Make-Up Difficulties

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20886, 18 August 1939, Page 4

Make-Up Difficulties

One of the toughest Jobs among members of the “Four Feathers" unit who helped film Alexander Korda’s new colour adventure drama in the Sudan, was that of the make-up staff. In a crowd of more than 4000 natives, and 600 men of the East Surrey Regiment, only five persons needed makeup, which sounds like an easy assignment. But it wasn't at that. Joan Clements, who played the hero and was disguised as a Sengali tribesman, had to wear a very full beard and to be branded by the scar of the Sengali, which is like a figure 3 reversed. Seven pounds of beard hair, three quarter-pint bottles of highly concentrated gum, a pound and a half of extra fine powder, and the usual greasepaints were needed for Clements alone. But it was not easy to gum cn Clements’ beard, for shortly after he arrived he got a bad sunburn. When they were finally able to get him ready for the camera, the heat was so intense that the gum melted and off came his beard. More trouble appeared on the horizon when Ralph Richardson had to wander over a rock-strewn ravine in a temperature that was over 12u degrees. His makeup ran all over his lace like a stream of water. His face had to be sprayed every two minutes in an attempt to keep things going. In addition to Clements and Richardson, “Four Feathers" stars June Duprez.