New Ulm review., 1921-11-02

j
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, =
Rex Ingram's S remarkable perturbation
of Vicente Blasco Ibanez's great novel
which is to be the attraction at the
Crystal Theatre, next Monday and
Tuesday, Nov. Z and 8, and which
cones to this city direct from long runs
in New York, Chicago, Boston, Phila-
delphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and.
San Francisco.
June Mathis, who adapted the in-
mortal Ibanez novel to the screen has
been unusually successful, owing, no
doubt, to the entire faithfulness with
which she has followed the written
story. Although n.The Four Horse
men" is said to have been read by
many millions, brief synopsis of it's
action in screen shape cannot fail to
be of interest owing to it's presentation
here.
Story of the Play.
Madariaga, the Centaur, is an
enorm ously rich old cattle-herder OF
Argentine. Possessing complex
personality, which shows itself in lust
full desire, fiery talk with his equals
and his subordinates, jealousy, hatred,
sympathy and love, he is respected and
feared as we'll as loved by the entire
countryside. His great am bition is to
be as rich as Croesus to be able to
look upon all sides and say to himself
or to those who are willing to listen,
81 am lord of all here as far as the eye
can reach" Madariaga lives in
quarters not in keeping with his vast
wealth. He is. content to be the ranch
man, preferring to live out in the
open, with the green beneath and the
blue above.
While he has two daughters, his
wish has been always for son or a
grandson, who might inherit his vast
estates. A day comes when a young
Frenchman finds employment with
him as overseer-a man who is gifted
with knowledge of finance. Under
his supervision the ranch prospers
beyond the greatest expectations. He
is Sc, successful that the old Centaur
grows to love him and finally he is
taken into the house as member of
the family. Thrown into constant
association with Donna Luisa, Mar
cello Desnoyers falls in love with her,
proposes marriage and is accepted.
One day Madariaga goes to Buenos
Ayres to indulge his profigate nature
and due to certain circumstances he is
compelled to accept German immi-
grant, Karl Won Hertrott as an en-
ployee. Now Karl is as distasteful
to the Centaur as Marcello is ac-
cepta BILE. He hates him with venom
beyond expression. But as long as he
minds his business and keeps away
from close proximity to the testy old
Spaniard, he is tolerated. Won Hart.
rott is of the German Fatherland. His
ambition is to make money enough
to return and make his home there.
He takes particular delight in painting
the advantages of possessing German
blood and what the Fatherland stands
for. Desnoyers tolerates him with
his kindly forbearance, even going out
of his way to paint him in attractive
colors to the old Spaniard. #
The tine comes when Karl marries
the other daughter, Elena. Madar-
iaga had never lost any great love for
this daughter and when she marries
the thrifty German, his hatred be
cones overwhelming. Toward the
other daughter he harbors an entirely
different feeling, Eventually the Ger
man becomes the father of three
sturdy sons, while the Frenchman's
wife remains childless. The old Cen
taur, realizing that his days are
nun bered, does not take kindly to the
idea that his vast property will be left
to Hartrott's offspring. So it is
of great rejoicing when finally
a son is born to the Desnoyers. He re-
quests that the child be called Julio.
The lad grows up to be the apple of the
old mans eye. Wherever one is, the
other may be found, whether riding
over the broad plains or resting at the
hacienda. He even takes the boy to
Buenos Ayres, where the latter forms
the habits of the libertine under the
able tutelage of his delighted old grand
father Until the hour of the old
death, he lavishes his en-
tire affections upon the boy and takes
him on various wild debauches until
age units the Centaur for such un-
seemly revels. When Madariaga dies,
the estate is divided and the two
families leave the Argentine, the Won
Hertrotts to, go to Berlin and the.
Desnoyers, later, to Paris. In the
French capital, Julio's father esta blish-
es his family in a luxurious palace, his
vast wealth being expended upon
collecting curios. He buys a castle on
the Marne which he fits up with his
collected antiques. Julio, however,
has inherited many Of his grandfather
wild characteristics. He opens