Valentino Review: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Starring: Rudolph Valentino, Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Wallace Beery, and Alice Terry

Directed by: Rex Ingram

Scenario by: June Mathis

Released: March 6th, 1921

DVD Status: Was released, but no longer in print. Can be viewed and downloaded at the internet archive for free (legally). Click here to view.

My Rating (out of 5 stars): 4 and a half

They call him...Rudolph Valen-tango!

Let me first off say what an amazing night and an amazing movie! I wanted to write it up that very night but sleep and life got in the way. Forgive me, the next few weeks I'll work faster. So our Silent Movie Theatre Valentino Month kicked off with his first major role, "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (a word which I am STILL having trouble spelling...damn you June Mathis!)

This was Valentino's break. He had done a few b list movies and a handful of bit parts since 1914 yet this was his break. This is what made him 'Rudolph Valentino...the ICON!' This was the beginning of the 'Latin Lover' image. This is the film that not only made him a star but made his image to this very day (well that and The Sheik obviously).

Plot

Unlike a lot of Valentino's other films (and quite in contrast to the sexy Latin Lover the film conjures up) Four Horsemen was one of the more dark and probably one of his deepest pictures. Anytime he worked with Mathis there was always a spiritual plot underneath, but this was their masterpiece. Also unlike a lot of his later work hes only in the movie for maybe 50% of the time, sharing lead duties with Josef Swickard (Marcelo Desnoyers, his character Julio's father), and ugh Alice Terry (Marguerite Laurier, Julio's love interest). So despite being a defining moment, it is probably the most 'un-Valentino' like of his leading films.

The plot centers around the Desnoyers family (French and Argentine), and the Von Hartrott family (German and Argentine). Madaraiga (Pomeroy Cannon), the wealthy family Patriarch does not care for the Von Hartrott German blood and when the Desnoyers give birth to a boy, Julio (Rudolph Valentino), he vows to leave his fortune to them instead of his 3 German grandsons.

Julio is his Grandfather's favorite and is constantly spoiled by him. However when Grandpa dies he willed half his estate to each family, thus breaking his promise to Julio. Julio is upset, but it appears more so over the broken promise then the money. The Von Hartrott's seem a little TOO overjoyed with their fortune and return to Germany. Convinced they should return to their own homeland the Desnoyer's return to France.

In Germany the Von Hartrott's study hard and have what I'd call 'typical German pride and views for the era' (veerrrry Nazi like...and eerie given the events in the decades to follow this film) while the Desnoyers become weak and spoiled, literally buying a castle and squandering as much money as possible. Julio has become a wild playboy, painting 'art' in his private studio...art as in naked ladies who pose for him (and yes there is nudity! This was a pre Hays film if you were wondering).

In addition to his art Julio has become a 'cabaret parasite' spending all his time at the Tango Parlor apparently spending lots of money on the women there. As he begs his mother for more money a friend of his sister's, Marguerite Laurier (a DREADFUL Alice Terry), comes in and basically makes his heart go a flutter.

Unfortunately Miss Laurier is married and the fact the two spend so much time at the Tango Parlor becomes a source of gossip. Julio invites her to his art studio, promising he'll 'Be Good'. He apparently for the most part keeps his promise though it seems an affair is carrying on.

Well...that is until her husband catches them. He asks for a divorce and the pair apparently plan to marry. However World War 1 breaks out and makes everything uncertain as her husband has gone off to fight (Julio not being a French citizen does not have to) and the tales of his heroics guilt her. She tells Julio she must go 'atone for her sins' as all women 'yearn to'. Maybe things were different in 1921.

Meanwhile Marcelo, Julio's father, is haunted by the fact he never served in the first war (Im guessing Napoleon times?) The family get by and by with Marcelo leaving their Paris house to go stay in the castle. The town comes under siege by Germans and the castle is eventually captured. Marcelo's nephew is in command and spares him...though he tells him to keep his mouth shut. The Germans reek havoc on the town and the castle eventually causing an outburst from Marcelo. After being locked in a storage closet he is freed and tries to run, only to eventually be freed by the French. When he returns home he is shaken to the core.

Meanwhile with Marguerite gone, Julio is unsure what to do. His assistant and some kook who lives upstairs (he is never given a name, just that he is mysterious) tell him that this growing War will bring no good, and that it will free 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' on mankind. After kooky finishes describing the last horse (Death) a woman falls to her death outside their window, shaking the 3 to their core.

