The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

This is a magnificent cinematic rendition of a

This is a magnificent cinematic rendition of a slightly flawed book. Commencing in the early 20th century. Madariaga (Pomeroy Cannon) is the patriarch of a family with siblings as alike as chalk and cheese. He openly favours his French in-laws to the obvious detriment of his German ones. Despite this favouritism, though, when the father of this, by now, extensive brood dies, he leaves his considerable fortune equally to his two daughters and that's where the familial strife begins... Advance a few years to Paris and we see tales of profligacy, deception, adultery and avarice. "Julio" (an excellent Rudolph Valentino) - his vain and shallow grandson on the French side of the family adopts a rather libertine existence as a would be artist before meeting the wife of a friend of his father "Marguerite" (Alice Terry). They are remarkably indiscreet about their affaire de coeur but when her husband discovers he merely agrees to a divorce to avoid any scandal. It's at this point, the film takes a much darker turn with the assassination of the Archduke and the start of the Great War - in which the family find themselves on opposite sides. The things that mattered before, matter not now - she discovers that her husband "Etienne" has been seriously wounded and as she is a nurse, she tends to his care in a recuperation facility that when "Julio" visits and sees them together, shames him into joining up. Meantime, Julio's father "Marcelo" (Josef Swickard) must entertain the general officers of their invaders in his castle where one of his German nephews tries to keep an eye out for him... The fortunes of both sides of the family vacillate from now on - the ebbs and flows of the war taking considerable toll on everyone before an extremely poignant, tragic, denouement. The film is profoundly anti-war. It makes it as clear as can be that there are never any winners from such breathtaking atrocity, and Rex Ingram uses just about every technique available to illustrate the flightiness and vacuousness of their pre-war existence - including the now legendary "tango" scene - to contrast potently with the ghastliness of war that cares not for person or property. The flaw? Well, it allows anti-German sentiment to neuter it's objectivity somewhat. As they always say, history is written by the winners, and the depiction of the invaders is unnecessarily brutal and boorish. Sure, they were not "nice", but there was a certain chivalric spirit amongst both sides that, though it certainly did dwindle as the conflagration progressed, is simply not adequately reflected or respected here. That said, the photography is superb and this is simply one of the original "must see" films. Even though it is a little on the lengthy side, it still holds the attention well.

Reviewed by scsu1975 8 / 10

Impressive but depressing

Pre-World War I, an Argentinian rancher's two daughters marry a Frenchman named Desnoyers and a German named von Hartrott. Desnoyers' son Julio grows up to be a playboy, and moves to Paris to become a painter. Von Hartrott's sons go to Germany and serve the Fatherland. Julio begins an affair with a married woman, Marguerite Laurier. With the outbreak of war in France, Julio feels no responsibility to enlist, while von Hartrott's sons join the German army. Marguerite becomes a nurse for the Red Cross, and, ironically, tends to her injured husband, who was blinded in combat. Julio finally sees the light and joins the French army, and in the climax, comes face to face with one of his German cousins.Ultimately, this is a depressing film, and somewhat emotionally draining, but it is impressive in so many ways. The cinematography is excellent, and the few battle scenes are realistic and well-staged. The biblical Four Horsemen make several appearances, with some clever trick photography. The romantic leads are fine (Terry is particularly lovely). But what made the film for me was the outstanding supporting cast, many of whom are not remembered today. Although there were so many characters it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, each one had an interesting storyline. Josef Swickard, as Julio's father, may well be the most pathetic character in the film. He has to suffer the humiliation of discovering his son is carrying on with a married woman. Later, his French home is virtually ransacked by the Germans. He is initially overjoyed to find that one of his nephews is a German officer, thinking this will spare him any atrocities. Fat chance. In one scene, weird even by today's standards, one of the Germans puts on a dress during a wild celebration in the house, while another officer (Wallace Beery) attempts to molest a young woman.Alan Hale, as the senior von Hartrott, is gung-ho on having his boys serve Germany, but at the end, he is a broken man, regretting that his family ever left Argentina.Nigel De Brulier plays a mystical character who seems to foretell what is to happen.John St. Polis, who could easily have been cast as a villainous character, emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his later scenes with Alice Terry are quite touching.

Reviewed by jojofla 8 / 10

Astonishing imagery

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is an astonishing and spectacular film. I agree with most of the other comments, that this film is definitely a must-see, though I have reservations about some unevenness in the plotting. But the spectacle, the fire-and-brimstone imagery, and the excellent star-making performance by Valentino more than compensate. In many ways, it DOES tower above 99 percent of what Hollywood throws up today.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

1921

Drama / Romance / War

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

1921

Drama / Romance / War

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This is a magnificent cinematic rendition of a

Impressive but depressing

Astonishing imagery

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