New Myths for Old

AS the old showbiz joke goes, The Four Feathers is a story so good not even a gifted director could ruin it. The 1902 novel by the English writer A. E. W. Mason has been filmed no fewer than six times; the 1939 Zoltan Korda version has deservedly attained classic status. This is a rattling good tale about themes—love, loyalty, and the conquest of fear—so deeply etched in the human heart that audiences will respond to them even across the boundaries of time and space.

Audiences, perhaps; but can these themes triumph over the political and moral divisions that separate the Victorians from modern Hollywood? Has it become impossible to make a film about imperialism that does not condemn it? Or tell a story celebrating honor in an uncomplicated way? Or describe a conflict between Westerners and people of color without overtones of racial superiority?

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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AS the old showbiz joke goes, The Four Feathers is a story so good not even a gifted director could ruin it. The 1902 novel by the English writer A. E. W. Mason has been filmed no fewer than six times; the 1939 Zoltan Korda version has deservedly attained classic status. This is a rattling good tale about themes—love, loyalty, and the conquest of fear—so deeply etched in the human heart that audiences will respond to them even across the boundaries of time and space.

Audiences, perhaps; but can these themes triumph over the political and moral divisions that separate the Victorians from modern Hollywood? Has it become impossible to make a film about imperialism that does not condemn it? Or tell a story celebrating honor in an uncomplicated way? Or describe a conflict between Westerners and people of color without overtones of racial superiority?