The Big Parade

This is one of the best silent movies ever made, and probably the best WWI movie ever made, silent or sound. It's one of the greatest movies I have seen to show how war can turn one man's world upside down, yet not necessarily in a completely negative way as have other films. The direction is superb. The acting is wonderful. In particular, Renee Adoree's character is adorable as the French heroine. In one of the movie's most romantic scenes (and a much parodied one), Renee's character anxiously finds Gilbert, who is in the process of moving on to battle. When they unite, the two almost can't be seperated, even as the cars are moving. It's one of the most emotional scenes ever.

Then there are the battle scenes, which are stellar. The character development is wonderful, as lazy, rich boy Jim joins the war only to please his friends and fiancee. Then, he finds out what war is all about, as well as true love. "Slim" makes a nice comedic supporting character, who again is finally seen in a different light in the face of battle.

One thing I should note, is that the version of this film I saw is the one scored by Carl Davis. I also heard his score for "the Lodger" and thought it was distracting if anything. But this score is an example of the perfect silent score. It actually shows the maximum "potential" of the film. It's always appropriate, is molded to every scene, takes advantage of a modern orchestra while still preserving several stylistic nuances of older films. Kudos to Mr. Davis for a fine score.

Finally, why wasn't there room for this on AFI's 100 list? It's certainly better than "the Jazz Singer" or "Easy Rider", and probably a ton of others on the list. Part of the problem, I realize is that so few people have seen this. There's only about 150 votes so far on this site. This masterpiece should be seen at least once by any serious film lover. A perfect 10!

THE BIG PARADE (1925) is set in the United States in 1917. It tells the story of Jim Apperson (John Gilbert), an idle young rich man who enlists to fight in World War I. He finds friendship and love during his time in France, but is soon plunged into the chaos and horror of war. Directed by King Vidor.

SCRIPT: THE BIG PARADE is often acclaimed as the first Hollywood movie to realistically portray war. This is very accurate. The lead character, Jim, is reluctant to enlist but does so due to peer pressure and finding himself caught up in the patriotic fervor of the moment. Along the way, his character is changed forever by what he experiences. On my first viewing, I did feel that it took a while to get to the war…but the first hour of the movie really lays the groundwork for the great changes to come. Jim finds friendship and romance along the way, and we get to see him bond with the characters (even though he did seem to rather conveniently and inexplicably forget about his fiancée back home – that part could have been handled better IMHO.) The movie shows abundant humor, warmth, and humanity. This causes the shift to the war to have more dramatic impact. THE BIG PARADE does not glamorize war, but shows it for what it really is – a brutal and senseless waste of life. However, even then it has time for humor, and shows realistic character development. We see the toll the war takes on Jim, but the film does end on a hopeful note. SCORE: 9/10

ACTING: John Gilbert became a star after this movie, and it's easy to see why. His performance still holds up very well today – understated, realistic, and yet very charismatic. He displays a great emotional range that never seems exaggerated. Renee Adoree contributes a moving performance as his love Melisande – she conveys the character's strong will, and the depth of her love for Jim as he is taken away is very evident in this pivotal scene. The rapport between her and Gilbert is very good. Tom O'Brien contributes good support as Jim's buddy Bull. I wasn't a big fan of Karl Dane's performance as the tobacco-chewing hayseed Slim; it seemed a little broad to me, but just a little, not nearly as overdone as, say, the characters in DW Griffith's WAY DOWN EAST. Karl Dane gets to display more depth and determination during the war scenes. Claire McDowell is excellent as Jim's mother, and the relationship between her and Gilbert is moving and believable. Quite well done overall. SCORE: 9/10

CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION: King Vidor showed his considerable directorial talent with this film. The cinematography and editing are nothing less than first rate. There are quite a few powerful sequences here – Melisande pursuing Jim as he is taken to the front; the soldiers' doomed march into the forest, with tracking shots and polished editing; the climactic battle at night…Vidor shows a great command of his use of light and shadow during the battle scene. You really do feel the impact of the battle. The editing is smoothly done throughout, and this movie helped set the standard for war movies to follow. SCORE: 10/10

SUMMARY: THE BIG PARADE is a pivotal moment in cinema, for daring to show the reality of war, rather than an idealized or propagandistic point of view. It has warmth, humor, and camaraderie, as well as a realistic viewpoint of war's horror and senselessness. The performances, cinematography, and production are first rate. Though there are minor flaws, the movie as a whole stands as a masterpiece. SCORE: 9/10

I could try and pick apart some things with King Vidor's The Big Parade - the fact that the resolution is a little hackneyed (not a little, actually, more than a lot being a "classic Hollywood Ending" as you'd hear in the cliché terms), or that the romance that blossoms between the American nice guy Jim (John Gilbert) and the French farm girl Melisande (Renee Adore) is all predicated on the fact that they both find each other charming visa-vi not knowing the other's language at all. Some of these things keep it from being in the 'All Time Super-Great Silent Films', and yet when it's wonderful and moving and spectacular and brutal it's all of those things times a hundred. It's both a tender romance and a earth-shattering and horrible story of World War 1 (were there any others that were compelling, I mean that as a compliment by the way, not the 'bad' horrible in terms of quality of the art).

