Harrison's Reports (1962)

22 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 17, 1962 "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" with Glenn Ford, Ingrid Thulin, Charles Boyer, Lee J. Cobb, Paul Henreid, Karl Boehm, Paul Lukas, Yvette Mimieux (M-G-M, March; 153 mins.) VERY GOOD. An enduring achievement of story telling reaches its true greatness only when it has been given the test of time itself. The swing of time's relentless pendulum finds Vicente Blasco-Ibanez' "The Four Horsement symbolic of conquest, war, pestilence, death as timely today as when the great author, Ibancz, first published his novel away back in July of 1916 when most of Europe's powers were already trying to destroy each other in the first world war. To be sure "The Four Horsemen stems from the Holy Bible and was first revealed in The Book of Revelations. But, the producers would rather concentrate on making this thundering story with its conflict, destruction, family separation, fierce hatreds give way to what they would like the picture to be known as one of the most famous war time romances ever written. To director, Vincente Minnclli this was one of his most serious and challenging undertakings of his distinguished career. He told us that this was the time, in the face of the conditions of our times and the world we live in, to do the remake of "The Four Horsemen **." Minnelli had also expected that his vehide would be given the treatment of a hard ticket release. If Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer decided against a road show policy it is wise. Not that the film doesn't emerge as a fine piece of entertainment with some truly outstanding performances. But, the hard ticket bid right now, has to be comparable in scope and magnitude to what's already on the market. It must truly be a super achievement in the realm of spectacles. This one is not quite that. Yet, it will be a film to remember and should beget itself a lot of business. Since the passage of time doesn't alter much of the basic theme, it has been given a crashingly new, modern World War II version. The costly vehicle is endowed with a cast of superb performances. For the limited time Lee J. Cobb was before the cameras portraying the "centaur-of-aman" at the age of four-score years, the picture was all his. The characterization was penetratingly moving. Glenn Ford is Julio, the proud grandson of Cobb, and the son of Charles Boyer. Basically, he took his neutralism light-heartedly. Verily, for most of the story Glenn Ford's is the character of a coward having his fun, - even to the extent of an illicit love affair with the wife of a French patriot (Paul Henreid). Ford from the wealthy stock of Argentine paid little heed to the killing and pestilence and death that were going on around him. To him Paris was the gay city of loose love, that unfeeling careless kind of gaiety so defiantly practiced by the aristocracy. But, when Paris heard the sound of the hobnailed boots of the German forces his way of life gave way to change. Ford joined the French Resistance movement made several heroic contributions and in the end was killed. Rising in stature with each succeeding performance, Yvette Mimieux, young daughter of Boyer (and sister of Ford) is caught up in the torrents of the war and she too joins the Resistance. She gives a beautifully impressive performance. Hers is a young, fresh, wind-swept beauty. Charles Boyer, the rich, powerful product of Argentine, who also finds himself in glamour-drenched Paris when it capitulated to the Nazi forces, is unable to hold in check the ways of life of his children. The torrents of war engulfed him, though neutral he was. Boyer, slowly aging veteran that he is, mellows impressively with the passage of the years. One of the outstanding actresses of Sweden, Ingrid Thulin, makes her American debut in this one. She is the somewhat wayward wife of Paul Henreid who falls helplessly and hopelessly in love with the much younger Glenn Ford. For all of the wrong she knows she is committing she falls victim to the passions, desires and yearnings of women caught in the prophetic web of fearfully insecure and dangerously hazardous times. Paul Lukas is stalwart as a German officer. Though Nazi army protocol forced him to do its vicious bidding, nevertheless his gentleness of nature and sympathetic weakness find him a less dangerously inhuman officer in his treatment of the members of his family who are bitterly against Germany as its forces occupy Paris. Another new face on American screens is Karl Bochm, tall, handsome, Austrian. His is a role of coldly bitter ruthlessness. He wants power, doesn't care whom of his kin he hurts in getting it. He is on the German side and the disrespectful son of Lukas. He stood for the powers of victory no matter what the cost in human life that helped unleash "The Four Horsemen --" on a world caught in its own pitiful, terrible helplessness. There are other supporting roles that are well handled. To be sure, there is no cast weakness throughout the long telling of the thundering saga of the rider of the white horse, the symbol of Conquest. The red horse, War, whose mission was to, strip the world of peace. The menacing dark steed, Pestilence, and the fourth horse, a sleek, pale one carrying Death and the Hell that it is headed for. -and thus, the enduring story comes to life again rich in production values, beautifully done in CinemaScope -Metrocolor, smoothly and tightly directed, all spelling itself out as a vehicle highly entertaining. Reduced to its common box office denominator, it has the potential of big grosses. Produced by Julian Blaustein; directed by Vincente Minnelli; screenplay by Robert Ardrey and John Gay; based on the novel by Vicente Blasco Ibanez. General patronage. • "The Prisoner of the Iron Mask" with Michel Lemoine, Wandisa Guida (Amer.-Int'I, March; 80 mins.) FAIR. Once again a familiar tale that has become more or less of a classic has been brought to the screen, this time in Italy in color with dubbed-in English dialogue. The result is merely a release that can be utilized to round out the program as a minor supporting feature. The overly-simple script permits all kinds of illogical action and heavy-handed intrigue. Audiences, which are not too demanding, may be satisfied with the passable performances, adequate direction and production. The cast is unknown here, - and so, what there is of it, the play will have to be the thing. The dubbing is acceptable; color photography standard. In the 18th century in a Dukedom in Italy, the