Description

With RUDOLPH VALENTINO, LILA LEE, NITA NALDI. Directed by FRED NIBLO. One of Rudolph Valentinos most famous roles and, according to movie historian Theodore Huff, "the film in which (he) gave what is generally considered his finest performance." Valentino himself urged Paramount to make this film because he was upset at the series of trivial parts hed been given since his triumph in "The Shiek." The plot is the prototype for many bullfighting movies to follow. Valentino plays Juan Gallardo, a poor boy who realizes his lifelong ambition to become the most famous matador in Spain. He marries his nice childhood sweetheart, but succumbs to the vampish seductions of a beautiful society woman. The excitement of the bullfighting scenes (expertly interweaving documentary footage with closeups of Valentino in action) is matched by the eroticism of the boudoir episodes. The film attempts to expose the cruelty of bullfighting; theres even a philosopher who periodically comments on the sports brutality and decadence. But Gallardo seems to be defeated as much by the immorality of his sex life as by the justice meted out in the arena. Directed by Fred Niblo (of "Ben Hur" fame) with emphasis on production values and fine pictorial qualities. Valentinos striking looks combine with extraordinarily graceful movements and its easy to see why he was the leading sex symbol of the silent screen. Silent film with music score, correct projection speed. 92 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

quailty of vhs " four horsemen of the apocalypse" great
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)

Should be on DVD!!!
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.

A glimpse into the past
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 MASTERPIECE OF SILENCE.
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.

Extremely Effective; Valentino at his Best
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. ... Read more