29: The Big Parade

USA  120m  Dir: King Vidor  Key Cast: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée

Original Screenplay (by WW1 Veteran Laurence Stallings)

I've seen The Big Parade described as a First World War epic which immediately made me think it would be boring. But there's a reason that this film is one of the highest grossing films of the silent era, second only to The Birth of a Nation (and even that isn't universally agreed on). 

Jim Apperson (John Gilbert) is the lazy son of a wealthy businessman who is persuaded to enlist in the army by patriotic friends. During training he becomes friends with Slim (Karl Dane) and Bull (Tom O'Brien) and the three men are shipped off to Champillon in France to fight in the war. 

The first hour and twenty minutes of the film are surprisingly jolly for a war film. Jim, Slim and Bull muck around a bit and meet French woman Melisande (Renée Adorée) and are attracted to her, but it's Jim that she falls for and what follows is a rather sweet romantic comedy. The scenario works especially well in a silent film as they don't speak each other's languages so naturally their interaction is more about expression and actions than speech. 

The final forty minutes see the three men find themselves in combat in scenes that are superbly well executed and very realistic for a film made in 1925. The battle sequence influenced many subsequent war films including the excellent All Quiet on the Western Front. I've seen it argued that the film is propaganda and whilst it was made with the help of the US army it didn't feel to me like there was any sense that it was stating that the war was good or even really doing much to encourage people to join the army. 

Jim is likeable on screen but it seems an unnecessary decision to focus on a wealthy man went the story of a working class soldier could have been more compelling. It's also strange that Jim is engaged at the start of the film meaning the love story with Melisande always feels a bit odd because Jim is having an affair. It does just about work by the end of the film but I couldn't really understand why they didn't just have Jim start of as single. 

The Big Parade has a bit of everything. There's quite a bit of comedy and a powerful love story before it concludes with an incredible battle sequence and a semi-tragic ending.