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Vincente Minnelli's updating of Vicente Blasco Ibanez's novel is an absorbing melodrama which, as another viewer has noted, must have been watched by Visconti before he made his film The Damned a few years later.

The film begins with the Desnoyers family gathering for dinner following the return of Heinrich (Karl Boehm) from a spell in Germany where, to the disgust of grandfather Julio, he has been indoctrinated into the ideology of the Nazi party. The grandfather is played by Lee J. Cobb and it's a blessing that the old boy pegs it during dinner because Cobb not only chews the scenery but the sets and props as well. Despite this, the lines are clearly drawn between the two sides of the family: Heinrich and his father Karl (Paul Lukas) on one side, Julio No' 2 (Glenn Ford) and little sister Chi Chi (Yvette Mimieux) on the other.

Julio is a playboy with no interest in the war; he prowls swish parties for available women, sidling between arguments of the impending war as he closes in on his prey. Sadly, Ford, usually a likable enough leading man, doesn't possess the necessary predatory swagger to pull of the role. In fact, he is so badly miscast that he seems to be adrift throughout the film, as if trying to figure out how he was ever chosen for the role (Minnelli wanted Alain Delon, apparently, and we can only imagine what an altogether different interpretation he would have given to the part).

The predicament in which the Desnoyer family find themselves is wholly absorbing as the war slowly tears its members apart. Most imaginable sea-changes in personal opinions are explored during the course of the story, from the discovery of a hidden integrity on Julio's part, to disillusion on the part of Karl, the WW1 veteran who allows himself to be swept up in the triumphalism of the Nazi's rise only to find his son becoming irrevocably morally corrupted by the same experiences.

The movie never won any awards, which is probably how it should be, but it provides an intelligent and literary exploration of a fascinating subject that makes it easy to watch despite its bloated running time.

Vincente Minnelli brought his aspiring "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" to the events of World War II... The new version tries to be 'more' than a war or anti-war film...

The quality of the Argentinean family with its members fighting on both sides (French and German), revealed great nationalism in their habits of thought and expression... They arouse love and ideal even in their attitudes, interests and actions to each others... They put everything at the stake, specifically two important talents, Julio (Glenn Ford) and Heinrich (Karl Boehm), trapped in this entertaining remake of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Karl Boehm, the ambitious Colonel Heinrich, member of the S.S. envies his cousin's independence... The dinner sequence makes it evident: When Heinrich sees his charming cousin, spending pleasant time with a beautiful woman, he warns General Von Kleig (George Dolenz), not to abuse excessively his rank as Commander of Paris in his own private interest...

The film describes the awakening of a wealthy high-living Franco-Argentinean to his duty to France after his sister is killed by the Gestapo and his father implored him to act and do what he never did... Julio finds his manhood as a member of the French resistance during War World II.

In Argentina, the family man Julio Madariaga (Lee J. Cobb) is the patriarch of his family and considers his farm the paradise on Earth. One of his daughters, Luisa Desnoyers (Harriet MacGibbon), has married the Frenchman immigrant Marcelo Desnoyers (Charles Boyer) and they have one son, the playboy Julio (Glenn Ford), and one daughter, the gorgeous student of Sorbonne Chi Chi (Yvette Mimieux). His other daughter, Elena von Hartrott (Kathryn Givney), has married the German Karl von Hartrott (Paul Lukas), and they have three sons: Heinrich (Karl Boehm), Gustav and Franz.

In 1938, Heinrich returns from Germany for a family reunion and when he tells that he has joined the SS, the displeased Julio Madariaga has a heart attack and dies. When France is occupied by the Germans, the family reunites in Paris and Franz is the Nazi administrator in France. The alienated Julio has a studio where he paints, and has a love affair with Marguerite Laurier (Ingrid Thulin), the wife of the owner of a newspaper Etienne Laurier (Paul Henreid) that is fighting in Belgium. Meanwhile Chi Chi joins the French resistance and is arrested. Julio uses the influence of his uncle Franz to release her. However, Chi Chi has an argument with Julio for his neutral position. When Chi Chi is tortured to death by Gestapo, Julio joins the resistance, using his relationship with the Germans to get inside information.

