The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

86% of users liked it
(370 ratings)

The mystical novels of Vicente Blasco-Ibanez were much prized by ambitious silent filmmaker Rex Ingram, who filmed two of them in the 1920s, both ostensibly vehicles for his actress wife Alice Terry. The first of the two, Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, was infinitely more successful than the… More The mystical novels of Vicente Blasco-Ibanez were much prized by ambitious silent filmmaker Rex Ingram, who filmed two of them in the 1920s, both ostensibly vehicles for his actress wife Alice Terry. The first of the two, Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, was infinitely more successful than the second (Mare Nostrum), a fact that can be attributed to two little words: Rudolph Valentino. The quintessential Latin Lover stars as Julio, the scion of a wealthy Argentinian family. During the years prior to World War I, Julio's relatives relocate to Germany and France, with Julio opting for the latter country, where he opens an art studio. Here he carries on a torrid affair with Alice Terry, the wife of an attorney. When World War I breaks out, Terry joins the Red Cross and her husband enlists in the army, while the carefree Julio avoids involvement in the conflict. Only when visited by the spectres of the Four Horseman--war, conquest, famine, and death--does Julio don a uniform. His death is a symbolic sacrifice on behalf of Ms. Terry, whose husband has been blinded in the war: and, in an additional symbolic grace-note, Julio dies at the hands of his own cousin, now a German officer. The film's Big Money sequence was the one in which Rudolph Valentino danced the forbidden tango in a dingy, smoke-filled Argentinian cantina. That's what made him a star, not all that mumbo-jumbo about fate, destiny, and Four Horsemen. Proof that Valentino and not Blasco-Ibanez was the principal drawing card of this film was the 1962 remake, in which Glenn Ford portrays Julio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Rex Ingram
Written By: Vicente Blasco Ibanez, June Mathis
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Mar 6, 1921 Limited
Studio: Metro Pictures Corporation

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Has not worn well with age.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Rudolph Valentino as Julio Desnoyers

            Alice Terry as Marguerite Laurier

            Pomeroy Cannon as Madariaga the Centaur

            Alan Hale as Karl von Hartrott

            Josef Swickard as Marcelo Desnoyers

            Nigel De Brulier as Tchemoff

            Brinsley Shaw as Celendonio

            Jean Hersholt as Prof. von Hartrott

            Wallace Beery as Lt. Col. von Richtoffen

            Bridgetta Clark as Dona Luisa

            Mabel Van Buren as Elena

            Bowditch Turner as Argensolo

            John St. Polis as Etienne

            Mark Fenton as Sen. Lacour

            Virginia Warwick as Chichi

            Derek Ghent as Rene Lacour

            Stuart Holmes as Capt. von Hartrott

            Edward Connelly as Lodgekeeper

            Georgia Woodthorpe as Lodgekeeper's Wife

            Kathleen Key as Georgette

            Jacques D'Auray as Capt. d'Aubrey

            Curt Rehfeld as Maj. Blumhordt

            Bull Montana as The French Butler

            Isabelle Keith as The German Woman

            Noble Johnson as Con quest

            Harry S. Northrup as The Gen.

            Beatrice Dominguez as A Dancer

            Arthur Hoyt as Lieutenant

            Claire de Lorez as Mile. Lucette. the Model
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started