feather short! In fact, the friend I watched it with nodded off for a moment. He ended up watching THE THREE FEATHERS.
Shekhar Kapur’s 2002 movie never engages. What should be compelling isn’t. I have little interest in any of the three leads, which is fatal. We get Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger), British officer and coward-turned-hero. We get Jack Durrance (Wes Bentley), Harry’s loyal friend and fellow officer. We get Ethne (Kate Hudson) as the young woman engaged to Harry, close to both.
We still have an uprising in the Sudan, big battles, the Mahdi. Fans of KHARTOUM will enjoy references to Hicks, Gordon, incidents from 1880’s British history.
Unfortunately, this new version muddles the reasons for Harry’s cowardice, instead treats him as a pacifist. Whether Harry’s friend believes him a coward is unclear, whether Harry’s betrothed has given him a white feather of cowardice is unclear. In terms of architecture, the movie is oddly weighted. The first part is slow, the action roughly in the middle, the second part sluggish, mostly downhill. Harry’s big redemption seems small. Finally, with these players, it doesn’t matter to me whom Ethne marries. She can have ‘em both.
I can’t praise the look either. When it’s outdoors, showing off some spectacle, the images have low contrast, look washed out. It’s dark, it’s murky.
Not what I expected.
It’s up to James Horner’s music to give THE FOUR FEATHERS life. He works hard, he brings something to the table. He can’t save it.
So, onto his music.
Whether you buy into this one or not depends heavily on your tolerance for the ethnic wailing of Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I bought into it with some reservations but when I heard where Horner was going I opened up considerably.
Horner introduces both of his worlds quickly. Wailing from the onset establishes one locale (the Sudan), French horn and percussion establish the other (England). Both ideas are heard over low string pedals, both clash, compete.
The military line first heard on horn, often on trumpet thereafter, becomes one of the main themes. Horner actually creates two main themes and several smaller ideas for THE FOUR FEATHERS, giving the overall work considerable richness.
The other primary tune plays as a love theme for Harry and Ethne. Piano, transparent scoring make it unusually haunting. Horner introduces it during “The Danceâ€
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