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Wings (1927)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
5 January 1929 (USA)
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Tagline:
An Epic of the Air See more »
Plot:
Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
France
|
Pilot
|
Friendship
|
Auto Repair
|
Drunkenness
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Awards:
Won 2 Oscars.
Another 3 wins
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User Reviews:
Good Entertainment, Despite Some Flaws
See more (49 total) »
Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | Clara Bow | ... | Mary Preston |
 | Charles 'Buddy' Rogers | ... | Jack Powell (as Charles Rogers) |
 | Richard Arlen | ... | David Armstrong |
 | Jobyna Ralston | ... | Sylvia Lewis |
| El Brendel | ... | Herman Schwimpf |
| Richard Tucker | ... | Air Commander |
 | Gary Cooper | ... | Cadet White |
| Gunboat Smith | ... | The Sergeant |
| Henry B. Walthall | ... | David's Father |
| Roscoe Karns | ... | Lt. Cameron |
| Julia Swayne Gordon | ... | David's Mother |
| Arlette Marchal | ... | Celeste |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Charles Barton | ... | Soldier Flirting with Mary (uncredited) |
| Thomas Carr | ... | Aviator (uncredited) |
| Thomas Carrigan | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Margery Chapin | ... | Peasant Woman (uncredited) |
| Andy Clark | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Nigel De Brulier | ... | Peasant (uncredited) |
| Hal George | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Dick Grace | ... | Aviator (uncredited) |
| William Hickey | ... | Charlton Blanchard (uncredited) |
 | Hedda Hopper | ... | Mrs. Powell (uncredited) |
 | George Irving | ... | Mr. Powell (uncredited) |
| Robert Livingston | ... | Recruit in Examination Office (uncredited) |
| James Pierce | ... | Army MP (uncredited) |
| Rod Rogers | ... | Aviator (uncredited) |
| Frank Tomick | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Carl von Haartman | ... | German Officer (uncredited) |
| Gloria Wellman | ... | Peasant Child (uncredited) |
| William A. Wellman | ... | Doughboy (uncredited) |
| Zalla Zarana | ... | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| William A. Wellman | |||
| Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast | (uncredited) | ||
Writing credits | ||
| John Monk Saunders | (story) | |
| Hope Loring | (screenplay) and | |
| Louis D. Lighton | (screenplay) | |
| Julian Johnson | (titles) | |
| Byron Morgan | story ideas (uncredited) | |
Produced by | |||
| B.P. Schulberg | .... | associate producer | |
| Lucien Hubbard | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| J.S. Zamecnik | (musical score) (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Harry Perry | (photographed by) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| E. Lloyd Sheldon | (editor-in-chief) | ||
| Lucien Hubbard | (uncredited) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Hans Dreier | (uncredited) | ||
Costume Design by | |||
| Travis Banton | (uncredited) | ||
| Edith Head | (uncredited) | ||
Production Management | |||
| Frank M. Blount | .... | production manager (uncredited) | |
| Lucien Hubbard | .... | production supervisor (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Charles Barton | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| James Ewens | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| Richard Johnston | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| Norman Z. McLeod | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
| E.K. Merritt | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Charles Barton | .... | property master (uncredited) | |
| Paul B. Malone | .... | construction: Camp Stanley (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Roy Pomeroy | .... | engineering effects (uncredited) | |
| Barney Wolff | .... | special effects assistant (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Frank Andrews | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Pierce L. Butler | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Frank Clarke | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Hal George | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Dick Grace | .... | aerial stunts (uncredited) | |
| Clarence Irvine | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Denis Kavanagh | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Earle E. Partridge | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| E.H. Robinson | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Rod Rogers | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Sterling R. Stribling | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Bill Taylor | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Frank Tomick | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
| Hoyt Vandenberg | .... | stunt pilot (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Carl Pierson | .... | cutter (uncredited) | |
| Mildred Richter | .... | cutter (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Peter Boyer | .... | conductor: 2012 restored score | |
| Gaylord Carter | .... | performer: 1987 music score (1987 restoration) | |
| Dominik Hauser | .... | arranger & orchestrator (restoration 2012) | |
Other crew | |||
| Jesse L. Lasky | .... | presents | |
| Adolph Zukor | .... | presents | |
| F.M. Andrews | .... | commander: military pilots (uncredited) | |
| Henry H. Arnold | .... | technical consultant (uncredited) | |
| S.C. Campbell | .... | supervisor: flying sequences (uncredited) | |
