The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse

Director: Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli

Overview

A family reunion precedes the war torn tragedy experienced in World War II. Julio (Lee J. Cobb) welcomes his family from Europe to his home in Argentina. He becomes enraged at the discovery his father and nephew have become goose stepping Nazis. He brands them as gatekeepers of the Four Horsemen (Conquest, Pestilence, War and Death). Julio dies in the arms of preferred nephew and namesake Julio (Glenn Ford). After the funeral, younger Julio and his father Marcelo (Charles Boyer) enjoy the life of the idle rich while his sister Chi-Chi (Yvette Mimieux) joins the resistance movement to fight the Nazis. When Chi-Chi is captured by the enemy, Julio goes to his Nazi family members to plead for her release. Directed by Vincent Minnelli, he was assisted by Eric von Stroheim Jr. Although Variety predicted the film would be fairly successful, the studio blamed Minnelli when the film lost an estimated 6 million dollars after release.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2007
UPC:	4897007031207
Original Release:	1962
Source:	Castaway Pictures
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Sales rank:	42,170

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Glenn Ford	Julio Desnoyers
Ingrid Thulin	Marguerite Laurier
Charles Boyer	Marcelo Desnoyers
Lee J. Cobb	Julio Madariaga
Paul Henreid	Etienne Laurier
Paul Lukas	Karl Von Hartrott
Yvette Mimieux	Chi-Chi Desnoyers
Karl Boehm	Heinrich Von Hartrott
Harriet MacGibbon	Dona Luisa Desnoyers
Kathryn Givney	Elena Von Hartrott
Marcel Hillaire	Armand Dibier
George Dolenz	Gen. Von Kleig
Stephen Bekassy	Col. Kleinsdorf
Nestor Paiva	Miguel
Albert Remy	Francois
Richard Franchot	Franz Von Hartrott
Brian Avery	Gustav Von Hartrott
Karlheinz Böhm	Heinrich Von Hartrott
Angela Lansbury	Marguerite Laurier
André Previn	Composer

Technical Credits

John Gay

Robert Ardrey

Vincente Minnelli	Director
John Gay	Screenwriter
Robert Ardrey	Screenwriter
A. Arnold Gillespie	Special Effects
Robert R. Hoag	Special Effects
Lee LeBlanc	Special Effects
Julian Blaustein	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a film filled with pluses and minuses, that when added together comes out a moderately good film. On the plus side, it is blessed with the sensational visual flair of director Vincente Minnelli. Always one of the screen's most astute employers of color, Minnelli has a field day with Horsemen, adopting red as his primary color and utilizing it to terrific effect throughout. The director is also in fine form with the crowd scenes in Horsemen, using bodies and accoutrements to create atmosphere, tension and drama. Minnelli also uses montage to very good effect, especially in a particularly well done battle sequence, and he cleverly sets up a "date" scene which plays like one extended evening, though it actually covers several days. Andre Previn's glorious score is also an asset, as is Milton Krasner's evocative camerawork. On the negative side is, unfortunately, the screenplay, which is often awkward and at times unwieldy. More damaging is the casting of Glenn Ford in the crucial lead role. A good actor, he's simply the wrong type, steady and filled with integrity when what is demanded is a devil-may-care dilettante who eventually learns to mature and take responsibility. Also problematic is Ingrid Thulin, who looks smashing but whose entire role is dubbed by Angela Lansbury. The dubbing is good, and Lansbury does quite well dramatically, but it's clear that the voice and the actress do not match. The film is also too long and drags in a number of places. Even with these flaws, Horsemen is worth a look, though many may not want to stick with it for the whole film.