The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

An extended family split up in France and Germany find themselves on opposing sides of the battlefield during World War I.

Director:

Rex Ingram

Writers:

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (novel), June Mathis (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Rudolph Valentino

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pomeroy Cannon	...	Madariaga
Josef Swickard	...	Marcelo Desnoyers
Bridgetta Clark	...	Doña Luisa
Rudolph Valentino	...	Julio Desnoyers
Virginia Warwick	...	Chichí
Alan Hale	...	Karl von Hartrott
Mabel Van Buren	...	Elena
Stuart Holmes	...	Otto von Hartrott
John St. Polis	...	Etienne Laurier (as John Sainpolis)
Alice Terry	...	Marguerite Laurier
Mark Fenton	...	Senator Lacour
Derek Ghent	...	René Lacour
Nigel De Brulier	...	Tchernoff (as Nigel de Brulier)
Bowditch M. Turner	...	Argensola (as Brodwitch Turner)
Edward Connelly	...	Lodgekeeper

Storyline

An extended family split up in France and Germany find themselves on opposing sides of the battlefield during World War I.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | firing squad | wealth | nationalism | duty | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

31 March 1923 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Die vier Reiter der Apokalypse

Filming Locations:

Gilmore Ranch, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$9,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 132 min (Turner library print) (1993 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rudolph Valentino's first starring role in a film. He had been an extra and done bit parts since his debut in 1914.

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Quotes

Dona Luisa: Is it not enough to lead my son into wild ways without teaching my daughter the tango?
Madriaga: Will you have the boy grow up like those glass-eyed, carrot-topped sharks of your sister's?

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Connections

Referenced in Hairspray (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Apocalypse Theme"
(1993)
Music by Carl Davis
Based on the Fantasia Sonata "Après une Lecture de Dante" by Franz Liszt (1849)
In the score of the 1993 alternate version

User Reviews

An irreplaceable item of cinema history.

I was fortunate enough to obtain a video of 'Four Horsemen ' recently and having read about it many years ago, I was intrigued to see whether it lived up to the legend. Considering it was made 80 years ago, I was quite astonished at the quality of this film, in terms of acting,direction and photography.To our modern eyes, the 'special effects'may,of course, seem a little quaint, but there is no denying that as an anti-war film, it stands alongside 'All Quiet on the Western Front' and 'Grande Illusion', and it has lost little of its power to move. The development of the character of Julio is a 'tour de force' of acting by Valentino and his celebrated tango in one of the murkier establishments of Buenos Aires realistically conveys the dissolute atmosphere of the cafe society of the period. My copy of the film was the tinted version with a (non-vocal) soundtrack added, which included tango music played by an apparently unsynchronised band ! To keen students of cinematic history, this film is a 'must-see'- indeed,I know of no contemporary films which comes close to matching it.