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18 out of 19 people found the following review useful: One of the Finest Movies of Its Own or Any Other Era, 18 October 2004 Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio
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.
20 out of 24 people found the following review useful: The Superb John Gilbert, 3 November 2007 Author: drednm
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.
16 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Just magnificent silent film, 12 July 2004 Author: M-G-M
The Big Parade is one of those films that left profound impact on me after single viewing. This focus on John Gilbert's character, Jim, whose experienced a major changes in his life, which has dire consquences and good results. It is easy why John Gilbert became superstar after this film because he's terrific actor, whose can commanded such a expression with his face. It is very seldom to see the actor like that one. Karl Dane did great job by providing comedy relief as Slim. Tom O'Brien did really fantastic job as Bull, a bartender, who keep in balance with John Gilbert.I cannot think of single film that is perfect translated in 3 acts and The Big Parade is great example of that one. The 3 acts in The Big Parade represented significant changes in Gilbert's life. Some may disliked comedy relief but that was intend for making us caring more for the characters, which works for me. Many films are lucky to have one great sequence. The Big Parade are being linked by series of magnificent sequences, which is rarity. Renee Adoree did great job by portraying Melisande, the French girl who had fell in love with Gilbert. Look for that moment between them when Gilbert had to leave for mission. Such a heartbreaking moment in cinema history. I was very sad at that moment. Gilbert, had Academy Awards existed, would have probably won an Academy Award for best actor because it's one of the great performance I've ever seen. King Vidor did really great job directing this outstanding film. It is very seldom that silent cinema can move me as much as sounds does. I hope I can watch it again in future because it's truly fantastic film in its own rights. ****/****
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Classic silent film, 4 June 2004 Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States
Movie takes place during WWI in 1917. Jim Apperson (John Gilbert) is an idle son of a rich man. He enlists in the Army when WWI begins leaving behind a loving girlfriend. He becomes buddies with Slim (Karl Dane) and Bull (Tom O'Brien). They go to France where he falls in love with Melisande (Renee Adoree). But then he has to go off to combat. Will he survive and come back to her? And how about his girlfriend back home?The plot is somewhat predictable (I knew how it was going to end halfway through) but this is still a GREAT film! The first half deals with Jim, Slim and Bull in a small town in France where they meet Melisande. It's chock full of some very unfunny humor and juvenile antics between the soldiers--but the romance between Jim and Melisande really works. There's some truly beautiful moments with them--especially a nighttime scene by a lake. And the sequence where he says goodbye to her is truly touching.The second half deals with Jim and his buddies in combat. The war footage is strong and (for 1925) pretty graphic. It shows the pain and agony of war quite graphically--but Gilbert's little speech in the foxhole is a bit much (and Gilbert overdoes it). It all does lead up to a happy ending which I liked...but didn't buy for a minute.This is all helped along by a beautiful music score done in 1988. It really helps the move tremendously. The direction by King Vidor was astonishing--the battle sequences are exciting (and harrowing) and the romantic scenes work equally well. Gilbert is pretty good in the lead--it's easy to see why he was such a big star. Adoree is just gorgeous and makes a very beautiful heroine. Dane is just VERY annoying as Slim. He overacts constantly and he's the (un)funny comic relief--but he does turn noble at the end. O'Brien is pretty good also.This was a HUGE hit in its day...but is completely forgotten today. That's too bad--it's truly a great film. A must see!
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: A Blockbuster Classic from the Silent Era, 10 June 2003 Author: gbheron from Washington, DC
King Vidor's "The Big Parade" is the biggest blockbuster from the silent era, and, I am told, the movie gold standard to which all others were compared well into the 1930s. ("The Big Parade" was released in 1925).The story focuses on three American doughboys, fighting in Europe during WWI. Two are working class; a tobacco spitting riveter, Slim, a barkeep, Bull, and a ne'er-do-well son of wealth, Jim, who was shamed into enlisting by his family. These three go through the hardships of military training together, bond, and become fast friends. Their friendships deepen after they are shipped to France where Jim falls in love with a French farm girl. This comprises the first half of the 2 ½ hour movie. The second half of the movie is the gritty reality of trench warfare. Some say that this is one of the first big-budget anti-war movies. I don't quite agree. The movie shows the human cost of war without condemning it outright. Remember that WWI was 'the war to end all wars', and in 1925 this was still a possibility. But "The Big Parade" does take an unflinching look at the affect of war on both combatants and non-combatants.The performances and direction are excellent and silent or not, this is a movie well worth seeing.
