The story is set in 1884 during the British Empire uprising
Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger) is a young army officer from a distinguished military family who never wanted to join the army
He did it for his father
He resigns his commission on the eve of his regiment's departure for Sudan
Harry has already disgusted his strict father, a respected General in the Queen's Army, by declaring no interest in a soldier's life and now that he is about to be married to his beloved Ethne (Kate Hudson), he wants to settle down
When his closest friends and fellow officers find out that he disgraced the regiment, they send him a box of feathers of cowardice
When Ethne sends him another feather, he then disappears to redeem himself, to face up to his fears, to discover himself, to win back his self-respect...
Shekhar Kapur's "The Four Feathers" is beautifully filmed and performed
The themes of love, honor, loyalty, friendship, trust, redemption, wisdom, true strength, and true courage are all there
They made the characters entirely plausible
But what truly lingers in the memory about it are the stunning sequences filmed in the Sudan and the splendid staging of several battles, showing the then standard British tactics employed in holding off attackersthe forming of squares, with riflemen deployed in standing, kneeling, firing, holding line, and keeping eye on the target
These exciting scenes of combat and carnage are truly impressive