| Sterling Campbell | .... | technical director: flight sequences (uncredited) | |
| Walter Ellis | .... | communications supervisor (uncredited) | |
| James A. Healy | .... | supervisor: flying sequences (uncredited) | |
| A.M. Jones | .... | supervisor: ground troop maneuvers (uncredited) | |
| E.P. Ketchum | .... | supervisor: trench system reproduction (uncredited) | |
| Arthur Kocks | .... | business manager (uncredited) | |
| Norman Kohn | .... | business manager (uncredited) | |
| F.P. Lahm | .... | commander: military pilots (uncredited) | |
| Rodger Manning | .... | business manager (uncredited) | |
| Robert Mortimer | .... | ordnance supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Edward Norris | .... | double: Buddy Rogers, Parisian hotel scene (uncredited) | |
| Ted Parson | .... | supervisor: flying sequences (uncredited) | |
| Harry Reynolds | .... | airplane preparation (uncredited) | |
| Bill Taylor | .... | airplane preparation (uncredited) | |
| Carl von Haartman | .... | supervisor: flying sequences (uncredited) | |
Production Companies
- Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation (A Lucien Hubbard Production)
- Paramount Pictures (1927) (USA) (theatrical)
- CIC-Taft Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
- Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Paramount Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
- Paramount Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
- Paramount Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (remastered)
- Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
- Film Technology Company music produced by (1987 restoration)
- La-La Land Records soundtrack (limited edition)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
144 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 See more »
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
With the thousands of extras battling on the ground, dozens of airplanes flying around in the sky and hundreds of explosions going off everywhere, the only two injuries on the entire picture were incurred. One was by veteran stunt pilot Dick Grace. A plane he was crashing was supposed to completely turn over, but it only turned partly over. Instead of being thrown clear of the plane as was the plan, Grace was hurled against part of the fuselage and broke his neck. He returned to the company after six weeks in the hospital. The other was by one of the army pilots helping out on the shoot. His crash was fatal and director William A. Wellman feared it would shut down production, but the army held the pilot, not the director, responsible.See more »
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The film is set during the years 1917-1918. However, most of the female civilian clothes and hairstyles are contemporary with the late 1920s, particularly the clothes worn by Clara Bow in the home sequences and in the Follies Bergere sequence. Bow's and almost all the other female characters have bobbed hair, common in 1927 but almost non-existent during World War One.See more »
Quotes:
Sergeant in Mervale:Hey, if youse guys need kissin' *I'll* kiss you - wit' a gun-butt!See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Green Acres: A Day in the Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes (#4.18)" (1969)See more »
Soundtrack:
WingsSee more »
FAQ
What is a Bangalore Torpedo?See more »
See more (49 total) »
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An 
company.
This entertaining and occasionally impressive movie is still well worth seeing in spite of its flaws. The combat scenes alone make the rest of it worth watching, and Clara Bow gives a very good performance. She has plenty of energy as always, and here she makes her character especially sympathetic. But it has its weaknesses, too. The story is contrived and full of obvious holes, and except for Bow most of the acting is rather routine (Buddy Rogers is as likable as ever, but no more).
The highlights of "Wings" come in the battle scenes, and they are awfully impressive. Done without computers or other such advantages, they are exciting and are usually completely realistic. The aerial dogfight scenes are especially dazzling. This part of the movie is not shallow stuff, either, since it has a good balance between the thrilling and the horrifying. If the main story-line had been better, this could have worked very well as a classic film about the realities of war and its effects on the young persons who must carry the heaviest load in a war.
But unfortunately, it has the story that it has, which could easily have been better. It is far too heavy-handed, and is also riddled with unlikely coincidences, implausible developments, strange decisions by the characters, and many other such holes. If you can somehow look past all these problems, then it produces some moving and emotional moments, but such moments are too often undone by the contrived ways that they are set up. It's just the kind of mess that has often impressed the individuals who vote for well-known awards, but a movie with such strengths deserved to have a much better plot.
Nevertheless, it is still well worth watching for its strengths, and not just because it is the answer to some trivia questions. Just in case there are any modern movie fans who have accidentally wandered into the silents section of the database, please don't think that this is the best of what silent cinema has to offer, just because it won an arbitrary award. There are many silent film masterpieces that are vastly better than this. But it's good entertainment, and has some portions that were made with great skill.