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: An amazing view on love and war, 11 June 1999 Author: Strombol
Not only are the battle scenes exciting and dramatic, maybe even harrowing, but the scenes back home are just as memorable. John Gilbert and Renee Adoree make a wonderful couple. There's a lengthy scene where they are flirting and getting to know each other and two romantic leads never radiated more charm than these two. When Gilbert is sent off to war I was sorry to see the two split apart. Those early scenes give everything else in the movie a special meaning and it's a rare movie where I genuinely cared about the characters as if they were real people! **** out of ****
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Outstanding Silent Film, 18 September 2001 Author: David Lane from Winston-Salem, NC
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!
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: The Big Parade (1925) - U.K. VHS review, 13 June 2004 Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
To conclude my Silent-film cycle, I watched King Vidor's celebrated war drama THE BIG PARADE, made by MGM in 1925.The film was conceived on a grand scale and, in fact, can be divided into three sections: the first in which our hero, idle rich-kid John Gilbert, enlists for WWI, leaving his family and childhood sweetheart behind; then we follow his battalion as it is mobilised in France; finally, we get to the battlefield and Gilbert's return home.The opening sequences set the tone for the rest of the film: we are introduced to the main characters, emphasising especially their place in society as we can then see how this will affect them later on; Vidor here shows us the intoxicating appeal of military life and the pride in serving one's country, only to have it shattered during the film's tragic third act.The middle section is the longest in the film: here we see Gilbert going through all sorts of scrapes with his best buddies (Karl Dane and Tom O'Brien), while also finding time for romance in the shape of lovely French-girl Renee' Adoree'. The comic relief is, perhaps, laid on a bit too thick at this distance, but this was probably the director's intention because, in this way, we would have grown to care for them (as simple human beings) - and watching them die or get hurt on the battlefield would pack that much more of a punch!When we finally get to the action, the film delivers on all fronts (despite the obvious lack of sound effects) - though the emphasis remains fixed squarely on the protagonist in a kind of intimate suspense, instead of going out of its way to present us elaborately-staged combat sequences. Gilbert ends up losing a leg, while both Dane and O'Brien are killed in action. When Gilbert returns home, he is greeted as a hero, but he now feels estranged to the world he once knew; his old girlfriend, meanwhile, has conveniently fallen in love with his workaholic brother, and so he leaves once again for France and the welcoming arms of Renee' Adoree'.THE BIG PARADE features a number of memorable sequences:· Gilbert teaching Adoree how to chew gum, which she immediately swallows;· Gilbert and his buddies sharing an over-baked cake;· Adoree's emotional farewell to Gilbert before he leaves for the battlefield - their tender embrace broken up, she hangs desperately to his leg and then to the truck carrying him away, after which he throws her several of his personal belongings as a keepsake, including one of his boots!;· Gilbert's battalion massacred while marching through sniper-infested woods;· Gilbert, finally catching up with the enemy soldier who killed his best friends, discovers him to be a mere youth who lies dying - frightened and alone - and is unable to extract revenge: the boy motions him for a cigarette and Gilbert gives him the only one he has left; when the former dies in his arms, Gilbert pushes his face away in disgust - a clear gesture by the director at the futility of war, emphasising its cruel and debasing nature.The film made a big star of John Gilbert and it's easy to see why. His character undergoes a complete change throughout the film - from freewheeling to patriotic, from romantic to courageous, from despair and cynicism to a new-found hope - and he carries the part with great aplomb; it's one of the best-remembered performances in all of Silent cinema.King Vidor had a distinguished and versatile career; though he retired relatively early in 1959 at the age of 65, he didn't die until 1982. He was a veritable pioneer, as much in his craft as a film-maker as in his pursuit of socially-conscious themes and the preservation of the American heritage. Other notable films of his include THE CROWD (1928), SHOW PEOPLE (1928), HALLELUJAH! (1929), BILLY THE KID (1930), STREET SCENE (1931), THE CHAMP (1931), OUR DAILY BREAD (1934), STELLA DALLAS (1937), THE CITADEL (1938), NORTHWEST PASSAGE (1940), AN American ROMANCE (1944), DUEL IN THE SUN (1946), THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949), WAR AND PEACE (1956) and SOLOMON AND SHEBA (1959).In the end, THE BIG PARADE is one of a handful of genuinely great anti-war movies - Lewis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), Jean Renoir's LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937) and Stanley Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY (1957), among others - that set themselves out from the norm, and with which all others in this popular and extensive genre are measured.I have several war films in my collection (and have watched many more), and I've long held a desire to select some choice titles to comprise a comprehensive and eclectic cycle. Watching THE BIG PARADE has reawakened this idea, and I may compile just such a list somewhere along the line. Which are your personal favorites?
