I agree, but by the same token, I would also say that Renée wouldn’t have been nearly as effective in the cigarette lighting scene in Flesh and the Devil, the apex of smoldering lust on the screen. Gilbert and Adorée certainly have chemistry in The Big Parade, but Garbo and Gilbert not only have chemistry, they have heat.I rather doubt that Greta would have been able to pull of the "Jimmy Leaves For The Front" sequence nearly as effectively as Adoree did. A powerhouse scene that one is never likely to forget once you have seen it.
Given the way Warners released Ben Hur (as a supplement in the remake’s box set, the same way the silent version of The Ten Commandments was added as a supplement to the remake), I’m curious how The Big Parade will be released. Will it be a stand-alone title or coupled with another film (on laserdisc, MGM paired the classics The Wind/The Crowd as a double feature). I really like the Davis score, and hope that it is somehow included (perhaps as an alternate score, if necessary.)