To make Marguerite proud Julio enlists even though he didnt have to. He goes off to War and seems to do okay for awhile, apparently 'becoming a different Julio, kind, caring, and concerned for others'. However in a final battle he and a German come upon each other, it turns out to be one of his cousins. They both shoot, killing the other one.

As this occurs we see Marguerite tending to her ex husband who is now blind from war wounds. She considers leaving him and gets dressed and ready to. But as she walks out the door to go find Julio, Julio's spirit appears to her informing her that he is dead, and she should stay. She does.

We see both the Desnoyers and Von Hartrott's mourning (with the Von Hartrott's apparently loosing all 3 sons) and Marcelo unable to let go at Julio's grave. Kooky reappears, and gets all metaphysical on us. The ending title card informs us that until we choose love over human nature, that the Four Horsemen will keep appearing. The End.

Thoughts and Best Scenes

The movie admittedly lagged a little. It is by far one of the LONGEST Silents I have ever seen (clocking in just over 2 hours). Which makes the whole 'Mathis butchered Greed' myth the more absurd. However every second Valentino was on screen there was magic. He was just that intriguing! And he did very well with his character, although I suspect a cabaret dancer who was a spoiled half French child just spoke to him somehow (for those not in the know Valentino was all those things in real life).

Some of the best scenes involved the comedic relief of the monkey. WHY Mathis threw in a monkey is beyond me but it was supposedly Julio's pet, and had quite a little wardrobe (even an army uniform!) Valentino was a major animal lover in real life and I think that shows here...that monkey just adored him. Cutest scene by far was when the monkey consoled him after Julio's grandfather's death. It added just a nice touch to such a heavy scene.

Valentino's tango scene is of course the best known (which you can watch at the top of this post). A lot of silent dance scenes just look odd (super fast movements photographed weird) and usually they come off as overrated. I feared that would be the case but honestly it was amazing. I dont think it was even so much the Tango itself...it was how Valentino grabbed his dance partner forcefully and just *owned* her because he wanted to. It was hot. And everyone knew it.

And finally my favorite Valentino scene by far was his conversation with Marguerite in the Tango Hall. Everyone is gossiping and she says they need to go somewhere else. Julio invites her to his art studio which is obviously notorious. He follows this with, "I promise I'll be good!" which is just amazing. Marguerite asks if he really 'Promises?" and Valentino looks at the camera, raises his eyebrows in a naughty way, and smiles sweetly, "Yes." A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

I can not STAND Rex Ingram or Alice Terry (real life couple at the time of this shooting). Both were pretentious overrated people who just have no place in any movie I see. I wish D.W. Griffith had directed this film, it would have been 80 times more AMAZING! And replace Alice Terry with oh...Olive Thomas (had she been alive) or even Nita Naldi. Ingram and Terry had it in for Valentino for the rest of their respective lives. They were so mad that when this film became major it wasnt because of them...it was because of Valentino; that they seriously spent the rest of their careers trying to take him down a peg (Ingram literally said these words). So mad were they that in 1924 they directed and starred in a Sheik rip off, "The Arab" featuring Valentino doppelganger Ramon Navarro. Ingram was convinced any story or directing would make such a picture successful, not a Valentino. He was wrong..."The Arab" and every piece of crap him and Terry every did afterwards FLOPPED.

I did however enjoy Josef Swickard's performance as Marcelo. He apparently had quite a long career involving both D.W. Griffith and Chaplin. Hell he worked right up until his death in 1940! Great guy. And a great performance.

Themes and Mathis

I think the most incredible and hardest part of Four Horsemen is the underlying themes and message. It was based off a popular novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez but Mathis made it her own. It was Mathis in her new executive position who insisted on the film (which cost $20,000 to procure the rights), wrote the screenplay, insisted on Rex Ingram (who she was probably sleeping with at the time), and insisted on this unknown kid Rudolph Valentino...whom she had seen in a bit part called 'Eyes of Youth'.

At every turn Mathis got her way. More then anything this is Miss JUNE MATHIS' MOVIE. Ingram and Valentino did not get along at all from the get go, and it was she who worked as a go between for the two. She also coached Valentino on how to perform his role, and same for Ingram and his direction. Mathis was one of the first Director/Writer/Producer combos, she just never really gets the credit.

