I have waited more than 30 years for the 1993 Photoplay Productions restoration of the 1921 anti-war epic THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE to become available in a quality home video edition and now it has. Mention Rudolph Valentino to most people and they immediately think of THE SHEIK. However it was the earlier FOUR HORSEMEN that first brought him to national prominence after appearing in several small supporting roles. Producer June Mathis of pre-MGM Metro Pictures spotted Valentino in one of those small roles and then fought hard to get him the romantic lead in this picture. It was also Mathis who made the screen adaptation. The success of the movie made her the second most powerful woman in Hollywood after Mary Pickford.
The story concerns two Argentine families who resettle in Europe in 1910 right after the death of the family patriarch. The patriarch had two daughters. One married a Frenchman and the other a German and so they went to their husbands’ respective countries. Valentino’s father is obsessed with collecting as many possessions as he can. Rudy lives the life of a Bohemian artist who indulges his passion for tango dancing on the side. He becomes involved with the wife of one his father’s older clients. After their affair is discovered the husband decides to give the wife a divorce thus enabling her and Valentino to marry after the divorce becomes final. Then World War I breaks out. The ex-husband enlists in order to forget what happened and the ex-wife becomes a Red Cross nurse.
The German branch of the family, which has 3 sons, raises them to believe in German superiority. The sons begin preparing for a war that they know is coming and which they expect to last only a few months resulting in a German victory. Valentino’s father owns a vast estate near the German border where he has stored the many valuable treasures he has acquired. When war finally breaks out, his lands are overrun by the German army and his nephew, now a member of the military, refuses to help his uncle stop them from pillaging his lands and valuables. Rudy, who has lost the love of his life and seen his tango livelihood become no longer of interest, enlists in the French army and is sent to the Western Front. The two sisters are left waiting at home until the war is over.
This synopsis is only a thumbnail sketch leaving out many characters and situations. FOUR HORSEMEN is also a religious allegory with a Christ like figure and a lot of surreal imagery inspired by the Book of Revelation. These include the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse hence the novel’s and the film’s title. The movie has a very large cast in significant roles but only two other members would be known outside of silent film circles. They are Alan Hale (Little John to Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood) who plays the German father and Wallace Beery as a brutal German commander. The movie was directed by Rex Ingram who was a big name during the silent era but he became disillusioned with Hollywood and moved to France.
FOUR HORSEMEN was the first fully restored silent film that I had ever seen and it opened up the full potential of the silent movie if properly presented. This meant correcting the speed playback so that the movements are more natural, the use of color tints to enhance the black & white photography, the inclusion of original illustrated title cards, and a full orchestral score to accompany it. England’s Photoplay Productions is a pioneer in silent film preservation and presentation. FOUR HORSEMEN is one of several classic silents and documentaries that they have produced over 45 years. The magnificent orchestral score is one of several created by the recently deceased Carl Davis who is recognized as the John Williams of the silent film score.
This Blu-ray edition comes from Warner Brothers Entertainment who now own the complete Turner Classic Movies library of which this restoration is a part. It was originally done for England’s Channel Four back in 1993. TCM then acquired it for broadcast and it was later issued on VHS but that video quickly disappeared. This is the uncut 134 minute version which has been digitally remastered in 1080p for this release. Chances are it will never look or sound better than this so if you’re a fan of classic old movies and/or Rudolf Valentino then you need to snap this up before it disappears again. The only disappointment is that there are no extras of any kind but you can’t have everything.
The Capsule Critic 