One of the great ironies of cinema history can be found in the way Rudolph Valentino became a big star. The greatest icon of silent era owed his status to a scene displaying his superb skill that often doesn’t make sense if not accompanied by music, which wasn’t directly available on the big screen. This scene is the most memorable part of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1921 epic drama directed by Rex Ingram, one of the biggest hits of silent Hollywood.
The film is based on the eponymous 1916 novel by Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibañez. Plot begins in Argentina, which is a promised land for many immigrants from the Old World trying to find better lives, unburdened by limits of religion, ethnicity and class. One of those was Julio Madariaga “the Centaur” (played by Pommeroy Cannon), Spaniard who, despite lack of proper background and education managed to build a cattle empire and gain enormous wealth. He has two daughters who had married two of his most trusted employees – Luisa (played by Bridgetta Clark) has married French immigrant Marcelo Desnoyers (played by Josef Swickard), while Elena (played by Mabel Van Buren) has married German immigrant Karl von Hartrott (played by Alan Hale). Maderiaga clearly favours Desnoyers and his son Julio (played by Valentino), partly because young man shares his passion for tango and easy life, unlike three uptight sons of von Hartrott whose father taught them the disciplined ways of his old homeland too well. When Maderiaga dies, the inheritance is split between two daughters and their spouses decided to depart to Europe for their native countries. Julio, much to displeasure of his father, spends all of his time dancing tango and painting nude women, which leads to potentially scandalous affair with Marguerite Laurier (played by Alice Terry), beautiful wife of much older attorney Etienne Laurier (played by John St. Polis). Discovery of the affair coincides with much bigger calamity in the form of Sarajevo assassination that would trigger global war. Shortly after its beginning Desnoyers finds his most prized possession – grand castle near River Marne and treasure collection – occupied by Germans, then destroyed by French artillery. When learns about Etienne, who had joined French Army, being blinded Julio feels ashamed and tries to atone himself by enlisting too, and the cruel fate will have him meet one of his cousins, now fighting in Imperial German Army, in no-man’s land.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is often and rather erroneously mentioned as the first major Hollywood anti-war film. The novel, written in neutral Spain while the First World War was still going on, clearly expressed author’s horror over dimensions of carnage and destruction that looked quite apocalyptic. Some of those sentiments found their way into the script by June Mathis, most notably in the scenes during which Tchernoff (superbly played by Nigel De Brulier), Russian immigrant and Julio’s neighbour, explains the Apocalypse and its four horsemen (Conquest, War, Pestilence and Death) shortly before the fighting is about to start. The look of absolute despair on his face suggests that what awaits protagonists and the rest of the world is nothing short of tragedy and pointless loss, and this is later justified in final scene that takes place in the field filled with countless crosses. On the other hand, Mathis’ also takes somewhat schizophrenic approach to the war; she clearly favours the French and portrayal of Germans adheres to stereotypes based on crudest forms of Allied wartime propaganda. They are shown to be barbaric plunderers, murderers of innocent people, rapists and, in a scene that would probably raise few eyebrows in our “woke” times, display their depravity by performing in drag during party in Desnoyers’ castle.
But all the complicated issues of the war, peace and the Apocalypse didn’t matter much to most of the audience that actually went to see the film a century. The major reason why many of viewers would later remember it was Valentino in his first major role. He easily won over female audience with his superb physical looks, becoming one of first celebrities to create international cult-like devotion. Some critics and film scholars are dismissive of Valentino’s acting abilities, but in this film he shows great skill playing complicated character. He had very good chemistry with more experienced Alice Terry (who would later marry director Ingram) who handles her melodramatic character very well. She and Valentino even bothered to speak actual dialogue lines in French in order to impress lip-reading viewers. The most important reason for Valentino’s success was his undisputed dancing talent. June Mathis recognised it and wrote the famous tango scene. It appears in the beginning, doesn’t have much to do with the rest of the plot, but it proved so powerful that made not only Valentino a star, but also popularised tango. Valentino actually didn’t play the lead character in the film; that honour belonged to Josef Swickard whose role of Julio’s father was played in overmelodramatic manner typical of silent cinema and, subsequently, Valentino turned into much bigger star that would soon create even more iconic role with The Sheik.
Ingram’s direction was adequate but unimaginative, even in the scenes that depict visions of the Horsemen. Large amount of money was spent in the production and that is best seen in scenes depicting Desnoyers’ misadventures in his castle and large number of French and German troops fighting it. But, at the end of the day, this gamble paid off and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse became not only the biggest Hollywood hit of the year but also the film with the biggest box office results in history of silent cinema. Attempt to recreate them with sound and colour in 1962 led to eponymous remake directed by Vincente Minelli, which turned into massive flop. 1921 version from today’s perspective, might not have aged well in strictly technical sense, but its depressive message looks disturbingly relevant for our times.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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What an excellent review of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" @drax! I completely agree with the writer's assessment of Rudolph Valentino's incredible talent and how this film catapulted him to stardom. It's fascinating to learn about the irony of his rise to fame through a scene that relied heavily on music, despite being a silent film.
The plot sounds gripping, set against Argentina's backdrop and World War I turmoil. I appreciate the reviewer's insightful analysis of the film's depiction of war and the Apocalypse, acknowledging both its anti-war sentiment and the stereotypical portrayal of Germans.
Overall, it seems like a movie that left a lasting impact on audiences and has stood the test of time. I'm excited to watch it and experience the charm of Rudolph Valentino's mesmerizing performance.
As an actor, it is very important tonalways look good. It will make you look attracted to a lot of people and they will want to see you in movies. This is what happened to Valentino in this movie.
He was loved by a lot of women.
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