Public Domain
The Big Parade
1925 · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer · Dir. King Vidor
The story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current copyright laws of the United States (the Copyright Term Extension Act), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film was released by MGM in 1925 and registered for copyright on September 10, 1925 (LP21831).
Because the film was published and registered prior to the 1928 cutoff, its copyright term expired exactly 95 years after its publication date. Specifically, 'The Big Parade' entered the public domain on January 1, 2021. Even if the film was properly renewed in its 28th year (which it was, by Loew's Inc. in 1953, R113106), the maximum protection period for works of this era is capped at 95 years.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress: Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939
- HathiTrust Digital Library (CCE: Motion Pictures 1912-1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.