This is surely a visually magnificent film to watch, especially if you get to see a copy of the tinted Photoplay restoration with a great score by Carl Davis.It strikes me however that few commentators here seem to bother about the very nasty portrayal of German people in this film. Despite its claims for universality, condemning WWI in general and not just a single nation (or class for that matter) involved in it, the image of the Germans is no different from the wartime propaganda huns as portrayed by Erich von Stroheim and others. They appear as arrogant, cold, ugly, brutal, grotesque, greedy, militaristic idiots, who even in peacetime in a civilian/family setting march in line and click their heels all the time. Julio's three cousins are portrayed as bespectacled, mischievously grinning jerks who obey their father's commands as if he was an army officer, even as children. They are even shown reading Nietzsche's Zarathustra and it's appraisals of the warrior man as if it was some kind of a bible. A race of villainous, natural born warmongers, it seems. Now this can hardly be the basis for an honest anti-war-movie. Compare this portrayal to the very different, more human and sympathetic image of German people in John Ford's FOUR SONS and of course ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Despite the now-campiness of these scenes in question I find them still quite offensive and hard to watch, even given that most silent movies made heavy use of strong contrasts and stereotyping. I guess in 1920 the anti-German resentments in the US were still very strong, which even caused D. W. Griffith to absurdly switch a German refugee family in post-war Berlin into a polish refugee family in ISN'T LIFE WONDERFUL - as late as 1924! All this shift from anti-war-intentions to merely anti-German clichés somewhat betrays the "message" of the movie, which admittedly comes across quite rhetorical and pretentious in the first place, and is indeed one of the movie's weakest and most dated points. It just seems to be tagged onto the Valentino adultery romance story for mere dramatic effect (as in the vision of the Apocalyptic Horsemen and the final graveyard scene). But overall the war theme doesn't really stand in the center of the movie.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The (1921) *** (out of 4) Rudolph Valentino does the tango here and with that one scene he became a household name, one of the biggest stars around and forever put his name in the books of Hollywood legend. The Argentinean Madariago (Pomeroy Cannon) has two daughters; one who marries a a French guy and one who marries a German against his wishes. The French daughter has a son named Julio (Valentino) who quickly because his grandfather's favorite but after Madariago dies, the two families movie back to the husband's home countries and soon afterwards WW1 breaks out. Julio, who lived as a playboy, must choose if he wants to give his lifestyle up and join the war. This legendary film from Rex Ingram certainly lives up to its reputation even though some of the anti-war feelings are a little backwards. There's no doubt the film is against the war but at the same time the film paints Valentino as a coward for not wanting to fight in the war. How can you have an anti-character in an anti-war film being shown as a coward? Outside of that this is a very impressive film and what also impressed me was the tinting used by Ingram. For the most part the film is shown in a brown tint but it also switches back to your typical B&W footage while yet again changing to a red tint for the horsemen scenes. The horsemen scenes are very well done and I thought that the special effects still looked quite good. The few battle scenes in the film look nice as well. The performances are all very good with Valentino giving the best performance I've seen from him in the eight or so movies I've watched of his. He's very good during the romance scenes but he also proves himself quite well in the dramatic department. Cannon, Josef Swickard, Alice Terry and Brinsley Shaw are also good in their roles. Wallace Beery is good in his few scenes as a German officer.

Europe is "a world old in hatred and bloodshed, where nation is crowded against nation and creed against creed, centuries of war have sown their bitter seed, and the fires of resentment smoldering beneath the crust of civilization but await the breaking of the Seven Seals of Prophecy to start a mighty conflagration." But, in the Americas, "boundless space offers a haven to the alien, and ancient hatreds are forgotten." In the "New World", Pomeroy Cannon (as Madariaga) and his family thrive. Mr. Cannon's eldest daughter Bridgetta Clark (as Luisa) marries German Alan Hale (as Karl von Hartrott), and they have three sons. Youngest daughter Mabel Van Buren (as Elena) marries French Josef Swickard (as Marcelo Desnoyers), and they sire son Rudolph Valentino (as Julio Desnoyers) and daughter Virginia Warwick (as Chichi).From the preceding family of characters, you should pay relatively close attention to Mr. Valentino's "Julio" and Mr. Swickard's "Desnoyers", who emerge as two of the drama's three leading players; they are patriarch Cannon's favorite grandson and son, respectively. When the old man dies, the sisters' families move back to their husbands' home countries of Germany and France. Valentino studies art, thrills the French with his "Argentine Tango", and begins an affair with married woman Alice Terry (as Marguerite Laurier). Ms. Terry, wife of director Rex Ingram, is the third player of prominence.Several supporting players stand out; perhaps none more than two men Valentino becomes acquainted with, in France: servile companion Bowditch M. Turner (as Argensola) and mysterious "man upstairs" (hint, hint!) Nigel de Brulier (as Tchernoff). Eventually, events culminate into "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" fulfilling its promise; it becomes a story of The Great War (aka World War I). Ibáñez (and adapter June Mathis)' "Four Horsemen" are: Conquest, War, Pestilence, and Death. The war scenes are exciting.In a great crosscutting sequence, Valentino throws Mr. Turner out of the apartment, so he can "entertain" Terry. Due to a downpour, Turner goes upstairs to visit with mysterious Mr. de Brulier, who cuts into the forbidden fruit of an apple, while Valentino (off screen) similarly removes Terry's "beautiful covering" and "cloak of virtue." No sexual relations are shown, but director Ingram clearly makes his point. And, all of this occurs as the Great War erupts.The film's overall thesis is unsteady, at times; and, there are little things (like animals) to distract - does nurse Terry's husband fail to recognize her voice? Award-worthy Valentino and Terry speak French in France, by the way - regardé, for example, "Oui" for "Yes". "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a triumph for Mr. Ingram, photographer John F. Seitzand, and company. Despite some flaws, it's an indispensable film. ********* The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (3/6/21) Rex Ingram ~ Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, Josef Swickard, Alan Hale

The first halve of the movie already makes a great movie on its own, in which it focuses on the more dramatic and romantic aspects. Everything you would expect from a Rudolph Valentino movie. But the movie gets even better halve way trough, starting with the prophecy of the four horseman of the apocalypse, at the dawn of WW I. The movie then becomes such a great and powerful anti-war movie. It's the sort of 'war and peace' approach of the movie that makes it so great as well as effective.In its storytelling and compositions the movie was at least 20 years ahead of its time. At times while watching this movie it's really hard to believe that this movie was made in the very early '20's. It has some amazing powerful striking images, such as the visualization of the actual four horseman of the apocalypse and a couple of sequence toward the ending, which I'm not going to spoil.The movie features some religious themes, but it isn't done in a preachy or distracting way. It's sort of done in the same way as in the "Ben-Hur" movies. It's beautifully weaved into the story, without scaring off the non-religious persons.The movie can be a called an epic because of its story and storytelling but also because of its images. The early battle sequences are all grand and impressive looking (although its obvious that some of it is simply archive footage, from presumable WW I) and so are its settings. It of course helps that the movie is set throughout in different places and continents as well.Despite that this is Rudolph Valentino's first real big movie role and this was the movie that made him a big star, it isn't really a Valentino movie, in the sense of that he is the one and main hero of the movie. The movie throughout focuses on a lot of character and only in the middle part it focuses prominently on Valentino.Truly one of the best and most powerful movies out of the silent era.10/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/