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

Alice Terry wore a blonde wig during filming. She and Rudolph Valentino spoke French in their scenes to make them more authentic to lip-readers.

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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

Featured in Precious Images (1986)

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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

The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (Rex Ingram, 1921) ***1/2

I had always wanted to watch this Silent version of the Vicente Blasco Ibanez novel (who, incidentally, wrote MARE NOSTRUM as well - also filmed by Ingram in 1926), especially since it's considered to be vastly superior to the 1961 Vincente Minnelli remake in color and widescreen - which is a film I've watched quite a few times and which I've actually always liked! Still, now I can't help but agree that the remake is virtually overblown in every department by comparison with the original; the only thing I could find where it improved on the Silent version is the relationship between Julio and his German cousin, which is rather underdeveloped in Ingram's film (though in both versions, the two of them die together).

The large-scale production is truly impressive, with settings ranging from rural Argentina to the French aristocracy and the grimy battlefields of World War I - not to mention a striking vision of Hell, with a gigantic fire-breathing demon unleashing the somber and ominous titular figures. The cast is certainly efficient, though some of the familiar names actually only gained popularity years later (Alan Hale, Wallace Beery and Jean Hersholt): Rudolph Valentino was shot to super-stardom with his role of the gigolo who develops a conscience and gives his life for a country which is not even his (a miscast Glenn Ford was certainly no match for him in the remake!); the tango sequence is justly celebrated, but his performance is excellent throughout (again, this might very well constitute his best work). Needless to say, the female lead was played by Ingram's own wife Alice Terry; also worth mentioning is Nigel De Brulier as a gaunt and gloomy exiled Russian who 'sees' the Four Horsemen and predicts the extent of their havoc. Though quite slow-going, the plot is compelling and the handling vivid enough to withstand its hefty 134-minute duration; as a matter of fact, the film is probably the most notable epic 'family saga' since D.W. Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) which, obviously, had dealt with the American Civil War and its turbulent aftermath.

I've watched 6 Rex Ingram films so far and, apparently, the only two surviving titles of his I've yet to catch up with are THE ARAB (1924) and THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (1927); this is possibly the finest of them, however, despite being the oldest - and I'm surprised it still hasn't made it to DVD (from Warners), ideally as a 2-Disc Set in order to include the Sound remake...