RALPH RICHARDSON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 August 1939, Page 4

RALPH RICHARDSON

THE BRITISH SPENCER TRACY. Ralph Richardson, as John Durrance, plays one of the most difficult parts of his career in Alexander Korda's “The Four Feathers.” When his regiment sails for the Sudan, Durrance goes as the colonel in charge. He is left wounded on the .desert in the full rays of the sun, and is blinded. On his return to England, a blind man, he has to learn to do everything by touch and instinct. After being under the impression that he will be cured in time, he discovers that his is an impossible case, and he has to face darkness for the rest of his life. More cruel than anything, is the fact that he is engaged to Ethne, played by June Duprez. A young girl of twenty, beautiful and enjoying all the pleasures of life, she is prepared to marry a man who will not see her maybe for years, maybe never. Some of the scenes showing Durrance

learning to read Braille, to memorise the positions 'of gas lamps, windows, and know the number of stairs leading from his room to the hall below, arc among Richardson’s best. Richardson is rapidly coming to the fore as one of the most brilliant actors on the screen. He has been called the “British Spencer Tracy” and his outstanding performance in “The Four Feathers” coming on top of his brilliant portrayals in “The Citadel” and “South Riding" clearly emphasises his right to the compliment.