The March of Time, Vol. 5, No. 12: The Movies March On

Stereotyped portrayal of Germans blurs anti-war-message

Gilmore Ranch, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Richard Barthelmess and Gladys Hulette in Tol'able David (1921)

Alan Hale, Ernest Torrence, and Lois Wilson in The Covered Wagon (1923)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)

Lon Chaney and Patsy Ruth Miller in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in Flesh and the Devil (1926)

Wallace Reid and Gloria Swanson in The Affairs of Anatol (1921)

Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (1920)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Peace has come - but the Four Horsemen will still ravage humanity - stirring unrest in the world - until all hatred is dead and only love reigns in the heart of mankind.

Beatrice Dominguez and Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Wallace Beery in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Alice Terry and Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)

Rudolph Valentino Film Set Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, The (1921) 0012190

Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, THE, Metro, 1921, **I.V.

How long is The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Rudolph Valentino

Alice Terry

Pomeroy Cannon

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

June Mathis

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

Rex Ingram

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Impressive but depressing

Pre-World War I, an Argentinian rancher&apos;s two daughters marry a Frenchman named Desnoyers and a German named von Hartrott. Desnoyers&apos; son Julio grows up to be a playboy, and moves to Paris to become a painter. Von Hartrott&apos;s sons go to Germany and serve the Fatherland. Julio begins an affair with a married woman, Marguerite Laurier. With the outbreak of war in France, Julio feels no responsibility to enlist, while von Hartrott&apos;s sons join the German army. Marguerite becomes a nurse for the Red Cross, and, ironically, tends to her injured husband, who was blinded in combat. Julio finally sees the light and joins the French army, and in the climax, comes face to face with one of his German cousins.

Ultimately, this is a depressing film, and somewhat emotionally draining, but it is impressive in so many ways. The cinematography is excellent, and the few battle scenes are realistic and well-staged. The biblical Four Horsemen make several appearances, with some clever trick photography. The romantic leads are fine (Terry is particularly lovely). But what made the film for me was the outstanding supporting cast, many of whom are not remembered today. Although there were so many characters it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, each one had an interesting storyline. Josef Swickard, as Julio&apos;s father, may well be the most pathetic character in the film. He has to suffer the humiliation of discovering his son is carrying on with a married woman. Later, his French home is virtually ransacked by the Germans. He is initially overjoyed to find that one of his nephews is a German officer, thinking this will spare him any atrocities. Fat chance. In one scene, weird even by today&apos;s standards, one of the Germans puts on a dress during a wild celebration in the house, while another officer (Wallace Beery) attempts to molest a young woman.

Alan Hale, as the senior von Hartrott, is gung-ho on having his boys serve Germany, but at the end, he is a broken man, regretting that his family ever left Argentina.

Nigel De Brulier plays a mystical character who seems to foretell what is to happen.

John St. Polis, who could easily have been cast as a villainous character, emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his later scenes with Alice Terry are quite touching.

Pre-World War I, an Argentinian rancher's two daughters marry a Frenchman named Desnoyers and a German named von Hartrott. Desnoyers' son Julio grows up to be a playboy, and moves to Paris to become a painter. Von Hartrott's sons go to Germany and serve the Fatherland. Julio begins an affair with a married woman, Marguerite Laurier. With the outbreak of war in France, Julio feels no responsibility to enlist, while von Hartrott's sons join the German army. Marguerite becomes a nurse for the Red Cross, and, ironically, tends to her injured husband, who was blinded in combat. Julio finally sees the light and joins the French army, and in the climax, comes face to face with one of his German cousins.

Ultimately, this is a depressing film, and somewhat emotionally draining, but it is impressive in so many ways. The cinematography is excellent, and the few battle scenes are realistic and well-staged. The biblical Four Horsemen make several appearances, with some clever trick photography. The romantic leads are fine (Terry is particularly lovely). But what made the film for me was the outstanding supporting cast, many of whom are not remembered today. Although there were so many characters it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, each one had an interesting storyline. Josef Swickard, as Julio's father, may well be the most pathetic character in the film. He has to suffer the humiliation of discovering his son is carrying on with a married woman. Later, his French home is virtually ransacked by the Germans. He is initially overjoyed to find that one of his nephews is a German officer, thinking this will spare him any atrocities. Fat chance. In one scene, weird even by today's standards, one of the Germans puts on a dress during a wild celebration in the house, while another officer (Wallace Beery) attempts to molest a young woman.

Alan Hale, as the senior von Hartrott, is gung-ho on having his boys serve Germany, but at the end, he is a broken man, regretting that his family ever left Argentina.

Nigel De Brulier plays a mystical character who seems to foretell what is to happen.

John St. Polis, who could easily have been cast as a villainous character, emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his later scenes with Alice Terry are quite touching.

bappamtv

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

🎭 Top Cast

💰 Box Office

🎬 Technical Specs

🏷️ Keywords

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

💡 Did You Know?

🎬 More Like This

📖 Synopsis