"The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is an epic romance with the awakening of a playboy in times of war. The cinematography, art direction and costumes are amazing, but unfortunately the screenplay is shallow and the film is miscast in the lead role. Glenn Ford is never convincing as a French-Argentinean, and too old (46 years old) to be a playboy and son of Charles Boyer (63 years old). Further, it is ridiculous the actors and actresses speaking in English forcing accents in French, German and Spanish. I have never had the chance to see the 1921 original film to compare with this remake by Vincente Minnelli. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Os Quatro Cavaleiros do Apocalipse" ("The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse")

I just caught this on TCM and it's the first time I've seen it since my teens. Either my maturity has given me a better appreciation for it or it has gotten better over the years, now that we're bombarded with so much garbage. I've carefully read all the comments here, and there's a common thread. Most take exception to the casting of Glenn Ford and classify the film as one of Minnelli's lesser efforts. It's not that I'm Glenn Ford's greatest fan, but I think he gives one of his finest performances here and is one of the movie's strengths. One doesn't have to be 21 to be a playboy; what he portrays, quite convincingly, is a mature dilletante. Minnelli's direction is typical of his late melodrama period that started with The Bad and the Beautiful. His style is jittery, baroque, and light years away from his airy musicals. The Four Horseman ranks right up there with some of his best later work, like Home From the Hill, Some Came Running, and The Cobweb. He has a particular flair for car scenes which started with his first Gothic, Undercurrent, in 1946. He gets one of the finest performances I've ever seen out of that limited actor, Charles Boyer. His scene with the gifted Paul Lukas where they mourn the deaths of their children is powerful and touching beyond words. The great disappointment, as everyone has noted, is the legendary dubbing of Ingrid Thulin by Angela Lansbury. What I find most peculiar is that I think Lansbury did not loop ALL of Thulin's dialogue, some lines sound like the voice of Thulin that I remember from The Damned and Return from the Ashes. The obvious question is: Why did M-G-M hire her if there was a problem with the voice? Didn't they test her before contract signing? In any case, the dubbing is unfortunate; her looks and performance are exquisite. My recommendation: SEE THIS GOOD, OLD FASHIONED, REALLY BIG MOVIE. P.S. Check out the magnificent, huge Andre Previn score.

If Vincente Minnelli is to be praised in this film, it his decision to film Ibanez' novel and to cast the fascinating Ingrid Thulin--who has contributed substantially to Bergman's early work and to Swedish theatre. No Hollywood actress could have lent credibility to this role as Ms Thulin did. It is a matter of historical tragedy that Thulin's own voice was not used and Angela Lansbury's voice was used instead.

Lee J Cobb as the patriarch and Glenn Ford as Julio were avoidable decisions. However, the casting of Paul Henreid and Charles Boyer enhanced the film.

What made the film rise over mediocrity? The story and Thulin. Ibanez' work is world renowned and film is a beautiful medium to capture the image of the four horsemen. Interestingly Minnelli is not able to capture the "pale" and the "red" horse on screen--the most difficult of the four horses in technicolor and decides to use smoke and clouds to distract us. According to "The Book of Revelations," the horsemen carried a bow, a sword, a balance and a great Sword. Ingmar Bergman in "the Seventh Seal" and Minnelli transforms the great sword into a scythe. But for this detail, the art direction throughout the movie was commendable.

Erich von Stroheim Jr. was a mere Assistant Director in this work. von Stroheim's body of work in Europe is revered today and one can only speculate about the result had he directed the film instead of Minnelli. Minnelli's film has its moments--Etienne meeting his wife on his return from capture, and Etienne's confrontation with Julio. Yet the film is Hollywood's attempt at presenting a narrative without complexity for audiences who prefer to be spoonfed. Ibanez' novel is still waiting for a good director to film--Minnelli stumbled in his effort to create a masterpiece. One mistake he made was choosing Glenn Ford to play an Argentinan playboy. What a costly mistake!

