Memorial Day Weekend is here in the US. While many will celebrate with barbecues or going to see the latest blockbuster movie to celebrate the unofficial start of summer, we should not forget what Memorial Day represents: honoring the military men and women who have died in service to our country.
The movies have certainly contributed to that, depicting the bravery and sacrifices of soldiers in titles like Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge and Best Picture winners like The Best Years of Our Lives and Platoon. But there's another movie that is available to watch for free this weekend that many of you may not have heard of but is widely seen as the first great war movie: 1925's The Big Parade.
Directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert as a young American soldier who experiences the horrors of World War One, The Big Parade is available to stream on Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming service that is easily available through smart TVs or online.
As many of you may have guessed with the 1925 date, yes, The Big Parade is a silent, black-and-white movie. But those are not negatives to the movie, rather they are defining features. Even with those "limitations" (as they may be viewed by many today), The Big Parade is an astounding movie that will thrill you with its battle sequences and grasp you in its poignant love story.
What King Vidor was able to accomplish in recreating World War One battles with 1925 technology is absolutely incredible. In fact, because the movie is silent, he was able to do more with the camera to portray war than the Best Picture-winning All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), as the camera became a bit more restricted in the early days of sound pictures.
Similarly enrapturing is the love story between Gilbert's James and Melisande (Renée Adorée), a young French woman he meets before heading to the front. The scene where James must leave Melisande to go off to war is one of the most emotional scenes between lovers forced apart that I can think of.
But The Big Parade is more than a spectacle. Through the eyes of Gilbert's James, the movie looks at the horrors and cost of war, a key thing to remember as we honor those who served this Memorial Day.
As far as the legacy of The Big Parade, it was the highest-grossing silent movie in MGM history and, while the Oscars were not around at the time, it was named the best film of 1925 by Photoplay Magazine. It is also a part of the Library of Congress' National Film Registry for preservation.
There are plenty of options for things to watch this weekend in recognition of Memorial Day, including a military-themed movie marathon on TCM, a Band of Brothers marathon on AMC and a special about the classic TV comedy M*A*S*H on Fox. But if you add The Big Parade to your watchlist this weekend, I'm confident you won't be disappointed.
