The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Plot synopsis:
Madariaga "The Centaur" (Pomeroy Cannon), a harsh but popular Argentine landowner, has a German son-in-law whom he dislikes and a French one whose family he openly favors. He is particularly fond of his grandson Julio (Rudolph Valentino), with whom he often carouses at seedy dives in the Boca district of Buenos Aires. In one of these bars, the movie's famous tango sequence occurs. A man and a woman (Beatrice Dominguez) are dancing the tango. Julio strides up and asks to cut in. The woman stares at Julio alluringly. The man brushes him off, and they resume dancing. Julio then challenges the man and strikes him, knocking him into some tables and out of the scene. Julio and the woman then dance a dramatic version of the tango that brings cheers from the people in the establishment. Following the dance, the woman sits on Julio's lap. Madariaga then slides to the floor, drunk. The woman laughs at Madariaga. Julio casts her aside in scorn and helps his grandfather home.
Sometime later, Madariaga dies. The extended family breaks up, one half returning to Germany and the other to France.
In Paris, Julio enjoys a somewhat shiftless life as a would-be artist and sensation at the local tea dances. He falls in love with Marguerite Laurier (Alice Terry), the unhappy and much younger wife (by an arranged marriage) of Etienne Laurier, a friend of Julio's father. The affair is discovered, and Marguerite's husband agrees to give her a divorce to avoid a scandal. It seems as though Julio and Marguerite will be able to marry, but both end up getting caught up in the start of the Great War.
Marguerite becomes a nurse in Lourdes. The bravery of Etienne is reported, and he is blinded in battle. Etienne happens to end up at the hospital where she is working, and Marguerite attends to him there. Julio travels to Lourdes to see Marguerite and instead sees her taking care of Etienne. Julio, ashamed of his wastrel life, enlists in the French Army.
In the meantime, the German Army overruns Julio's father Marcelo's Marne Valley castle in the First Battle of the Marne. Marcelo is forced to host a German general and staff in the castle. One of Marcelo's three German nephews is amongst the staff and tries to protect him, but Marcelo is arrested after a melee involving an officer's assault of a woman. Marcello is to be executed in the morning, but his life is spared when the French Army counterattacks in the "Miracle of the Marne". The castle is destroyed by the French counterattack.
Four years later Julio has survived and become renowned for his bravery in the trenches at the front. During a mission in no man's land, he encounters his last surviving German cousin. Moments later, they are both killed by a shell. Back in Paris, Marguerite considers abandoning the blinded Etienne, but Julio's ghost guides her to continue her care for him.
The ending scene shows Marcelo Desnoyers mourning over his son's grave. The man who lived upstairs from Julio watches over him. Marcelo asks him, "did you know my son?" The man, with a remorseful expression, lifts his arms, forming the shape of a cross with his body, and says "I knew them all!" He then points to the sky and shows Marcelo the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding away into the clouds. With this, the man assures him that "Peace has come—but the Four Horsemen will still ravage humanity—stirring unrest in the world—until all hatred is dead and only love reigns in the heart of mankind."

Tags: anti war

Review:
Considering it was made 80 years ago, I was quite astonished at the quality of this film, in terms of acting,direction and photography.To our modern eyes, the 'special effects'may,of course, seem a little quaint, but there is no denying that as an anti-war film, it stands alongside 'All Quiet on the Western Front' and 'Grande Illusion', and it has lost little of its power to move.
But this is what The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is all about, the horror of war, and the redemption of man through personal sacrifice.An excellent film, recommended highly..
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE bring the devastation of the Great War to two Argentine sisters, one married to a Frenchman, the other to a German.It is a shame that this wonderful film is remembered now almost solely for Rudolph Valentino's first scene, in which he dances a sensual tango.
This sequence, which appears in the opening half hour, was enough to put Valentino on the movie map as an important young actor and paved the way for more libidinous roles in the future, but the film is about so much more than just a tango.World War One had only ended in 1918, barely three years before FOUR HORSEMEN was released.
The imagery of the Four Horsemen, riding across the screen, becomes a compelling symbol of man's inhumanity.Although Valentino gets the attention now - and his performance is very fine, showing his character's maturity after encountering the War's harsh realities - he's not the actual star of the film.