Remake from classic silent (1921) set in WWI and directed by Fred Niblo with Rodolfo Valentino , Alan Hale , Alice Terry that is still deemed the best . This one , updated to WWII deals with an Argentinian family man patriarch named Julio Madariaga (Lee J. Cobb) who reunites his diverse members as French (Charles Boyer and his sons Glenn Ford and Yvette Mimieux) as well as German (Paul Lukas , Karl Boehn) but with the Nazi outbreak the events get worse . Some years later , in Paris the various components of the grievous family cross their destinations with tragic results . Meanwhile , in the city of lovers , the day the clocks stopped turning and the world stood still , the protagonist (Glenn Ford) falls in love with the resistance leader's (Paul Henreid) wife (Ingrid Thulin , allegedly dubbed by Angela Lansbury)

This dramatic film is packed with an excellent cast , thrills , suspense , emotion , betrayal , a loving triangle and historical events . Complex anti-WWII story about cousins and uncles who fight on opposite sides . It depicts the tormentous period during painful Nazi invasion in Paris , including Resistance activities , Gestapo cruelties , and other sorrowful happenings . It is accompanied by a rousing and sensitive musical score by composer Andre Previn . Based on a novel by the Spanish Vicente Blasco Ibañez whose books have been adapted several times as ¨Blood and sand¨ , ¨The temptress¨ , ¨Cañas y Barro¨ and ¨Mare Nostrum¨ , among others . Glimmer cinematography by Milton Krasner , he is one of the few cameramen for whom Technicolor seems to have been invented , it includes colorist imaginary that still staggers as when appear the four riders , Pest , Hunger , War , Death . The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist . Although some interpretations differ, the four riders are commonly seen as symbolizing Conquest, War, Famine and Death, respectively. The Christian apocalyptic vision is that the four horsemen are to set a divine apocalypse upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment.

The motion picture is lavishly produced by Julian Blaustein and well directed by Vincente Minelli . Vincente was an expert on musicals , being hired by MGM for many years . After working on numerous Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland vehicles , usually directed by Busby Berkeley , Arthur Freed gave him his first directorial assignment on ¨Cabin in the sky¨ (1943), a risky screen project with an all-black cast . This was followed by the ambitious period piece , the classic ¨Meet me in St. Louis¨ (1944) whose star Judy Garland he married in 1945 . Many of his films included in every one of his movies features a dream sequence such as ¨Four horsemen of Apocalypse¨ . Employing first-class MGM technicians , including Erich Von Stroheim , Minnelli continued directing musicals as ¨The band wagon¨ (1953) , ¨Kismet¨, ¨The pirate¨ , ¨ An American in Paris¨ , ¨Brigadoon¨ as well as melodramas as ¨Some came running¨ (1958) , ¨Madame Bovary¨, ¨The sandpiper¨ and urban comedies like ¨Designing woman¨ (1957), occasionally even working on two films simultaneously . In his last average film titled ¨Nina¨ worked with his daughter Liza Minnelli . Rating ¨Four horsemen of Apocalypse ¨ : Better than average , it's a good story though sometimes falls plain , well worth watching .

When you're watching Minnelli's work today you cannot help but thinking that he had a strong influence on Luchino Visconti's "la caditi dei degli" (1969)Actually the two movies begin the same way:a family whose members are tearing each other part because some of them go nazi.It does not matter if the scene takes place in Argentina in Minnelli's work:we find the same madness,the same baroque side and similarities abound:the old man's death echoes to that of the patriarch of the Essenbeck family in " la caduit dei degli" .Karl Boehm's character inspired Helmut Griem's one.And Ingrid Thulin is featured in both films,although she does not appear in the first thirty minutes,the best..

