Two anniversaries will be honored this weekend when I accompany 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (1921) on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. at Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall and Community Center.
More details about the film and the screening are in the press release pasted in below.
The first anniversary is that August 2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the start of events that led to what we now call World War I. You know, Sarajevo and all that.
The second is that August 2024 marks the 98th anniversary of the untimely death of Rudolph Valentino, a star whose popularity was such that his name is still recognized today.
'Four Horsemen' is a worthy vehicle to honor both milestones, I think. A sprawling historical drama, I've come to see it as one of the first "breakthrough" films.
To me, it's one of the earliest films to show and make full use of the unique story-telling capabilities of the motion picture camera.
I also think it has one of the most moving endings in all of cinema: when Nigel De Bruiler stretches out his hands in the vast cemetery, and cries "I knew them all!"
Wow! Come see for yourself next Saturday in Brandon. Details below!
* * *
MONDAY, JULY 29, 2024 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Brandon Town Hall to screen epic movie that launched Valentino as silent-era megastar
'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,' which introduced both Rudolph Valentino and the tango, to screen with live music on Saturday, Aug. 10
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com
Brandon Town Hall to screen epic movie that launched Valentino as silent-era megastar
'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,' which introduced both Rudolph Valentino and the tango, to screen with live music on Saturday, Aug. 10
BRANDON, Vt.—The
movie that introduced the nation to silent film heartthrob Rudolph
Valentino—and also the tango—will be shown on the big screen in Brandon,
Vt.
'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (1921), a multi-generational family saga that climaxes during World War I, will be screened with live music on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt.
All are welcome to this family-friendly event. Admission is free,
with free will donations accepted in support of ongoing Town Hall
renovations.
The screening, the latest in the venue's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.
Based
on a novel by Spanish author Vicente Blasco Ibañez, 'Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse' tells the story of an extended Argentine family with
mixed ethnic background: one side is German, while the other is French.
The family gets drawn into World War I in far-off Europe, with members ending up on opposing sides. With brothers pitted against one another on the battlefield, the destruction of war changes lives forever.
'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' had a huge cultural impact, becoming the top-grossing film of 1921, beating out Charlie Chaplin's 'The Kid,' and going on to become the sixth-best-grossing film of the silent era.
Also, the film turned then-little-known actor Rudolph Valentino into a superstar, associating him with the image of the Latin Lover. In addition, the film inspired a tango craze and fashion fads such as gaucho pants.
Directed by Rex Ingram for Metro Pictures (a predecessor of MGM studios), 'Four Horsemen' grew into a mammoth production: over $1 million was spent in making it and more than 12,000 people were involved. The film was hugely successful at the box office, grossing nearly $5 million during its initial run, an enormous sum at the time.
The film was notable as one of the first major
Hollywood productions to include World War I (then known as the 'Great
War') in its storyline, and also in that it did not glorify the recent
conflict or look past the tragedy that it brought.
The family gets drawn into World War I in far-off Europe, with members ending up on opposing sides. With brothers pitted against one another on the battlefield, the destruction of war changes lives forever.
'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' had a huge cultural impact, becoming the top-grossing film of 1921, beating out Charlie Chaplin's 'The Kid,' and going on to become the sixth-best-grossing film of the silent era.
Also, the film turned then-little-known actor Rudolph Valentino into a superstar, associating him with the image of the Latin Lover. In addition, the film inspired a tango craze and fashion fads such as gaucho pants.
Directed by Rex Ingram for Metro Pictures (a predecessor of MGM studios), 'Four Horsemen' grew into a mammoth production: over $1 million was spent in making it and more than 12,000 people were involved. The film was hugely successful at the box office, grossing nearly $5 million during its initial run, an enormous sum at the time.
It's also among the
first U.S. feature films to make full use of the unlimited visual power
of the new motion picture medium.
Although Valentino dominates the film, other actors of note are featured. Alice Terry, the billed co-star as well as Ingram's wife, was a popular actress of her day.
Alan Hale Sr. appears in a supporting role; he was perhaps best known as Errol Flynn's sidekick in numerous films, his role of Little John in several Robin Hood flicks, and as the father of Alan Hale, Jr., who played the Skipper on the television series Gilligan's Island.
In 1995, the silent version of 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Regarding the title: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. The four horsemen are traditionally named War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.
"This is a big sprawling drama, and a great chance to see Rudolph Valentino in the picture that launched his celebrity," said Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who will create live music for the screening.
Rapsis will improvise live musical accompaniment during the show, using a digital synthesizer to recreate the sound of a full orchestra and other more exotic textures.
"Creating the music on the spot is a bit of a high-wire act, but it contributes a level of energy that's crucial to the silent film experience," Rapsis said.
Although Valentino dominates the film, other actors of note are featured. Alice Terry, the billed co-star as well as Ingram's wife, was a popular actress of her day.
Alan Hale Sr. appears in a supporting role; he was perhaps best known as Errol Flynn's sidekick in numerous films, his role of Little John in several Robin Hood flicks, and as the father of Alan Hale, Jr., who played the Skipper on the television series Gilligan's Island.
In 1995, the silent version of 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Regarding the title: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. The four horsemen are traditionally named War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.
"This is a big sprawling drama, and a great chance to see Rudolph Valentino in the picture that launched his celebrity," said Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who will create live music for the screening.
Rapsis will improvise live musical accompaniment during the show, using a digital synthesizer to recreate the sound of a full orchestra and other more exotic textures.
"Creating the music on the spot is a bit of a high-wire act, but it contributes a level of energy that's crucial to the silent film experience," Rapsis said.
The screening of 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' is sponsored by Jean and Harold Somerset, John and Lynn Wilson; Dorothy Leysath and Edward Loedding; Donna Malewicki; and Pam and Steve Douglass.
Other films in this year's Brandon Town Hall silent film series include:
• Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Speedy" (1928) starring Harold Lloyd. Harold's final silent feature cis a tribute to New York City, baseball, and the idea that nice guys can indeed finish first, highlighted by one of the most exciting races to the finish in all silent cinema. Complete with an extended cameo from none other than Babe Ruth!
• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) starring Lon Chaney. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney put 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Just in time for Halloween!
• Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, 7 p.m.: "Barbed Wire" (1927) starring Pola Negri, Clive Brook. During World War I, the French government commandeers a family farm for use as a camp for German POWs, setting the local population at each other. Intense drama about forbidden love and the human condition, with a special holiday twist.
'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (1921) will be screened with live
music on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon,
Vt.
Admission is free,
with free will donations accepted in support of ongoing Town Hall
renovations.
For information, visit www.brandontownhall.com.
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