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: The Granddaddy of World War Dramas, 24 May 2002 Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
"The Big Parade" (MGM, 1925), directed by King Vidor, is a super production set during the Great War focusing on three strangers of different backgrounds who become friends after being called to the war, with one being the central front focus of the story.The plot begins in the spring of 1917 in which the three aforementioned characters are introduced: "Slim" Jensen (Karl Dane), a construction worker of skyscrapers in the big city whose habit is chewing and spitting out tobacco; "Bull" O'Hara (Tom O'Brien), a bartender; and Jim Apperson (John Gilbert), a shiftless young man denounced by his hard-working aristocratic father (Hobart Bosworth), and pampered by his mother (Claire McDowall). Jim is also loved by Justyn Reed (Claire Adams). When war is declared, Jim enlists, must to the pleasure of his father, who feels that by doing this, he would amount to something, but to the displeasure of his mother who still pictures her grown son as "a little boy.". After being sent overseas, Jim becomes friends with Slim and Bull as they go through basic training. While in France, Jim encounters Melisande (Renee Adoree), a French peasant girl, who watches him and his friends bathing themselves in the great outdoors, much to their embarrassment. After Jim teaches Melisande some American customs, such as the art of chewing gum, their friendship turns to love. Their romance is cut short when Jim and his troops receive orders to report to the front. While at the battlefield, Jim witnesses first-hand the horrors of war, finding that war is murderous hell and not an adventure he had expected, thus, practically overnight, becomes a changed person.While "The Big Parade" could have easily been just another cliché' war drama, it has become a sincerely written drama with superbly staged battle scenes. Up to this time, John Gilbert, who had been in films for almost a decade without making much of an impression, gives an about-face performance for what is considered by many a prime John Gilbert performance. Minus his famous mustache, the story includes many memorable moments. Aside from the aforementioned gum chewing sequence between Gilbert and Adoree, there is another, usually shown as a film clip segment in any documentary on classic movies, in which Gilbert's Jim and his troops leave for the front with Melisande hanging desperately to the truck that carries him away. After she lets go, Jim throws her a souvenir to remember him by, his shoe. She takes the shoe and clutches it to close her heart as she kneels to the ground. A scene such as this definitely wouldn't work today. In fact, it would stir up roars of laughter, but in 1925, this must have been both powerful and moving. But the big highlight here is the battle scenes, along with tense moments in which the camera focuses and follows individual soldiers marching slowly through the forest thick with enemy snipers, with some getting shot down one by one. After both Slim and Bull are killed in action, Jim's life is spared. Wounded, he awakens in the hospital only to find that his left leg has been amputated. What's interesting about the sequence is finding Jim in the hospital bed with insects or flies crawling about his face. Talk about realistic touches to a scene. The homecoming where Mrs. Appleton looks at her son's missing leg is also memorable. See how director Vidor handles this scene without making it appear corny.At first glance, many would find "The Big Parade" a trifle slow, especially during its plot development in the first half of the story. But after an hour or so, when a viewer becomes acquainted with the central characters followed by "war is hell" theme, then the story gets moving. Had "The Big Parade" been released the same year as Paramount's super production of "Wings" (1927), possibly "The Big Parade" might have been honored the statuette instead of the latter. However, it is "The Big Parade" that started a whole new cycle of war movies to come during the late 1920s. War stories would be given a whole new light once more during the World War II years of the 1940s, but interestingly, as popular as "The Big Parade" has become, it has never been remade."The Big Parade" was the first in a series of silent MGM features introduced to public television's August 1973 presentation of MOVIES, GREAT MOVIES, hosted by Richard Schickel for WNET, Channel 13, in New York City, and a fine movie introduction to the almost forgotten John Gilbert in the movie that made him an overnight sensation. Also that same year was another series, "The Men Who Made the Movies" in which one of the episodes was an hour segment dedicated to director King Vidor and the making of his movies, especially "The Big Parade." One interesting note is that the interviewed Vidor said "The Big Parade" was so successful that it was still playing in first run theaters one year after it's initial premiere. Vidor's other viewpoint is his win over the studio bosses in presenting Gilbert's character returning home with an amputated leg in the latter part of the story. He got that scene in by filming it late at night."The Big Parade" is currently available for viewing on both video cassette and on cable's TV's Turner Classic Movies, each with a Thames orchestral score conducted by Carl Davis (not the score used for the 1973 TV showing of MOVIES, GREAT MOVIES). The only difference between the two versions is that the video copy is about ten minutes longer (135 minutes) than the TCM presentation (126 minutes), the shorter print possibly being a reissue print. Regardless, "The Big Parade" should go on record as the "granddaddy" of all world war dramas. (****)
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A great silent classic, 16 November 1999 Author: Marcelo Rennó Cunha de Magalhães Castro (marcelore from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Even though I have already heard a great deal about this film, I was surprised to see the strength of the movie. It holds up very well, and it´s not very dated, except for some short comic scenes where John Gilbert is with his friends.There are several great and memorable moments, especially the one in which Gilbert and Reneé Adoreé are separated and the end of the movie, which is still very powerfull. An almost perfect film.
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