Karl Dane (left) and John Gilbert (center).     Photograph: courtesy Photofest and The San Francisco Silent Film     Festival.

Cast: John Gilbert [James Apperson], Renée Adorée [Melisande], Hobart Bosworth [Mr. Apperson], Claire McDowell [Mrs. Apperson], Claire Adams [Justyn Reed], Robert Ober [Harry Apperson], Tom O’Brien [Michael ‘Bull’ O’Hara], Karl Dane [Slim Jensen], Rosita Marstini [French mother], Major Roup [child extra]

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corporation production; distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation. / Scenario by Harry Behn, from the story “The Big Parade” by Laurence Stallings. Art direction by Cedric Gibbons and James Basevi. Costume design by Ethel P. Chaffin. Cinematography by John Arnold. Intertitles by Joseph W. Farnham. Edited by Hugh Wynn. Original music score by William Axt and David Mendoza. Presented by King Vidor. / © 10 September 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation [LP24384]. Premiered 5 November 1925 at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California. Premiered 19 November 1925 at the Astor Theatre and at the Capitol Theatre in New York, New York. Released [?] November? 1925. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. Technicolor two-strip color process sequences. / Vidor (in Dowd-Vidor p. ?) says the original length of the print for the Egyptian Theatre was 12,800 feet. Variety reported that electrician Carl Barlow suffered a fatal falling from a platform during production. Some location photography was taken in Texas, and in Griffith and Elysian Parks in Los Angeles. The film was rereleased in 1929 with Western Electric Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system synchronized music and sound effects. All of the Vitaphone soundtrack disks for the 1929 rerelease survive.

Drama: World War I.

Survival Status: Print exists [35mm positive].

Keywords: Chewing gum - Color cinematography - Death - France - French - Heroism - Peasants - Soldiers - Transportation: Trucks - War: World War I (28 July 1914-11 November 1918) - Weapons: Guns

Listing updated: 7 July 2009.

References: Film credits, film viewing : Baer-Film p. 24; Bardèche-History pp. 285, 298; Basten-Technicolor p. 169; Bohn-Light pp. xxiii, 92, 116, 162, 190, 241; Brownlow-Parade pp. 74, 287, 322, 341, 515, 533, 575; Card-Seductive p. 52; Carroll-Matinee pp. 141-142; Dardis-Keaton p. 160; Davies-Times pp. 56, 104; Dowd-Vidor pp. 29, 32, 52, 53, 57-74, 75, 77, 82, 85, 91, 96, 111, 129, 132, 142, 147, 150, 150f, 158, 185, 190, 192, 199, 216, 279, 282-283; Drew-Speaking pp. 38, 44, 49, 61, 243; Eames-MGM p. 18; Everson-American pp. 11, 148, 159, 167, 199, 283, 290, 292, 293, 323, 338, 363; Fell-History pp. 111-112; FilmDaily-1926 pp. 31, 35; Geduld-Birth p. 117; Hirschhorn-Universal p. 68; Kerr-Silent pp. 8, 34, 47; Keylin-NYTimes p. 22; Kobal-Fifty p. 30; Lahue-Collecting pp. 27, 39; Lahue-Gentlemen pp. 100, 101; Lahue-Triangle p. 152; Lee-Not pp. 98-99; Leish-Cinema pp. 53, 57; Limbacher-Feature p. 22; Maltin-Guide p. 112; McCaffrey-Guide pp. 18, 19; Parish-Combat pp. 52, 56-59, 152, 442; Sarris-Sternberg p. 10; Shipman-Cinema pp. 86, 89; Sinyard-Silent pp. 8, 68, 69, 187; Sklar-Movie p. 96; Smith-Colman p. 47; Sweeney-Coming p. 98; Vermilye-Twenties pp. 26, 27, 171, 200; Walker-Garbo p. 54; Weaver-Twenty pp. 27, 143; Weinberg-Stroheim p. 138 : Vitaphone-1-4 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.

Home video: Laserdisc, VHS.