The irony is that with its distinctly Christian tones (Four Horsemen) Mathis was not a bible thumper or even a Christian, she was a Spiritualist (think occult meets Christian themes). And Mathis began her career around the start of World War 1...even having written Anti German propaganda movies (To Hell with the Kaiser is one, which ironically Karl Dane appeared in!). So...together these 2 themes help to understand her message a little clearer.

Mathis wasnt what I would call...subtle. She beat you over the head with her message until you agreed with her (The Young Rajah is a good example of this, as is Blood and Sand). However annoying that might sound she still wrote GOOD scripts...and thats all that mattered. Four Horsemen is a good example of this: the movie beat you over the head with its anti war message, but you might not even care because its so delicious.

I find it odd yet completely understandable she used 'The Four Horsemen' for the analogy (how much this relates to the book itself I do not know). The movie seemed to be going one way, when all of a sudden Kooky is explaining this to us. Its the first time we've heard a word about the title characters. And honestly it seemed a little out of place...until you watched the whole thing.

While I dont think Mathis was a big apocalypse fan it seemed to me she was using a familiar myth (Christian themes would be well known during this time period obviously) to convey her point. I.e. that there really is no set date apocalypse or 'Four Horsemen' coming to randomly whisk us as a society away...it was more 'WE are our OWN Four Horsemen...we unleash them on our fellow human beings and WE will keep doing so until we realize the error of our ways'.

Considering the film was released in 1921, following only one World War well...she couldnt have been any further on the mark. A lot of this movie could relate to WW2 as well...or any war. We to this day with the Iraq War are unleasing the Four Horsemen (Plague, Pestilence (disease), famine, and death) on our own fellow human beings.

Behind the Scenes Tidbits

*Valentino had read the novel on the way back from filming a small film in Florida. He presented himself in Metro's office thinking he could be a tango extra. Little did he know June Mathis had been waiting for him, for the part of Julio.

*Valentino only made $350 a week, much less then bit players in the same film...it was the start of his contract woes (he wasnt so good with the business side of things...right up to his death.)

*In the scenes between Julio and Marguerite the actors spoke French, to impress the lip readers

*The French Village Marne, was constructed at Griffith Park in Los Angeles

*The film took 6 months to shoot, cost $80,000, and had a cast of 72 'principle players'

*The premiere in New York was insanity, but the German press was less enthused with the release

Reception: Then and Now

"Four Horsemen" was the 6th best selling silent of ALL TIME, grossing $4 million (not adjusted for inflation; some sources list it as $9 million...which may include later releases) by the 1930s. Chaos was caused in New York at the premiere, and the press praised up and down that not only was this a new 'Birth of a Nation' but had created a new star as well, Rudolph Valentino. Who forever after would be tied to the Latin Lover title and associated with the tango.

As for now the reception was incredible. I've been going to silent screenings for awhile now and I have never seen one so packed! The closet thing I can compare it to was some of Mary Pickford's screenings, but there were a lot of film students there as well as just students. I dont believe any of those ever sold out but they were close.

With "Four Horsemen" it was quite different. I cant say anyone appeared to be a film student though there had to be a few film buffs. There were maybe a handful of women, alone or with a man they dragged along. But overwhelmingly there was just a TON of gay men there. I cant blame them, Valentino is always fun to stare at :). However I just hope they arent trying to claim him for the team as he was undeniably straight. But he's been dead 80 some years I guess we can all fantasize.

Bob Mitchell did the accompaniment and may I say as always he did a spectacular job. He also did the accompaniment on the Valentino Collection DVD (for most of the films) so be sure to check that out. He's 95 and still playing! Props must be given!

When the film started it took awhile to get into the tango scene, but the minute a close up of Valentino's face appeared EVERYONE CLAPPED and went WILD. Now that never happened at a Pickford screening! And I've seen modern audiences get giggly or mock what they deem 'over the top' scenes (such as hand kissing) before. They did that when other actors pulled said stunts, but when Valentino did it with all that class and grace we held out breath.

When the movie was over everyone clapped for a good 4 minutes straight. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the film and result. I got to say I was amazed to see such a large turn out especially by people who arent forced to be there. Im hoping Sheik Week will sell out. If your interested feel free to click here for tickets.