'The Big Parade' (1925) on Thursday, 11/29 at Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.

Vintage promotional art for 'The Big Parade' (1925).

With so many screenings to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice this month, it's starting to feel like I'm fighting World War I all over again.

Whether it's the aerial drama of 'Wings' (1927) or Chaplin yukking it up in 'Shoulder Arms' (1918), November has been a long march through movies about the "Great War."

Speaking of marching, next up is 'The Big Parade' (1925), the sweeping WWI epic directed by King Vidor that became the top-grossing film of its day.

See why by experiencing it on the big screen with live music on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass.

Details in the press release below. Hope to see you there.

Right now, I'm fresh off scoring a screening of 'Barbed Wire' (1927), a great Pola Negri drama set in France during (you guessed it) the WAR.

A scene from 'Barbed Wire' (1927).

Unusually, 'Barbed Wire' is not about the action at the front. Instead, the film focuses on the war's effect on a small rural village in France.

It's a tightly constructed drama with strong performances by Negri and Clive Brook in the lead roles, and Clyde Cook supplying comic relief. Even hard-working character actor Gustav von Seyffertitz shows up.

'Barbed Wire' also has a surprisingly moving Christmas scene, with captured German soldiers celebrating the season in a prison camp. So it's worth putting on the screen at this time of year.

Our audience at the Manchester (N.H.) Historic Association really seemed to enjoy the picture. The music came together quite nicely for the dramatic scenes, I thought, and Clyde Cook's antics got actual laughs!

Brook, by the way, has emerged as one of my favorite actors of the era. Everything I've seen him in, he's great. And he's flat-out terrific as the down-on-his-luck attorney in 'Underworld,' released just after 'Barbed Wire.'

On my list to see someday: Brook playing the title role in the early talkie 'Sherlock Holmes' (1932).

So many films, so little time!

Well...Hope you have time for 'The Big Parade' tomorrow night. See you there!

* * *

John Gilbert and Renée Adorée commit massive public display of affection in 'The Big Parade' (1925).

TUESDAY, NOV. 20, 2018 / 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 Thursday, Nov. 29 at Rogers Center

To be shown with live music to commemorate 1918 Armistice; blockbuster silent film changed the way Hollywood depicted battle on the screen

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — 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 its horrors.

It was 'The Big Parade' (1925), a sprawling World War I epic and a box office sensation that made MGM into a powerhouse studio.

'The Big Parade' will be screened one time only at the Rogers Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. The screening, part of the Rogers Center's Tambakos Film Series, is open to the public and admission is free.

The Rogers Center is located on Walsh Way on the campus of Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass.

The screening coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of Nov. 11, 1918, which ended the fighting of World War I.

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 hellish 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.

Comedy, romance, and a cow in 'The Big Parade' (1925).

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.

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.

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 Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Rogers Center, located on Walsh Way on the campus of Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. Admission is free. For more information, call the Rogers box office at (978) 837-5355.

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.