The dinner scene remains impressive today:if it certainly inspired Visconti later ,itself takes probably its roots in Frank Borzague's masterwork "mortal storm" (1940),which tackled long before his two peers the subject of the family and nazism.But Minnelli added gaudy colors ,typical of the fifties melodrama ,and special effects -the four horsemen who will come back ,particularly later when chic people are dancing while war is raging outside.Actually this scene is so strong as the rest of the movie seems like a let-down afterward .All that takes place in Paris does not rise above average.The film never recaptures the intensity of its beginning,except for its very last minutes,with the final confrontation between the two cousins -it's difficult to admit,though ,that Glenn Ford and Karl Boehm are relatives.

If a strong beginning and an effective ending make a good film ,you can say that Minnelli's extravaganza is worth a watch.It's not among his best works ,but if critic Georges Sadoul said "the first sequence is sheer aggressive bad taste" ,do not forget that "good taste" does not necessarily make great works.

I enjoyed this movie for several reasons. First it looked like it was filmed on location and I could relate to many of the scenes and realized I had been exactly where they were filming. Second thing I thought was interesting was the way the family was portrayed, loving close knit family, divided by a war, forced to chose sides. It was a good movie in that the story telling kept your interest and the characters were well developed. Some of the acting was mediocre but in the overall it was well done. The movie is rather long, 2 1/2 hours, but it passed to quickly. If you are an old movie lover or history buff you will probably enjoy this movie.

I cannot understand the low rating of this film. I'll rather think most of the viewers haven't had the opportunity to watch this movie and the few who had, have not been able to appreciate the admirable qualities of this film. If you have not seen Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, don't wait any longer. I have it in my video library and have watched it several times.

Apparently the positive comments here are largely by people who've never seen the silent version. Well, the Valentino/Ingram edition shows up on TCM from time to time and there is no comparison.

The silent version is poetry, a dream fantasy. This is soap, earthbound, every line of dialog falling to earth with a thud. How come Lana Turner missed this one?

The problem is not just that Glenn Ford is too corn-fed. Ingrid Thulin looks trapped and unhappy in every scene, as if she is being hammered from all sides between takes. She and Glenn Ford have zero chemistry, playing whole scenes together without even looking at each other. It's impossible to imagine this as a grand passion on any level.

Then we have to believe Yvette Mimieux is a serious political thinker. She scowls, purses her lips and looks like she needs an Alka Seltzer. The older folks do a bit better, but only Charles Boyer and Paul Henried come off well. Paul Lukas looks tired and disoriented, and if you liked Lee J. Cobb as a boozy patriarch in "The Brothers Karamazov," you'll like him here, because it's the same performance.

But it's almost sacrilege to use World War II as the background to this decorative exercise. Vicente Minnelli never could direct people, the actors were always on their own, but he'd get great performances out of sets, props, costumes and the color wheel.

That's what happens here, with lots of eye candy and some stunningly inept staging. A student riot looks like a dance number minus the jazz, and there's a crucial scene with Paul Lukas trapped behind his desk and Charles Boyer at loose ends in the rest of the room that is as clumsy a piece of film-making as any major director has ever taken responsibility for.

The film is too long, too slow, too ham-fisted, too under-energized. And then it runs down. In the last reel, Paul Frees dubs around five different characters and almost gets into an argument with himself. When Armageddon finally arrives, it's a relief.

The project was probably doomed from the beginning, but rescue is nowhere in sight, and no one covers himself with glory. Minnelli's characteristic melancholy is contagious, and this viewer regrets a missed opportunity.

Find the silent. It's long, but unlike this one, it pays off.

In Argentina, Julio Desnoyers (Glenn Ford) and Heinrich are grandsons to proud family patriarch Julio Madariaga (Lee J. Cobb). Heinrich returns home from school in Germany and shocks the family by announcing that he has joined the Nazis. The family is split between French and German origins. Madariaga considers his family Argentinian and dies from the shock. In 1938, apathetic playboy Julio and his French family move to Paris, but the war soon starts. Marguerite Laurier (Ingrid Thulin) is the wife of his father's friend. Julio falls for her and refuses to leave Paris. Heinrich becomes a high-powered SS official while Julio lives comfortably as a neutral in the occupied city.

