Customer Reviews

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse [VHS]

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This 1921 anti-war masterpiece by Rex Ingram is an amazing cinematic experience. The photography by John Seitz is breathtaking, and for the most part (there is one section that's a little dark) it's very clear.

It's also a delight to read the adaptation of the Blasco Ibañez story by June Mathis. It has the flourishes in keeping with the era, and the poetic quality of it is lovely. It was Mathis who insisted on the casting of Valentino as Julio, giving him his first big heroic part.

This exquisite work of art is a massive production, 2 1/2 hours long, and wonderfully acted by all...even the monkey is terrific ! This video has the original score by Blaine L. Gale, and it fits the action perfectly.

The performance by Rudolph Valentino is a treasure. His grace and beauty have had few equals in film history, if any. He's simply gorgeous in this, and to watch him dance the tango in that smoky La Boca club is enthralling. I rewind it and watch it over and over...the musicality of it is absolutely astounding. Yes, Rudy lives in my heart, and in the hearts of many, for as long as the magic of film exists.

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. Even so, HORSEMEN's deeper message far surpasses either and in an artistic sense leaves WINGS in the dust and is at least the equal of PARADE.

The film is not really a Valentino vehicle per se, for Valentino's role is equalled by the roles played by Josef Swickard and Alice Terry; consequently it has an ensemble nature quite unlike most other Valentino films. 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 spolied 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 and 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 whallop. Considerably superior to the later remake; recommended to silent film fans, war-genre fans, and Valentino fans alike.

This is one of the great films of all time, dwarfing the pathetic 1961 technicolor remake. The story is gripping, taken from Vicente Ibanez' classic novel, about the effects of WWI on one family, one half of which is of French extraction, the other German. The special effects of the Four Horsemen riding out of the sky is the technological marvel of its day. Watch Valentino dance the tango and you'll understand why hysterical women threw themselves on top of his coffin after he died. Not until James Dean appeared in the 50's had there been such an electric personality lighting up the screen. White pan makeup, black lips, flaring nostrels, cold steel eyes, watch Rudolph Valentino in this one and you'll never forget him as long as you live. A MUST see.

This movie was a huge blockbuster when it came out in the Spring of 1921; it goes without saying that had the Oscars and Academies been around back then, it so would have been nominated in every relevant category and probably would have swept the awards as well! It's even better because it was directed by the incredible Rex Ingram (whose lovely-looking wife Alice Terry plays Marguerite, the married woman whom Julio has an affair with) and had the screenplay written by the legendary June Mathis, who was one of the most powerful women in Hollywood at the time. Ms. Mathis was very heavily into spiritualism and mystic overtones in her movies, and she made these leanings manifest in the philosopher with the long beard who foresees the coming apocalypse and the subsequent havoc wrought by the four horsemen. The scenes of the horsemen galloping across the sky at periodic intervals as chaos reigns are some chilling powerful stuff. The battle scenes, images of destruction, and the part where Julio's father's house is taken over by the enemy are also incredibly powerful, and made even more powerful and effective because there's no sound (apart of course from the background music) to get in the way of conveying these powerful moments and images.

Besides telling an epic story of WWI and the family torn apart by it due to conflicting loyalties in their bloodline, it also tells very well the story of the family before the War, back when they still lived in Argentina, how they decided to move back to Europe (even though Julio's dad was very frightened to do so, seeing as he skipped out on military duty years before and was afraid he was still being hunted by the authorities), and most importantly of all Julio's growth from decadent libertine painter, having an affair with a married woman, to responsible fully-realised man unafraid to do his duty to France, even though he had been exempted from military service. He didn't have to go into the army; he CHOSE to do so because he wanted to do the right thing, grow up, and yes, also impress Marguerite because her husband had also joined the fight and he wanted to prove to her that he was worthy of her love and affection and not some little coward hiding from his duties and responsibilities as a man and as a citizen. As an animal-lover, I also found Julio's little pet monkey to be incredibly cute and charming; I loved when his father came to visit him after he'd joined the army and brought along a surprise from his mother, which turned out to be the monkey dressed in a little uniform and backpack of his own! Another great scene with the monkey was when Julio was listening to his grandfather's will being read and found that he hadn't gotten anything, despite being the pet grandchild, and the monkey consoled him by putting his hand on his.

This movie is incredibly stunning, moving, and powerful at so many levels; people who bash or make fun of silents have obviously never seen one like this one, which is a much more representative example of the genre than the bad seeds or ones taken out of context on purpose as "proof" that all silents are bad or overacted. It really deserves to be on DVD, not only because it's such a fine movie but also because some of the text is a bit hard to read on the print on the video. I'm told the laser disc version, remastered by Kevin Brownlow, was absolutely fantastic; one can only hope that will be the version that gets picked if it's ever put out on DVD.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE is one of the great films of the silent era. Several things make it interesting even today: Rudolph Valentino, the apocalypse comparison, the contrast between the new and old worlds, and the depiction of the WWI era.

Rudolph Valentino was one of the most popular actors of the 1920s and this is the film that made him a star. His reputation is as a great romantic leading man, so it might seem strange to find him in a war movie. In fact, at the beginning of the film, Rudolph as Julio Destroyes, is a playboy, has memorable Tango scenes, and romances the ladies married or not. But the war transforms him into a brave, responsible soldier.