Equal kudos should also extend to Josef Swickard playing his French father, who dominates lengthy stretches of the story as he frantically reacts to his castle's desecration by the invading Germans, including his own brutal nephew.Alice White, Ingram's wife, is wonderful as Valentino's conflicted lover, torn between passion for him and duty to her honorable husband.
She adds a very real touch of class and believability, just as she would in future films directed by Ingram.Standouts in the cast include Pomeroy Cannon as the old 'Centaur,' Valentino's hot-blooded Spanish grandfather; Alan Hale as Valentino's stern German uncle; John St. Polis as Miss Terry's affronted spouse; and bullying Wallace Beery as a crude German officer.
Gaunt Nigel de Brulier is mesmerizing in his Epiphanic role as the mysterious lodger who explains to Valentino the significance of the Four Horsemen.Movie mavens will recognize an unbilled Jean Hersholt as Hale's bearded son.
This is very possible, as he would become a star in Ingram's film release of the following year, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA.)Although nearly forgotten today, Rex Ingram was an excellent director who knew how to present epic photo dramas on a large scale which did not neglect the small, telling details, such as when the sweeping vistas of the Argentinean pampas gives way to the antics of a tiny pet monkey.
Carl Davis has graced the restoration with a splendid new score which carries the viewer along, emotionally underpinning the dramatics on screen with lilting melodies and robust orchestrations.***********************************The original references to the Four Horsemen can be found in The Book of Revelations (sometimes called The Apocalypse of St. John) at the end of The New Testament, Chapter 6, verses 1-8 (KJV): And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
In some respects THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE suffers from being known as the film that made Rudolph Valentino a star; consequently, it is usually regarded as a Valentino vehicle rather than as a powerful film of World War I on an equal footing with the more widely acclaimed THE BIG PARADE and WINGS.
Based on the once famous but rather heavy-handed Ibanez novel, HORSEMEN tells the story of an extremely wealthy Argentine rancher whose two daughters marry European men, one from France (Swickard) and one from Germany (Alan Hale.) When the rancher dies, dividing his estate between his daughters, the women return with their families to Europe, one family residing in Germany and the other in France.
The German family's sons quickly rise to high status, but the French family has a more difficult time, with father Swickard becoming increasingly materialistic and spoiled son Valentino emerging as a womanizer who provokes a scandal by a torrid affair with the wife (Alice Terry) of his father's closest friend.
Just as these various plot lines reach a climax, World War I explodes around them, reducing their personal concerns to so much trivia and placing the two families on opposing sides.Interestingly, the performances in HORSEMAN bridge the gap between the very broad efforts of most early silent film and the considerably more subtle playing of the late silent era.
Swickard gives a notable performance, Alice Terry is quite charming, and Valentino--still an unknown--plays with considerably more restraint than in later films and is all the better for it.
The cinematography is superb, and the film contains a number of scenes--the Valentino tango and the vision of horsemen riding through the sky, among others--of considerable power, and the overall film with its strong anti-war message is still very compelling and packs a wallop.
Considerably superior to the later remake; recommended to silent film fans, war-genre fans, and Valentino fans alike.Gary F.
Rudolph Valentino's breakthrough role as Julio is in some ways his best, and it's a shame that this film isn't better known to day--it has yet to be released on DVD.
A few years later we see him carousing with his grandson Julio, the latter in full gaucho regalia, in a disreputable café (the setting of the rightfully famous tango sequence and where Valentino treats his female partner with that distinctive mixture of suaveness and brutality that characterized many of his later roles).
With regard to the conflict itself, the film takes a anti-war if not entirely neutral stance (the French are generally honourable whereas the Germans behave like, well, sharks).
A large part of the film is devoted to the decline in fortunes of Madrigal's French son-in-law after he returns to France with his family, but the most memorable portions of this part of the film are Julio's wooing of Marguerite, the unhappy wife of a much older man and Julio's reluctant entry into the war.
1st watched 10/20/2013 - 4 out of 10(Dir-Rex Ingram): Heavy handed anti-war movie comes across very one-sided as far as the perspective on a war between Germany and France in this epic family drama, love story & war movie wrapped into one package.
Many reviewers have commented that this is an anti war film and criticized the depiction of the Germans as militaristic villains.
But, observing this tango, remains one of the film's very enjoyable moments.There isn't a person alive who could not find great interest in this superb, timeless classic of the silents.
