In this week's hand, two pairs: dramas and comedies—music for four films in five days

Original poster art for 'The Big Parade' (1925).

I've caught my breath after October's marathon of Halloween screenings, and just in time.

Why? Because this week the calendar comes back to life (sounds like Halloween all over again) with two big dramas for Veterans Day, then a pair of comedy programs on the weekend.

Finally—laughter!

First up is MGM's sprawling WWI drama 'The Big Parade' (1925), which steps off at 6:30 p.m. sharp on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

The screening is in honor of Veterans Day, and there's a lot more info in the press release I've added to the bottom of this post. 

On Veterans Day itself (Thursday, Nov. 11), it's another biggie: 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' (1921), starring Rudolf Valentino. 

The large supporting cast includes Alan Hale Sr., father of Alan Hale, Jr., who would go on to play the Skipper in "Gilligan's Island." (Hey, we all have our cultural reference points.)

Showtime for 'Horsemen' is 7 p.m. at the Showroom, a new venue opened during the pandemic by the Colonial Theater in Keene, N.H. See more info by clicking "Upcoming Silent Film Screenings" at the top right hand corner of this page. 

And then we turn the page to comedy. Saturday, Nov. 13 finds Buster Keaton attending 'College' (1927) in Brandon, Vt., while Sunday, Nov. 14 finds Harold Lloyd in 'Hot Water' (1924) in Wilton, N.H.

More details about those screenings once we get past Veterans Day.

For now, here's the press release about 'The Big Parade' (1925) on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth. Hope to see you there!

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Renée Adorée and John Gilbert communicate without words in 'The Big Parade' (1925).

TUESDAY, NOV. 2, 2021 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis at (603) 236-9237 • e-mail jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Epic WWI drama 'The Big Parade' to be screened on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Flying Monkey

To be shown with live music in honor of Veterans Day; blockbuster silent film changed the way Hollywood depicted war on the screen

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — It was the 'Saving Private Ryan' of its time — a movie that showed audiences war as experienced by a front line soldier whose life is changed forever by the experience

It was 'The Big Parade' (1925), a sprawling World War I epic and a box office sensation that made MGM into a powerhouse studio. It's the latest installment of the silent film series at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

'The Big Parade' will be screened one time only on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. General admission is $10.

The show will feature live accompaniment by silent film musician Jeff Rapsis.

'The Big Parade,' released just a few years after World War I ended, was hailed by critics as the first Hollywood film to depict the harsh reality of combat and its impact on troops. Its battle scenes were staged on a massive scale and still retain their ability to shock audiences.

The picture, based on the best-selling novel "What Price Glory?", follows the story of a young man (John Gilbert) who rebels against his privileged background by enlisting in the army just before the U.S. enters World War I.

He is shipped out to France, where he falls in love with a local French woman before being transferred to the front. There, he and his squadmates face the German war machine, where they must endure the ultimate tests of duty and honor in a battle they come to see as meaningless.

A scene from 'The Big Parade' (1925).

In addition to vivid war scenes, the film contains a famous dramatic sequence in which the French woman (Renée Adorée) realizes her love for the soldier, and tries to find him to say goodbye as the massive convoy of troops pulls out for the front. Another celebrated sequence depicts the light-hearted first meeting of the soldier and the girl, in which he teaches her how to chew gum.

'The Big Parade' went on to become the top-grossing movie of the entire silent film era, earning $6.4 million domestically and making director King Vidor into the Steven Spielberg of his day. It stood as MGM's biggest single box office hit until the release of 'Gone With the Wind' in 1939.

"We felt screening 'The Big Parade' was a suitable way to mark Veterans Day," said Flying Monkey manager Brooks Bartlett. "World War I is now part of history, but this picture is from a time when it was foremost in people's minds. What was then called 'The Great War' was the 9/11 of its day, and this film captures that intensity and allows us to experience it today."

Rapsis will improvise a musical score to the film in real time. In creating accompaniment for the 'The Big Parade' and other vintage classics, Rapsis tries to bridge the gap between silent film and modern audiences.

"Live music adds an element of energy to a silent film screening that's really crucial to the experience," Rapsis said. " 'The Big Parade' is filled with great scenes that lend themselves well to music. It's a real privilege to create a score to help this great picture come back to life," Rapsis said.

MGM's silent blockbuster ‘The Big Parade’ will be shown with live music on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Admission to the screening is $10, general admission seating. For more info, call (603) 536-2551 or visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Marking a century since the Armistice with shows in San Francisco, Boston, and more

'Barbed Wire' (1927), a World War I drama starring Pola Negri, to be screened at the Manchester (N.H.) Historic Association on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

And now for today's almanac: It's Thursday, Nov. 1. Halloween is over, and a new month beckons.

