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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 673

The Big Parade

1925151 minUnited States
DramaWarRomance
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
149:57
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · King Vidor / Harry Behn / Laurence Stallings · Public domain

Synopsis

An idle young man from a wealthy family joins the American army and finds himself sharing daily life with men from very different backgrounds. In France, friendship and a romance with a local woman briefly make the war seem distant. The move to the front transforms those attachments into the emotional stakes of survival.

Cast

DirectorsKing Vidor

Behind the scenes

Writer Laurence Stallings drew on his experience as a First World War veteran. King Vidor gives extended attention to the soldiers' everyday companionship before showing how combat changes their lives.

Reception and legacy

The film became one of MGM's largest successes of the silent era and strengthened the screen careers of John Gilbert and Renée Adorée. Its popularity continued through extended theatrical engagements.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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