The Big Parade (1925)

Movie: The Big Parade (1925)

“The idle son of a rich businessman joins the army when the U.S.A. enters World War One. He is sent to France, where he becomes friends with two working-class soldiers. He also falls in love with a Frenchwoman, but has to leave her to move to the frontline. Written by Philip Apps {apps@math.wisc.edu}”

• Director: King Vidor

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• Release Date: 1926 (Austria)
• Run Time: 141 min | USA:130 min (re-release) | 126 min (TCM print)
• Country: USA
• Genre: Drama , Romance , War

Tagline: King Vidor's PICTURIZATION of LAURENCE STALLINGS' GREAT STORY

Trivia: The movie was a huge hit. When MGM discovered that a clause in director King Vidor’s contract entitled him to 20% of the net profits, studio lawyers called a meeting with him. At the meeting, MGM accountants played up the costs of the picture while downgrading the studio forecast of its potential success. Vidor was persuaded to sell his stake in the film for a small sum. The film ran for 96 weeks at the Astor Theater and grossed $5 million (approximately $50 million in 2003 dollars) domestically by 1930, making it the most profitable release in MGM history at that point. Said Vidor, “I thus spared myself from becoming a millionaire instead of a struggling young director trying to do something interesting and better with a camera.”

Goofs: Errors in geography: The three future recruits live in New York City (one works construction on a skyscraper, another works a bar in the Bowery), but during the recruitment parade, there are shots of wide avenues lined with low buildings and palm trees - clearly shots of 1920s Los Angeles.