This is loosely based on a 1916 novel which became a movie in 1921. Glenn Ford was well into his forties. There is an emptiness to his character which doesn't look good for someone of his age. I can accept the character, but I don't necessarily want to spend that much time with him. It just takes too long before he has any character growth. This is a long movie. The war doesn't even start until 45 minutes. Glenn Ford just doesn't have the emotional output that the role needs. He never changes from being Glenn Ford. I do like Etienne and that complicated relationship. The realism is not quite here, but at least, they are trying. It's trying to be an epic and not all of it succeeds.

Vincente Minnelli had it right, he wanted Alain Delon for the role of French/Argentine Julio Desnoyers and he would have been perfect in the part. However MGM insisted on an American, but why Glenn Ford. Back in the late forties he was laughable in the part of Don Jose in The Loves of Carmen with Rita Hayworth. Did anyone at MGM screen that before signing him up for this expensive remake of the silent classic The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse?

Whatever else Glenn Ford was and I'm a big fan, he just doesn't cut it as the second Rudolph Valentino.

So besides a miscast leading man, they had their troubles with the leading lady as well. Ingrid Thulin was trying to break into the international market as fellow Swedes Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman had done before her. Her Swedish accent was way too thick and supposedly she was indecipherable in her scenes. That familiar voice you hear coming from her mouth is that of Angela Lansbury who was dubbed over Thulin's voice. Poor Ingrid still remained a star in Sweden, but never did get any international acclaim.

The rest of the cast is made of various continental types playing French and Germans. The plot of Vincente Blasco Ibanez's original novel is updated from World War I to World War II and changes are made to accommodate the different geopolitical situation in the two wars. Best performance in the film is that of Paul Henreid who plays Thulin's husband who while he's off to war and a POW camp, she's fooling around in Paris with Ford.

Now you can believe she'd have found Valentino irresistible, but not Glenn Ford.

This film has many fine qualities, some oddball aspects, and some things of interest because of how they relate to other work by the creative artists. For example, Minnelli returns to Paris location shooting as he did in 'American in Paris' and 'Gigi', but this time to re-create wartime Paris and what it was like to be part of the Resistance, as well as what life was like among the privileged Parisian collaborators who lived the good life under Nazi rule. In spite of MGM glamour and production values that must have cost a fortune, Minnelli and his screenwriters often succeed in portraying the anguish of that time, the moral crisis of privileged neutrals, and the courage of those who resisted. Credit must go to a splendid cast of Hollywood veterans and some talented newcomers. Paul Henreid shows up playing, what else?, a resistance hero. Ingrid Thulin's Swedish accent must have been too much for MGM's money men - they had her dialogue dubbed by Angela Lansbury, and pretty effectively too. One of the greatest pleasures of the film is Andre Previn's score. If you like your movie music big, complex, intrusive, and romantic, you'll agree that this score is one of the great overlooked gems of Hollywood soundtracks.

What's bad about the movie? Glenn Ford for starters, not too believable as an Argentinian playboy. But that may just be a matter of taste.

In the early 60's, this movie seemed old-fashioned. The new wave of just about everything had arrived and it seemed an attempt by MGM to recapture past glories. However, 50 years later, it is no longer associated with the movies of its time that made it seem so out of touch. After a shaky start, this movie gains momentum and delivers a powerful second half.

The story starts just before World War 2. The patriarch of an Argentine family, Julio Madariaga - The Old One - played by Lee J Cobb, holds court over his extended family. His two daughters have married Europeans: a Frenchman played by Charles Boyer, and a German played by Paul Lukas.