I had always wanted to watch this Silent version of the Vicente Blasco Ibanez novel (who, incidentally, wrote MARE NOSTRUM as well - also filmed by Ingram in 1926), especially since it's considered to be vastly superior to the 1961 Vincente Minnelli remake in color and widescreen - which is a film I've watched quite a few times and which I've actually always liked!
Still, now I can't help but agree that the remake is virtually overblown in every department by comparison with the original; the only thing I could find where it improved on the Silent version is the relationship between Julio and his German cousin, which is rather underdeveloped in Ingram's film (though in both versions, the two of them die together).The large-scale production is truly impressive, with settings ranging from rural Argentina to the French aristocracy and the grimy battlefields of World War I - not to mention a striking vision of Hell, with a gigantic fire-breathing demon unleashing the somber and ominous titular figures.
The cast is certainly efficient, though some of the familiar names actually only gained popularity years later (Alan Hale, Wallace Beery and Jean Hersholt): Rudolph Valentino was shot to super-stardom with his role of the gigolo who develops a conscience and gives his life for a country which is not even his (a miscast Glenn Ford was certainly no match for him in the remake!); the tango sequence is justly celebrated, but his performance is excellent throughout (again, this might very well constitute his best work).
Though quite slow-going, the plot is compelling and the handling vivid enough to withstand its hefty 134-minute duration; as a matter of fact, the film is probably the most notable epic 'family saga' since D.W. Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) which, obviously, had dealt with the American Civil War and its turbulent aftermath.I've watched 6 Rex Ingram films so far and, apparently, the only two surviving titles of his I've yet to catch up with are THE ARAB (1924) and THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (1927); this is possibly the finest of them, however, despite being the oldest - and I'm surprised it still hasn't made it to DVD (from Warners), ideally as a 2-Disc Set in order to include the Sound remake....
Also I wasn't expecting it to be so resolutely anti-war : the scenes of the mud in no man's land were as powerful as many later movies.
Valentino's character, Julio, leads a life of excess, even stealing the wife of a man, though war makes any sort of future impossible.
The film was masterminded by June Mathis, who, with its success, became one of the most powerful women in Hollywood at the time.Despite this -- the sales, the Valentino connection, and more...
Besides being a worthwhile and interesting drama, "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse" is also one of the few Rudolph Valentino films that still holds up well in its own right, rather than as a mere memento of the popularity he held in his own era.
The story works both Valentino and the rest of the cast into a good story that contrasts their lives in peacetime with their experiences during the Great War.The story is set up well in the earlier stages, as the personalities and the relationships of the characters are defined.
Their reactions and decisions not only comment on the war itself, but on human nature and on the way that different persons react in times of crisis.There are a couple of memorable sequence that tie together several of these themes.The imagery of the 'four horsemen' is rather obvious, but it is used sparingly enough to keep it from being obtrusive.
This movie is one of the greatest testaments to anti-war as was the original screen version of "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Paths of Glory." For all his sensuality, Valentino, was great!
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" was the film that saved MGM and made Rudolph Valentino a star.
It was 1921, remember, and not a computer to be had.We see the effects of war on the families, their relationships, and possessions, in particular, the love affair of Valentino and an unhappily married woman, played by Alice Terry.Valentino, dead 80 years, looks almost modern in this film.
It is in-depth character study and a powerful indictment against war that shows the great capabilities of film..
Of chief historical interest is the fiery tango scene that made young Rudolph Valentino an international star, but the dance merely accounts for five lively minutes in an otherwise moribund two-hour-plus melodrama..
SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION: It was Ms Mathis who took the key initiative in making one of the cult movies of the silent era, in convincing the studio Metro to hire Rex Ingram on as a director, in discovering the screen idol, Rudolph Valentino.
Yet, it would be a serious condensation to claim that the movie is solely a Valentino vehicle.Therefore, NOT SOLELY VALENTINO but lots of aspects, including stunning visuals, beautiful cinematography (great work by John Seitz), grandiose sets, length and the lavish costumes make THE FOUR HORSEMEN an epic proportion silent film, one of the three earliest ones (the two other being D.W. Griffith's 1915 BIRTH OF A NATION and 1916 INTOLERANCE).
Moreover, what appealed to them even more intensely in 1921 was the content.The POWERFUL CONTENT, based considerably on the novel by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, deals with events that were fresh in the minds of viewers: the WWI (sometimes referred to as the Great War) which had just ended and which was infamous for having brought so much destruction and death to so many people.