And this November is a little different because it contains a major milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

Yes—it was on Nov. 11, 1918 that the horrific fighting in Europe and elsewhere came to a halt. And here we are, headed to Nov. 11, 2018, just a few days away.

Over the years, Armistice Day morphed into Veterans Day—still observed each Nov. 11, but not specifically in honor of those who served in World War I.

Now, a century after the guns went silent, there's no one among us who was actually there. It's become history.

But not quite.

Because World War I was the 9/11 of its day, it's no surprise that films throughout the 1920s used the conflict as a setting for stories of all types.

In fact, some of the biggest hits of the silent era were movies set during what was then called "the Great War."

John Gilbert (center) with his buddies in a foxhole in 'The Big Parade' (1925).

So although there's no direct human connection anymore, we can get a sense of the experience through the films that have come down to us.

And I'm pleased to report that I'll be doing live music this month for the screening of several World War I pictures—some classics, some not so well-known.

But each of them is a record of how World War I shaped a generation, and also cast a shadow over the remainder of the 20th century and beyond.

I hope you'll join me for some of these screenings. And I hope they allow us to reflect on events that may have come before all of us, but which helped shape us and the world we live in.

Here's a quick run-down of World War I films I'm doing this month. Updates and more info will come as each screening draws near.

• Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, 7:30 p.m. "The Cradle of Courage" (1920) starring William S. Hart; the Edison Theatre at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, 37417 Niles Boulevard, Niles, Calif. Former crook 'Square' Kelly (William S. Hart) serves in the First World War. When he returns from the war, one of his comrades-in-arms convinces him to join the police force. But Kelly finds himself confronting the very criminals who made up his old gang. Also: newsreel battle footage from World War I. Wonderful vintage Edison theater from 1913 now fully restored; shows silent films with live music every week. Suggested admission $5 per person for members, $7 for "not yet members."

• Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, 7 p.m.: "Wings" (1927) starring Clara Bow, Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen; in the Stonyfield Theatre at Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. In honor of Veterans Day as well as the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of Nov. 11, 1918 that ended World War I. Sweeping drama about fighter pilots in World War I; one of the great achievements of the silent cinema, winner of "Best Picture" at the first-ever Academy Awards. Compelling story, great performances, battle scenes filmed on an immense scale, and in-air aviation sequences that remain thrilling even today. With a young Gary Cooper playing a key role. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $12 per person.

• Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, 2 p.m.: "The Big Parade" (1925), directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert and Renee Adoree; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. Special Veterans Day screening on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the fighting of World War I. Sweeping saga about U.S. doughboys signing up and shipping off to France in 1917, where they face experiences that will change their lives forever—if they return. Print from the Library of Congress. The real deal! Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music.Join us for 'Silents, Please!' at the Somerville Theatre, a 100-year-old moviehouse committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film on the big screen. Featuring outstandingly exacting work of legendary projectionist David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.

• Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, 4:30 p.m.: "Charlie Chaplin Short Comedies" starring Charlie Chaplin; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Chaplin's fame as a filmmaker rests largely on his great feature-length films. But what about the short comedies that first rocketed him to fame? See for yourself what first made the Little Tramp a world-renowned icon as we run a family-friendly selection of his best short comedies. highlighted by Chaplin's World War I comedy 'Shoulder Arms' (1918). Monthly series of silent films with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.

• Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, 7 p.m.: "Barbed Wire" (1927) starring Pola Negri, Clive Brook. During World War I, the French government commandeers a family farm for use as a camp for German POWs, setting the local population at each other. Intense drama about forbidden love and the human condition with a special holiday twist. Silent film with live music at the Manchester (N.H.) Historic Association's Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St., Manchester, N.H. Programmed in conjunction with current exhibit "Manchester and the Great War." Cost is $10 for MHA Members, $12 for general guests and includes refreshments. Call to reserve your spot (603) 622-7531 or visit www.manchesterhistoric.org to buy tickets online.

• Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, 7 p.m.: "The Big Parade" (1925), directed by King Vidor; Rogers Center for the Arts, Merrimack College, 315 North Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. (978) 837-5355. Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice with MGM's 'The Big Parade' (1925), the epic World War I adventure starring John Gilbert and Renee Adoré. Silent film with live music on the campus of Merrimack College. Free admission. For more information, visit the Rogers Center online.