The story focuses on the grandchildren, who, although born in Argentina, form allegiances with their fathers' homelands. World War 2 is played out in microcosm within the family. The German side become confirmed Nazis, while the French connection supports the Resistance.

One hurdle the film struggles to overcome is Cobb's over-the-top performance as The Old One.

The movie opens as The Old One demonstrates his love of life. He performs a number of frenetic, boot-stomping gaucho dances in between taking chin-dribbling slurps of wine from a gourd - he also yells a lot. Lee J Cobb was a great actor with gravitas to spare, but he blew this one, and threw the movie off balance from the start. However, just as the crew of a ship in danger of capsizing can often save the situation by jettisoning excess cargo, twenty minutes into the film, The Old One throws a tantrum, staggers out into the rain and collapses face down in the "rich, dark soil of Argentina", exiting the movie.

Glenn Ford plays Julio Desnoyers, the favourite grandson of The Old One. Ford was cast against type, he was such a solid screen presence that he seems awkward in the earlier scenes as the feckless, politically neutral playboy, but he eventually gives the film a degree of substance as his character gains a conscience and takes a stance.

This must have been just about the last hurrah for actors such as Charles Boyer and Paul Lukas. Paul Hendreid as Etienne Laurier virtually revisits his role as Victor Laszlo from "Casablanca".

The film features two striking actresses, one older and one younger. Beautiful and enigmatic Swedish actress, Ingrid Thulin who played Marguerite Laurier, apparently had her voice dubbed by Angela Lansbury. If so, she did it with an accent that sounded very much like Ingrid Thulin. Chi-Chi, Julio's passionate and altruistic younger sister, was played by Yvette Mimieux, who had imprinted herself on a generation of young males when she played the nymph-like Weena in "The Time Machine".

Despite being somewhat studio-bound, the film opens out with effective location scenes in Paris. One thing I remember reading at the time was that Parisians were taken aback with the recreation of the Germans marching past the Arc de Triomphe - the war had been over for 17 years, but memories were still raw.

Although the film is based on a novel and a silent film, the story in both those cases involved World War 1. Some critics compare this film unfavourably with the silent version, but surely there aren't many who could sit through it these days? The 1962 version is far more enjoyable.

The movie boasts a powerful score by Andre Previn with a gorgeous love theme. The film also has an unexpected ending. All things considered, this is a movie well worth at least one viewing.

The film had great difficulties in production, and it shows. The director wasn't happy, the studio wasn't happy, the editing is haphazard, different versions were released and, in my opinion, worst of all, the soundtrack was replaced with an overbearing Andre Previn score which is set at a volume which seems designed to drowned out chunks of the dialogue.

Critics complained that this re-make mis-fired by updating its setting from the Great War to WW2, but, personally, that didn't worry me at all. I think that the imperialist nature of both wars makes for suitable platforms.

Acting is generally quite solid: Glen Ford was quite clearly miscast but does his best and to a large extent gets away with it. His love interest, Ingrid Thulin, is excellent.

The Nazis in the family are well portrayed with suitable scheming malevolence, mixed with a degree of family loyalty to their relatives.

The film might not match up to its predecessor but is still very watchable despite the cacophonous score.

I have to stress that I watched this on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). the second time in several years. Not having seen the infamous Valentino starring silent movie, nor read the novel, my hope for a dark brooding epic remains somewhat dashed.

The quality on TV was fairly soft, maybe not relevant with the DVD here but it didn't help my viewing, nor the over 3 hour running time, with ads.

What does strike one is that it's a movie that's trying to get out from its limitations; Cinemascope at the cinema at the time, with its stereo soundtrack and Metrocolour (very washy on TCM), score by Andre Previn and the best part, the lush, majestic and often attractive globe- trotting location cinematography by Milton R. Krasner, it must have been a very different beast on release.

I mention this TV version so much as the DVD is expensive and there aren't many alternative sellers and so for many people, it may well remain their only method of viewing.

