The Big Parade (1925)

The idle son of a rich businessman joins the army when the U.S.A. enters World War One. He is sent to France, where he becomes friends with two working-class soldiers. He also falls in love... See full summary »

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (story), Harry Behn (scenario),

Stars:

John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Gilbert	...	James Apperson
Renée Adorée	...	Melisande (as Renee Adoree)
Hobart Bosworth	...	Mr. Apperson
Claire McDowell	...	Mrs. Apperson
Claire Adams	...	Justyn Reed
Robert Ober	...	Harry
Tom O'Brien	...	Bull
Karl Dane	...	Slim
Rosita Marstini	...	French Mother

Storyline

The idle son of a rich businessman joins the army when the U.S.A. enters World War One. He is sent to France, where he becomes friends with two working-class soldiers. He also falls in love with a Frenchwoman, but has to leave her to move to the frontline.

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | france | lost technicolor scene | infantry | battlefield | 

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Taglines:

King Vidor's PICTURIZATION of LAURENCE STALLINGS' GREAT STORY

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

1926 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Die Parade des Todes

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$245,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 140 min 130 min 128 min (1988 TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent Mono (music and sound effects) (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (with tinted sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', edited by Steven Jay Schneider.

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Goofs

Early in the movie, we see James Apperson announce that he has enlisted. His father, who had been sternly lecturing him moments before, comes up and congratulates him. Suddenly, the father now has a lit cigar in his mouth, with a long ash, indicating he's been smoking it for at least a while. But all the time prior, we saw no sign that the father had a lit cigar anywhere on him or near him.

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Quotes

Bull: [Having - along with Slim - broken into the wine cellar under the farmhouse, where together they imbibe lots of wine] Can you imagine? Some guys was saps enough to join the Navy!

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Crazy Credits

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gratefully acknowledges the splendid co-operation of the Second Division, United States Army and Air Service Units, Kelly Field.

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Connections

Featured in MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)

User Reviews

The Superb John Gilbert

One of the great films of all time. John Gilbert stars as a callow lad from a wealthy family who joins up at the start of World War I. The film follows him through his early days in the army, his days in rural France, and then his time at the front, and finally his return home.

King Vidor directs this amazing film, one of the best war films ever made, with touches of humor and irony, but never losing sight of the horrors and stupidity of war.

John Gilbert would have won the Oscar for 1925 if the awards had started then. He's simply superb as Jack. You watch his eyes as this films goes on. In the beginning his eyes twinkle with glee and delight as he makes friends, finds love, and grows into manhood. Then his eyes change and go dead as he experiences war. This is one of the great silent film performances.

But the film also boasts great work from Renee Adoree as Melisande and Karl Dane as the Swede. Co-stars are Tom O'Brien as Bull, Hobart Bosworth and Claire McDowell as the parents.

The TCM copy I have has a incredible score by Carl Davis. There is one scene when Gilbert is off to the front and he can't find Adoree. The music is a discordant mishmash of previously heard tunes, and the music grows louder and louder until they find each other. The scene that follows is heartbreaking and unforgettable.

But this film is full of great scenes, including the one where Gilbert teaches Adoree to chew gum. So simple yet so charming. Then there's the shower scene where Gilbert has gotten a wine barrel (hilarious) so the guys can have a shower.

There is a great title card that reads simple: IT HAD BEGUN..... So few words and yet so full of meaning. The battle images are among the best and bring the full horror of war home. Vidor assembles amazing scenes of men marching in line to death, of men trapped in shell holes, of planes swooping over the bombed-out fields. This is an incredible movie.

TCM host Robert Osborne mentions that THE BIG PARADE played for an astounding 95 consecutive weeks in New York and that it rivalled THE BIRTH OF A NATION and GONE WITH THE WIND as the biggest money-making film of all time. This is the film that, along with THE MERRY WIDOW, made John Gilbert the king of Hollywood in 1925. And his crown was well deserved; he is magnificent.