Celebrate Memorial Day weekend with MGM's 'The Big Parade' at Wilton (NH) Town Hall

'The Big Parade' (1925) will be screened in honor of Memorial Day on Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theater.

With Memorial Day approaching, I got to thinking: This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the conflict that became World War I.

It's certainly not an occasion to be celebrated. But neither is it something that should pass without acknowledgement.

So what to do? Well, hoping to do my part for "acknowledgement," this summer seemed like a good time to highlight silent films that somehow have to do with World War I.

There's no shortage, as it was the defining global conflict for the entire silent era.

But for Memorial Day, I thought it would be particularly apt to screen the great MGM release 'The Big Parade' (1925). Set in the time of World War I, it turned into one of the great blockbusters of the era. (And it was World War I, by the way, that gave Hollywood the term 'blockbuster.'

We're screening it on Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H. It's one of the great silent film experiences and really one of the great movies of any era, and I encourage you to take it in as it was intended: on a big screen, in a restored print, with live music, and with an audience.

Just one warning: Bring the Kleenex!

If you'd like more info, check out the press release below. Hope to see you at the theater!

John Gilbert (left) stars in 'The Big Parade' (1925), to be screened with live music on Sunday, May 25 at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre.

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FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Memorial Day weekend: movie 'Big Parade' on Sunday, May 25 in Wilton, N.H.

Blockbuster WWI silent film drama changed the way Hollywood depicted on-screen warfare

WILTON, N.H. — It was the 'Saving Private Ryan' of its time—a movie that took audiences deep into the heart of battle as experienced by a soldier whose life is changed forever by the horrors of war.

It was 'The Big Parade' (1925), a sprawling World War I epic and a box office sensation that made MGM into a powerhouse Hollywood studio. A newly restored version of this classic film will be shown with live music on Memorial Day weekend at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

'The Big Parade' will be screened at the Town Hall Theatre one time only on Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, with suggestion donation of $5 per person.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film musician. Rapsis provides music for the Town Hall Theatre's monthly silent film series, which aims to honor the venue's historic roots as a local moviehouse.

'The Big Parade,' a landmark war film, was chosen to salute all local servicemen and women on the occasion of Memorial Day, and also because the summer 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.

Released just a few years after World War I ended in 1918, 'The Big Parade' was hailed by critics as the first Hollywood film to depict the harsh reality of combat and its impact on troops in the trenches and foxholes. Its hellish battle scenes were staged on a massive scale and still retain their ability to shock audiences.

The picture, based on the novel "What Price Glory?", follows the story of a young man (John Gilbert) who rebels against a privileged background by enlisting in the army just before the U.S. enters World War I.

He is shipped out to France, where he falls in love with a local French woman before being transferred to the front. There, he and his squadmates come face to face with the German war machine, where they must face the ultimate tests of duty and honor in a battle they come to see as meaningless.

John Gilbert and co-star Renée Adorée get to know each other a little better in a scene from 'The Big Parade.'

In addition to vivid trench warfare scenes, the film contains a famous dramatic sequence in which the French woman (Renée Adorée) realizes her love for the soldier, and tries to find him to say goodbye as the massive convoy of troops pulls out for the front. Another celebrated sequence depicts the light-hearted first meeting of the soldier and the girl, in which he teaches her how to chew gum.

'The Big Parade' went on to become the top-grossing movie of the entire silent film era, earning $6.4 million domestically and making director King Vidor into the Steven Spielberg of his day. It stood as MGM's biggest single box office hit until the release of 'Gone With the Wind' in 1939.

Music for 'The Big Parade' will be provided by local composer Jeff Rapsis, who is preparing original material for the screening.

In improvising live movie scores, Rapsis tries to bridge the gap between modern audiences and silent film.

"Live music adds an element of energy to a silent film screening that's really something special," Rapsis said. " 'The Big Parade' clocks in at well over two hours, but it's filled with great scenes that lend themselves well to music. It's a real privilege to create a score to help this great picture come back to life," said Rapsis, who made his West Coast performing debut this month at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, Calif.

Movies in the Town Hall Theatre's silent film series were popular when first seen by audiences in the 1920s, but are rarely screened today in a way that allows them to be seen at their best. They were not made to be shown on television; to revive them, organizers aim to show the films at the Town Hall Theatre as they were intended—in top quality restored prints, on a large screen, with live music, and before a live audience.

‘The Big Parade’ will be shown on Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.. Admission is free, with a donation of $5 per person suggested to help defray expenses. For more info, call (603) 654-3456 or visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.