The Big Parade

The Big Parade (1925)

Runtime: 151 minutes

Directed by: King Vidor/George W. Hill

Starring: John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Robert Ober, Tom O'Brien, Karl Dane

From: MGM

The past few days I've seen some real old things. The last time, I mentioned 1932's Jewel Robbery. There was a Keystone Cops short I saw (1915's Love, Speed & Thrills) which was only OK but at least I finally saw the originators of a phrase still used today) and Monday night was this famous silent: 

“Justyn” as a name for a girl seems like a millennial trend, not something from a century ago.

Last night I saw another film from Turner Classic Movies, ran as part of their annual block of war pictures for Memorial Day. World War I was the theme of this storied movie and as I've enjoyed the pictures about that topic I've seen in the past (including They Shall Not Grow Old) so checking out a famed silent seemed like the right thing to do.

This does show the horror of wars and how harrowing trench warfare was but this wasn't as bleak as similar movies like All Quiet on the Western Front or its German equivalent, Westfront 1918. Several Average Joes excitedly enroll in the military when the United States enters The Great War, only to realize it isn't quite so glamorous (to the point that they have to find a barrel to attempt and make a crude version of a shower)... but the focus is on the relationship that develops between James and a French dame named Melisande-this is despite James being engaged to a girl oddly named Justyn. It's a cute relationship as they bond over such things as her being introduced to chewing gum. The first half of the movie is amusing as multiple guys want Melisande... including Slim. This actor just looked like a yokel named Slim... a tall gangly dude who always had a giant wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth.

It isn't until the last hour that you see any battles, but that is fine as I cared about the characters by then due to all the time spent w/ them; you feel bad when the lovers have to split as his troop is finally called to combat and they are devastated at this separation. The action is effective; it shows the chaos of war and it is easy to see why the main players would get frazzled then defy orders when one of their buddies is out there alone, feared injured.

This silent is still beloved now and at the time was a gigantic hit; it's not hard for me to see why. The love between the budding couple was captured perfectly. They were able to start a romance despite the language barrier and the movie shows this with gestures and not using many intertitles during those scenes. Said intertitles were effective in other moments, sarcastically explaining how tedious or numbing it was waiting for war. This is a melodrama, done very well-the viewer goes through many emotions as the movie ranges from lighthearted to intense. Those that also enjoy motion pictures about The Great War should seek this out, a more humanistic approach to what soldiers went through but still one w/ intense combat scenes and an effective portrayal of how horrific it must be to engage in battle.