The odd and poorly cast set of stars is well known; Glenn Ford rarely shines or engages however and one feels that there is a great story somewhere - there's also an epic and expensive feel - director Vincente Minnelli has made some fabulous films - but one has to try just too hard to glean anything from it.

To me, this means that it just floats by and one doesn't give it the attention it deserves. I'm not saying it should be re-made, re-cast etc but my recent re-watch was a disappointing one. It's impossible for me to say if the DVD quality (even if it is any better?) would raise the overall watchability to warrant a higher score. Somewhat disappointing.

One of Glenn Fords best performances. Andre Previn's musical score one of his best.

Studio troubles, politics seemed to interfere with the production.

I wanted it the film to be better, but still give it a 10.

Boyer is great and so is Tuilin, in the role of the war wife. Hendric Hendicx is fine, but too small a part.

Based on a true family I understand.

MGM was struggling and running out of money, after Cleopatra's over runs. The music almost defines, why this is a great film, it tells us more than the camera shows, but together you receive the true gift in the performances and script.

Although this lavish production of a Hemmingwayesque story tried very hard, the casting of the over 45 year old Glenn Ford was a big mistake. His part of an international playboy should have gone to someone in their early 30's, with a more cavalier, rakish personality. I adore Glenn Ford, but for crying out loud, he's the essence of the stalwart American man. I can only think Jimmy Stewart would have been a worse choice. Two and a half hours didn't help this movie either. With better editing, and a slight change of casting this could have been a very good movie.

I had never heard of this movie until I heard that it was John Wayne's favorite, so I had to see it. Not my favorite. My favorite is called "The Quiet Man." I watched it carefully and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you didn't think Glenn Ford was a convincing Hispanic, well that is your problem. What exactly is a convincing Hispanic? Glenn Ford is ALWAYS good! He did a great job and this is an absolutely entertaining flick from start to finish. Lee J. Cobb was also outstanding as the grandfather in a small role at the beginning. This is marvelous entertainment and I am astounded that I had never heard of it until recently. It is never shown anywhere. Is it? I wonder why? Compared to most of the unmitigated garbage they call movies today and even give Oscars for Best Picture, this is a great film. Highly recommended if you ever get a chance to see it.

Blasco Ibáñez wrote this novel in 1916, and the most amazing thing about the story is the description he makes of the German character which tries to dominate the rest of the world based on their "superiority" over the rest of the races. According to the characters in Blasco Ibáñez story the Germans forced this war because they were sure about their superiority over the rest and they were sure it would be an "easy" win. By changing the setting in the film from World War I to World War II this is missing. The problem with this is that by knowing how the war ended and what happened twenty years later when one reads the book one comes to the conclusion that if the Germans had learnt the lesson the tragedy of World War II could have been avoided. The film misses the irony of that conclusion.

When I saw this during its first-run release, I was already an avid Minnelli fan but had been forewarned by the reviews that this was not one of his best. I recall enjoying it, nevertheless, and much of my pleasure was due to Minnelli's always inventive visual style, the expensive mounting in CinemaScope and Metrocolor, the interesting cast (not all of them well-chosen, especially the deadly-dull Glenn Ford, who was being assigned to what seemed like every other big budget M-G-M picture during that period), the astute use of Angela Lansbury to dub Ingrid Thulin's lines (though I'm sure that Miss Thulin's own voice, even if she had learned her lines phonetically, would have been preferable), and Andre Previn's very expressive score. (Mr. Previn came to disown a lot of his Hollywood work once he concentrated on conducting major classical orchestras, but I suspect he wouldn't have included this one among those he would prefer that we forget.) Tony Duquette's Four Horsemen figures are a striking addition to the lavish mounting of this production. It's not available on DVD (yet, anyway) and it's probably a safe bet that the VHS version is (ugh!) "formatted"...don't bother! You'll be missing the greater percentage of this film's achievement.

