It's raining, cricket abandoned, so "The Four Feathers"

The first One Day International between England and Australia cricket teams should have been played today, but it has rained all morning so the match was abandoned at 13:30.

So, a little figure painting then I decided to watch a film, the 1939 version of "The Four Feathers".

Magnificent. I had forgotten just how good it is. Much of the film was shot in Sudan with thousands of locals as extras. Huge scenes, full colour, sweeping battle scenes and the acting reflects my perceptions (or prejudices) of Victorian upper-class officers. The main actors are John Clements as the young officer who goes native to prove his bravery, Joan Duprez as his fiancee who turns her back on him, Ralph Richardson as his captain and C. Aubrey Smith as her father and a retired officer who fought in the Crimean War. 

Although thousands of locals were used as extras, the actors chosen to play the local leaders were all British. My favourite is John Laurie as the Khalifi.

The story has been filmed seven times, some of the later versions actually reuse scenes from the 1939 version. None of the other versions anywhere near as good as this version.

This is my copy