Many stars have their movie that makes them a star. John Wayne had Stagecoach, Clark Gable had It Happened One Night and Harrison Ford had Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rudolph Valentino had his with The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This film made him America’s first movie star. His star shone brightly and briefly. He died tragically five years after this movie.
Valentino’s life mirrored many stars that followed. He was married a few times and was involved with many actresses of the day. He even introduced the Argentine tango in this movie. This was a trend setter for the time. He also set a precedent, for future actors like Gable to set trends. A person may not say there won’t be another one like him. He was the first to give style to the leading man.
The story revolves around an Argentinian family, that relocates to Paris, after the patriarch dies. The central character is Julio Desnoyers, played by Rudolph Valentino. He is a self centered painter, who seduces his female subjects. His lifestyle not only upsets family members, but it is very expensive. Julio has a life changing moment, when war breaks out in Europe. He sees his family members and friends enlist in the French army. He enlists, even though he is not a citizen. His life now becomes a cold hard reality changed by war.
The film’s effectiveness is that it shows the harsh realities of war. The main theme is not the impact on soldiers, but how civilians are impacted. An entire french town is destroyed. One man’s castle is spared. This is because it is to give lodging to a german officer and his staff. The owner is treated badly by the Germans. This outrages him, and causes him great humiliation. The scenes of war are very effective. The destruction of the town is shown very effectively.
The film’s title has a purpose. It shows the four horsemen riding through the sky and bring with them the utter destruction of war. The director has done well in creating this effect. Everywhere there is chaos, the horsemen appear. There is even an introduction of all of them. They appear as knights on horseback, when first shown.
This movie has an effect today. The impact it had upon its release, was probably severe. It was released only three years after World War I. The impact of the inappropriately named War to End All Wars, was still being felt. America and Europe both had deep scars from the conflict. The movie started a trend in films about the high cost of war. Films like this were followed by films like The Big Parade. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse has a darker tone, and gets the anti-war message across better. This movie by its title, shows that war can lead to the end of everything.