IMDb RATING
7.9/10
7.4K
YOUR RATING
A young American soldier witnesses the horrors of the Great War.A young American soldier witnesses the horrors of the Great War.A young American soldier witnesses the horrors of the Great War.
- Awards
- 6 wins
Renée Adorée
- Melisande
- (as Renee Adoree)
Arthur H. Allen
- Dying German
- (uncredited)
George Beranger
- Patriotic Letter Reader
- (uncredited)
Harry Crocker
- Doughboy
- (uncredited)
Julanne Johnston
- Justine Devereux
- (uncredited)
Kathleen Key
- Miss Apperson
- (uncredited)
Dan Mason
- Second Patriotic Letter Reader
- (uncredited)
Carl 'Major' Roup
- Doughboy
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe famous scene in which Jim (John Gilbert) teaches Melisande (Renée Adorée) to chew gum was improvised on the spot during filming. Director King Vidor observed a crew member chewing gum and later recalled, "Here was my inspiration. French girls didn't chew or understand gum; American doughboys did...Gilbert's efforts to explain would endear him to her and she would kiss him...[It was] one of the best love scenes I ever directed." Gilbert also claimed that he did not expect Adorée to swallow the gum, which proved to be the scene's comic highlight.
- GoofsWhen Jim is getting dressed in the hayloft for his date, Slim jokingly refers to him as "Mr. Hemingway". When the film was being made in 1924-25 Ernest Hemingway was becoming famous, but in the movie's time frame of 1917, he was still unknown.
- Quotes
James Apperson: [to Melisande, who speaks French] French is Greek to me.
- Crazy creditsMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer gratefully acknowledges the splendid co-operation of the Second Division, United States Army and Air Service Units, Kelly Field.
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "LA FOLLA (1928) + LA GRANDE PARATA (1925)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsEdited into Marianne (1929)
Featured review
A young American soldier (John Gilbert) witnesses the horrors of the Great War.
The film was groundbreaking for not glorifying the war or ignoring its human costs, exemplified by the lead character's loss of a leg from battle wounds. It heavily influenced a great many subsequent war films, especially "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930).
What really stands out is the new score from Carl Davis. While the film itself is powerful (and has held up very well over the past century), Davis has made it even more engaging and triumphant with his music. I have not heard the old score and cannot compare, but surely it never had the power it does now.
The film was groundbreaking for not glorifying the war or ignoring its human costs, exemplified by the lead character's loss of a leg from battle wounds. It heavily influenced a great many subsequent war films, especially "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930).
What really stands out is the new score from Carl Davis. While the film itself is powerful (and has held up very well over the past century), Davis has made it even more engaging and triumphant with his music. I have not heard the old score and cannot compare, but surely it never had the power it does now.
- How long is The Big Parade?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- El gran desfile
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $245,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 31 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content