Magnificent Silent epic, a profoundly powerful film, that packs quite an emotional punch. The story and drama builds and comes together potently, providing a ride for the viewer that is compelling and engrossing.

Various in the cast give terrific performances. I'm particularly impressed by, of course, Valentino, also by the actors (Josef Swickard, Nigel De Brulier) portraying his father and the prophetic upstairs neighbour man.

The Four Horsemen (characters thereof) of the Apocalypse sequences (the depictions of the roles that Conquest, War, Pestilence/Famine, and Death play in wartime) are tremendously gripping, as are the war sequences of any type.

[SPOILER WARNING ** SPOILERS FOLLOW]

I'm glad the studio didn't insist upon tacking on an artificial happy ending; such would have detracted from the film's overall impact. As things go, by the end of the war, that entire family generation (both lines) gets wiped out of all four of its male descendants. That includes Julio (Valentino), who dies at the end. Heart wrenching.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was made just over a century ago (was copyrighted in 1920, though released in '21), yet still holds up and hasn't lost its power or relevance.

Seek out the deluxe restored version (which is what TCM ocassionally broadcasts) of this epic. It includes the masterful, beautiful dedicated late-20th-century Carl Davis orchestral score and scenes tinting. That version presents the movie in excellent condition, looking and sounding great throughout. (FYI: Version mentioned is presently on YouTube, but for some reason the picture quality as posted there looks disappointingly lacklustre [unlike how that restored version's visuals presented without the dulling down look], which is why I'm not including link to it here.)

By the way, this is the film that turned Valentino into an international superstar. It's considered to be the 6th-best-selling silent film of all time.

In 1995 TFHotA was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Also see:

100th anniversary tribute video

"The TMDb rating of this film"

"I just watched this for the first time..."

"Major Silent screen icon. One of Hollywood's most famous young deaths."

Please check out the following list of titles and celebrities I've created TMDb threads for: https://www.themoviedb.org/list/118052