And here, except for various plots that appear in the content and possible interpretations of "false stereotypes" and clichés, one should be just and state one fact clearly: THE FOUR HORSEMEN is truly one of the most powerful anti-war movies.
I found the early images wonderful, whether Valentino's famous tango, the famous horsemen, or the special effects for the apocalypse and the grim reaper.
One of the subplots has Julio (Rudolph Valentino) falling in love with beautiful Marguerite Laurier (Alice Terry) who's married.This film made Valentino a star.
His infamous tango within the first half hour is just stunning.Valentino aside this is a STRONG anti-war movie.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The (1921) *** (out of 4) Rudolph Valentino does the tango here and with that one scene he became a household name, one of the biggest stars around and forever put his name in the books of Hollywood legend.
The French daughter has a son named Julio (Valentino) who quickly because his grandfather's favorite but after Madariago dies, the two families movie back to the husband's home countries and soon afterwards WW1 breaks out.
This legendary film from Rex Ingram certainly lives up to its reputation even though some of the anti-war feelings are a little backwards.
Valentino studies art, thrills the French with his "Argentine Tango", and begins an affair with married woman Alice Terry (as Marguerite Laurier).
The war scenes are exciting.In a great crosscutting sequence, Valentino throws Mr. Turner out of the apartment, so he can "entertain" Terry.
And, all of this occurs as the Great War erupts.The film's overall thesis is unsteady, at times; and, there are little things (like animals) to distract - does nurse Terry's husband fail to recognize her voice?
********* The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (3/6/21) Rex Ingram ~ Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, Josef Swickard, Alan Hale.
It has some amazing powerful striking images, such as the visualization of the actual four horseman of the apocalypse and a couple of sequence toward the ending, which I'm not going to spoil.The movie features some religious themes, but it isn't done in a preachy or distracting way.
Rudolph Valentino - the greatest silent movie actor.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was a anti-war silent movie,but a good movie i don't know this exactly that i have seen the whole movie,but it's a good film.the main topic is the world war I.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was without a doubt one of the highest grossing silent films ever.and Rudolph Valentino was of course one of the greatest silent movie actors.i am men so i don't have an opinion about his look,but lady's say that was a sex symbol.
Today, it is the most well-known film of the unsung director Rex Ingram, notable for being the film which launched the career of heartthrob Rudolph Valentino with the iconic tango sequence, and it is lauded as an early anti-war picture.
Romantic wartime adventure starring Rudolph Valentino as a wealthy Argentine-born Frenchman who travels to Paris, teaches ladies to tango, and has an affair with a married woman that becomes complicated by the onset of the Great War. The film is a comprehensive, albeit maudlin, account of WW1 from the French perspective, and succeeded in 1921 as a means for the families of wartime casualties to process their grief.I disagree with the comments calling this an anti-war film.
In The Four Horsemen, the French are noble, the Germans are virtually all monsters, the Americans are heroes, and the only really unsympathetic character (besides the Germans) is the Frenchman who shirks his patriotic duties.All Quiet On the Western Front is an anti-war film, but The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse makes you want to put on a uniform and fight..
Valentino makes the film worth while, and the wonderful Alice Terry, best of the silent screen actresses, makes the film memorable.
In the first segment, it was the famous tango by Rudolph Valentino, which might be considered great acting all by itself.
Everyone in it was quite good, especially Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, Nigel De Brulier, and Josef Swickard!
This first film rendition of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a fine example of the early movies of substance.
This film clearly is an anti-war movie.
Rudolph Valentino plays Julio and clearly had his breakout to stardom with this role and film.
Family saga during the Great War. This expensive classic silent was the box office hit that started Rudolph Valentino's career as a starring actor.
It is both an epic and a family saga.The movie starts in Argentina with a wealthy landowner, Madariaga the Centaur (Pomeroy Cannnon), and his two daughters; one is married to a German, Karl von Hartrott (Alan Hale) and has three sons.
Directed by Rex Ingram, this silent version of the Vicente Blasco Ibanez anti-war novel is more famous for Valentino's tango than just about anything else, but I was drawn to see it because it is always compared more favorably to the Vincente Minnelli remake of 1962.
Valentino had one great sequence in the Ingram film, and it is his first scene doing the tango.