Vidor knew how to get in Big Parade not even so much the greatness in the full scope of the story - if you're looking close enough there's some problems - but in all of the little moments and things that you remember, which are all done with truth to whatever the main feeling is, and it's shot and communicated in a way that's sophisticated for the time. Hours after seeing the movie (and I'm sure this will also be days and weeks later) I'll remember how Jim sort of first piques Melisande's attention by being stuck inside of a giant barrel and walking around in the mud unsure where to go; or when the cake that's sent to Jim is split by him in three parts, the others going to his new friends Slim and Bull and he getting the smallest piece (both of them from other, working class backgrounds, unlike Jim who is more upper-middle class, so to speak, meant to bridge the gap and show war makes everyone equal in the eyes of combat); that moment when the guys are walking in the woods and people behind them just start falling down, one by one, via sniper fire before the bigger strike happens; when Jim and Melisande use the little translation book to try and express their feelings of love and happiness to one another, which is charming in an unironic way.

So many scenes and things are choreographed to such a fine point that I want to love the movie even more than I do: there's a sequence where you get Jim and all the other soldiers, who have been sort of hanging out in this French village without any combat, called in to head to the frontlines finally, and as Melisande tries so desperately to find her love (as he is too), and that moment where they connect and can barely let go, that couldn't be done today. I'm sure most directors would look at a sequence such as that, which goes on for about 6 or 7 minutes (and this includes when the two lovers finally connect and can barely be pulled apart as she chases after his military truck driving away) that seems so earnest that it might look corny. You have to commit to that level of high emotional resonance, but Vidor does and the actors do, and if you happen to be watching the version with Carl Davis's musical score, which verges on the sentimental and even brings up military march music at times, you can't help but go for it 100%.

The Big Parade is a long movie, but not really too long, and when it flows from setting up our primary characters and then moves into the war scenarios it's natural and compelling. And there's some great conflict for Jim with his romance due to the lady-back-at-home (which is part of why later on the final five minutes is just OK instead of great, though not without some impactful images and grandeur). And all in all, Vidor and MGM succeed at making a war movie that is not exciting in such a way that it makes war look glorious. On the contrary this seems more like the first part of a double bill with All Quiet on the Western Front (I'd be curious if that ever actually happened in a theater), and by having us spend a lot of time with Jim and his friends, the latter of which get into some shenanigans and do some tomfoolery and all that which is genuinely funny (i.e. a scene in a wine cellar and a frustrated mail scene are the highlights), it makes what they go through all the richer and experience.

It's a kind of pure story of heaven and hell found in humanity, and if anything its imperfections make it more endearing than many other films slick surfaces.

A fine silent classic that has held up very well, "The Big Parade" is one of the very best films of its era and of its genre. It has a nice blend of drama, action, and lighter moments, with plenty of good photography and settings. The characters are simple, believable, and unpretentious, and they are brought to life well by the cast. Its commentary on the war is to the point, yet in a thoughtful way, without the heavy-handed cinematic ranting that mars so many films about war.

The early scenes work very well in introducing some of the characters and themes. Its portrayal of the USA's entry into the war is intelligently done, while holding nothing back in its perspective. By not assigning blame or responsibility to any specific persons or countries, it enhances its portrayal of the kind of mentality that so often prevails in such situations. It is a believable, and sometimes subtle, sequence that works quite well.

Once the movie gets into the main story, it uses the "parade" imagery well, and combines it effectively with the personal development of the characters.

John Gilbert and Renée Adorée work quite well together, and Gilbert's army pals are both used effectively. There are quite a few memorable scenes as it depicts a full variety of wartime experiences. The lighter sequences are used particularly well, not as raucous humor but as moments of the more sensitive side of human nature that is still there somewhere amidst all of the turmoil.

There's much more that could be said about such an absorbing film, but watching the movie is more rewarding than reading about it. It's neither an action-heavy war film nor a superficial, easily understood movie contrived to prove a particular point; it's something much better that fully repays careful attention and appreciation.

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.