The movie was filmed in 1921 and is a powerful reaction to the recent calamity of 1914-18. Thus, like most war movies of the 1920s, it is an antiwar film. The four horsemen of the apocalypse from the Bible are conquest, war, pestilence, and death. For the people who lived thru WWI, the four horsemen certainly seemed to have plagued Europe. War brings out the best and worst in men, from heroism and self-sacrifice to behavior that men would rarely consider otherwise. It transforms individuals, dreams, nations, kingdoms, and attitudes. In Europe, the four horsemen devastated victors and losers alike until rescued by the new world.

The film sees many contrasts between the new and old worlds. The film begins with a Spaniard immigrating to Argentina and making his fortune with cattle on the Pampas. His two daughters marry a Frenchman and a German who try to raise their families in old world traditions. When the Spaniard leaves his newly accumulated wealth to his daughters, their husbands take their families back to their old-world homelands so their children can learn proper values and culture. There the families do well until caught up in the war brought on by European rivalries. The nightmare only ends for both sides when American might tips the balance of horror and rescues both sides from the four horsemen.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN fascinates us now by offering a realistic glimpse into the era presented by the people of the time period. In a pattern followed by many of its 1920's successors, THE FOUR HORSEMEN opens with a portrait of the French and German families in happy times, while the second half of the film shows what happens to them in the war. THE FOUR HORSEMEN doesn't have a full-fledged battle scene, but it does have action. We see how the war affects civilians, soldiers, loved ones, villages, families, and homes. THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE will soon be a century old and it has stood the test of time. It is one of the three great silent era WWI films along with THE BIG PARADE, and WINGS.

A star was born in Rudolph Valentino the moment he began his electrifying tango. A very costly film to produce (it garnered a 3 million dollar profit at the box-office in days when a movie ticket averaged 25c); many scenes are so exquisite, they look as if they are oil paintings come to life. The story tells of the aftermath of the death of an Argentine patriarch who despised his German son-in-law but loved Julio (Valentino). When the patriarch dies, the family disperses to Europe, and Julio lands in France where he paints, parties with friends and falls in love with Terry, the young wife of a jourist. War strikes Europe and Terry enlists in the Red Cross. Her husband has been blinded in battle, and she resists Julio's attentions: he eventually trades his palette for a rifle....This film plays better than it sounds. It's based on the novel by Vicente Blasco-Inez, which was anti-war in theme depicting an Argentine family which fights on separate sides during WWI. The daring film antagonised the French, English and Germans who felt they were represented unfairly. The direction by Rex Ingram is excellent.

This is an excellent film to watch if you are a Rudolph Valentino fan or if you just like silent films. This is the film that brought his name to the public back in 1921. The film is good as a whole with the tango scene and the final scenes being the most memorable. Also stars Alice Terry and Wallace Beery. Be sure to see this one.

so pleased with quailty of vhs rudolph valentino,s "four horsemen of the apocalpyse" ,best of anything bought of this actor,s films .if more of his films available would buy immediatley (thank you vera)

I am currently in the process of educating myself on the greatest films in history. Silent films obviously have a lot of limitations, especially the early ones, and in general when I watch a silent film I am just hoping I can be mildly entertained, and also perhaps take in some fascinating historical scenery when the cameras are taken outside. Silent films often play out like simple, overly melodramatic morality plays (e.g., see Murnau's "Sunrise"). I must also admit that oftentimes I am forced to use the FF button in order to finish a silent film.

Given this background, I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The setting of this story is a pertinent one: the end of the liberal world order and the beginning of what is best described as the "calamity of the twentieth century". Rudolph Valentino is absolutely dashing as Julio, the Argentinean son of a French father who returns to France a year or so before the onset of the Great War. Valentino really looks like a movie star; he has a presence which is subtle but totally engrossing. The language of the narrator in this film is Victorian and poetic without being too campy. The same holds true for the biblical references and dreamily symbolic scenes (although the bearded diviner goes over the line at the end). The scenes of trench warfare could have been a little more developed, but I am not going to complain. While the melodramatic morality-play format is also quite observable on numerous occasions, the topic covered is a serious one and I so I did not feel bothered by it. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse very accurately captured the feelings of Americans and many others after WWI, the tyrannical Wilson administration, and the great Spanish flu epidemic all came to a close. Modern historians, intellectuals just like Woodrow Wilson, prefer to brand this sentiment as "isolationism", but in fact that is a cruel misnomer. "Peace loving", "sensible", or "non-interventionist" would all better describe the moral sentiment of this film. This movie broke ground as the first great anti-war film.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a very important film that deserves to get a proper showing on DVD. What's more, it was an enjoyable silent film! I was never once tempted to reach for the Fast Forward button.

It introduced American audiences and especially American women to a glamorous international money aristocracy shuttling between Buenos Aires and Paris, between dives and thé dansants, studios and salons...

Such milieus had been presented on the screen before--but always with frowning disapproval... Nor was the Latin Lover a novelty... Probably half the villains of the prewar screen were Latin--but they were sneering, greasy, black-hearted cads...

Now the same character reappeared as a romantic Apollo who treated women with courtesy and deference but whose eyes promised (what the villains had threatened) that behind the deference, and behind the bedroom door, other, more exciting qualities would emerge--skill and experience...

The magnetic pull Valentino exerted on millions of women signaled that they were tired of awkward love-making, on screen and off...