I love discovering lost Cinema treasures and recently listening to a Michael Feinstein interview with acclaimed Hollywood film composer and later Classical orchestra conductor Andre Previn ,who passed away earlier this year I became interested in the 1962 film that Previn composed the score for The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

It intrigues me when a film with such great talent as this one as well as having an Andre Previn score ,which is dramatic and very beautiful in parts also had Vincente Minnelli as Director and a terrific cast headed by Glenn Ford bombed so disastrously . It was a very lavish production estimated to cost U.S. $6.5 million and grossed less than $2 million?

I ordered the soundtrack then found Warner Bros Archive ,who has released so many rare movies on DVD had it in their catalogue,so of course I wanted to see it.

I was so pleasantly surprised to find 4 Horseman is a lost treasure. It's an epic movie 153 minutes long about a wealthy Argentine family split by the allegiance of part of the family to Hitler and the Nazi party and the other members trying to stay neutral.

The playboy son Julio Desnoyers played very effectively I thought ( critics didn't) by Glenn Ford arrives in Paris in 1938 and becomes infatuated with Marguerite Laurier played beautifully by Ingrid Thulin the famous and very beautiful Swedish film actress. Andre Previn's haunting love theme is so beautiful in that classic Golden Years of Hollywood style.

The Apocalypse of course is Hitlers invasion of Paris in May 1940 and the loves and lives that are decimated by war when families have to choose sides some for survival some to be Patriotic and true to their faith in Liberty and freedom.

Vincente Minnelli's sets designs and direction are superb and the costumes by Rene Hubert and Walter Plunkett are beautiful,perhaps a little out of timeline ?

This really is a movie worth a look ,perhaps it failed because of the subject matter or bad reviews ,which it didn't deserve? It wouldn't be the first good movie for bad reviews to kill it off at the box office.

It's perhaps a little dated and perhaps melodramatic for today's standards but so is All About Eve and that's being performed on stage in London at the moment but that's another story.

I'm certainly glad I have an inquisitive mind and very broad taste in movies and movie music because I'm constantly rewarded when I discover buried treasure .

I think it is informative to speculate why this film fails and fails badly. It has great production values, sumptuous photography, classy music (a bit smaltzy for current times but spot on for the 1960s), and a professional cast. Lee Cobb roars, as always, and Paul Lukas and Charles Boyer play their usual European gentlemen quite nicely, and Paul Henreid is heroic. It is based on a wildly successful, classic book which led to an equally successful and admired classic silent movie.

Okay, so far, but why does the film drag along as a meandering story which seldom engages the viewer? The stars are one possibility. A listless Glenn Ford in an anachronistic hat looks bewildered much of the time, as if he stepped onto the set of a different movie. Ingrid Thulin was somehow out of sync. Her lips and the dubbed English were well coordinated, but her expressions and body language were not quite congruent with her lines. Also, what was that sudden, powerful attraction between them? They both looked too old for it to have been pure hormones.

A major problem is the era depicted in this film. The book and silent movie depict the time of the first World War. This purposeless Great War was the result of bumbling leaders who stumbled into a war in which their moronic generals could only slaughter soldiers by the millions. The actual history was not too different from the war in the satire, Duck Soup. No one knew how to either end the war or win it. The book and silent movie tell the story of family members from neutral Argentina who get drawn into this maw of hell. Their fates are roughly parallel to what happened to the world itself during this time. A powerful, moving existential tale.

This 1962 film changes the era to the second World War. This was a war which gave much of the world the option of fighting or becoming a slave or being murdered. In this film one part of the family is in conquered France while the other part is in the barbaric Nazi S.S. No decision to fight or remain neutral is really available. No existential crisis. No credible conflict is evident.Thus, the films winds down to a formulaic heroic (and impossible) ending. At some point, it looks like everyone just wants to quit and go home.

The film tries to tell a story which is out of sync with the time and situation in which it is located. Its lead players do not mesh with the other performers, nor with each other, and look lost. The film is not very good, but the big problem is that it is bewildering to consider how so much talent can go so terribly wrong.