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Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) DVDRip (SiRiUs sHaRe)

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Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)

Karl from Germany and Marcelo from France emigrated to Argentina and became brothers-in-law. Whatever happens later they will always preserve a strong family feeling. Karl soon returned to Germany to serve in the army. Marcelo and his children Julio and Chichi became Argentinean citizens but later returned to Paris.

Karl became a general with a son (Heinrich) in the SS. During WWII he got a high job within the occupation administration in France. Heinrich would come and go. Julio was a playboy. Chichi joined the resistance and was eventually tortured to death by Gestapo. Julio has a relation to a woman whose husband is a POW, and who will after release become a district leader within the resistance movement.

Julio eventually feels that it is his duty to fight the Nazis. With a firm reputation as a superficial playboy, he can attend the nightclub favoured by German officers and gather much important information. Finally he and another partisan (posing as his chauffeur) accept a highly important suicidal task involving a courtesy call to Heinrich.

Glenn Ford ... Julio Desnoyers
Ingrid Thulin ... Marguerite Laurier
Charles Boyer ... Marcelo Desnoyers
Lee J. Cobb ... Julio Madariaga
Paul Lukas ... Karl von Hartrott
Yvette Mimieux ... Chi Chi Desnoyers
Karlheinz Böhm ... Heinrich von Hartrott (as Karl Boehm)
Paul Henreid ... Etienne Laurier
Harriet E. MacGibbon ... Dona Luisa Desnoyers (as Harriet MacGibbon)
Kathryn Givney ... Elena von Hartrott
Marcel Hillaire ... Armand Dibier
George Dolenz ... Gen. von Kleig

Director: Vincente Minnelli

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054890/

Runtime: 153 mins

Codecs: XVid / AC3

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.

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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!

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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.

# Vincente Minnelli did all he could to sign Alain Delon for the role of Julio, but the producers were set on having an American star in the lead.

# According to Martin Gottfried in his biography of Angela Lansbury, "Balancing Act", she dubbed Ingrid Thulin's voice as a favor to her husband Peter Shaw, then an executive at MGM.

# Parts of Andre Previn's score were used on the original trailers for "Doctor Zhivago," the film itself being scored by Maurice Jarre.