The Big Parade (1925)

When WWI breaks out, the frivolous son (John Gilbert) of a millionaire (Hobart Bosworth) joins the Army on a whim. Sent to France, he bonds with two fellow soldiers, a construction worker (Karl Dane) and a bartender (Tom O'Brien). At the village where he is billeted, he falls in love with a young French farm girl (Renee Adoree) but is soon called away to the front and the horrors of war. This is a great film! The director King Vidor takes his time with the exposition and the first half of the film is amusing and charming as we get to know the characters. The second half which concentrates on the war is stunning and potent. The scenes of the soldiers marching through the woods filled with snipers is brimming with tension and the battle scenes are impeccable. Vidor doesn't glorify war but he does give equal time to the courage as well as the damage that accompanies war. I saw the version with the superb Carl Davis score which was especially composed for its British Thames silents project done in the 1980s. I'm not a fan of war films in general but this one can't afford to be missed. I much prefer it to the similar but overrated ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.