Wings (1927)

Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.

Directors:

William A. Wellman, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast (uncredited)

Writers:

John Monk Saunders (story), Hope Loring (screenplay)

Stars:

Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
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:
Rod Rogers	...	Aviator

Storyline

Two young men from the same town but different social classes end up as fighter pilots in WW1. Jack Preston is a keen auto mechanic, building and modifying cars. David Armstrong comes from a wealthy family. They are both in love with the same woman, Sylvia. Her heart belongs to David but she doesn't let Jack know and plays along with his infatuation. Meanwhile, Jack's neighbour, Mary, is deeply in love with him but he just views her as a friend. WW1 interrupts the romantic entanglements as Jack and David enlist in the US Army Air Service (Air Service of the AEF at the time). They are initially bitter enemies, due to them both vying for Sylvia's affections. Over time, however, they become very good friends. They are both posted to the same fighter squadron in France, where being a fighter pilot means every day could easily be your last.

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | friendship | military training | airplane shot down | unrequited love | 

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Taglines:

The Drama of the Skies

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War | Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for war violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alas

Filming Locations:

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,587,502

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) Silent Dolby Digital (2012 restoration edition)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William A. Wellman looked at 35 actors before casting Gary Cooper. Although only a tiny role, it set Cooper on the road to stardom.

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Goofs

Jack and David shoot down a German bomber. The soldiers in the just-bombed village come running out and celebrate atop the bomber's wreckage, but by the time it was shot down, the bomber was a good many miles away from the village - too far away for the troops to just run out to its wreckage.

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Quotes

Title Card: On the high sea of heaven - The enemy! Count von Kellermann - famous German ace and leader of the Flying Circus. The rival leaders signal for attack. At ten thousand feet above the earth, the opposing squadrons hurl themselves into a 'dog fight'.

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Alternate Versions

For opening "roadshow" engagements, some of the battle scenes were shown in color, and half the film was screened in Magnascope (a forerunner to modern widescreen processes). Roadshow presentations also included an overture, intermission, and entr'acte music, all of which were dropped for the general release.

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Connections

Referenced in The Falls (1980)

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Soundtracks

A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture
(credited on 2012 restored score only)
Written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (as Felix Mendelssohn)

User Reviews

Remains really well made and impressive!!

Wings (1927)

An epic WWI movie that uses all the classic approaches to a war film and has a lot of great battle footage. It's a tale of rivalry over a girl, of fighting for country (and against the Germans), and of facing death. There are several scenes that make death really gruesome--blood spurting from a pilot's mouth, or a man crushed under a tank--that took me by surprise. I didn't know that such a mainstream American film would go there.

"Wings" is in a way exactly what American movies would look like thereafter--not just war movies, but all of them. By that I don't mean directors studied this movie and it was the inspiration from here on. But just that the story line, the romance, and even the filming, adventurous but straight on, with more attention to characters and plot than visual effect, all of this would be how films would be made for decades. Including many more by the director, William Wellman, who is one of handful of truly expert but never quite daring and inventive directors of classic Hollywood.

To back this up neatly, compare this film to the other film that jointly won Best Picture this year (the first year the Oscars were given, and the only year when the best picture category had two separate parts). That is Murnau's "Sunrise." Never mind which is better ("Sunrise," easily by most accounts). Notice how this film is utterly conservative and "conventional" in its approach to the art of making movies. It's superbly well done, but well within the rules of the time. Yes, there are moments of inspiration, including some double-exposed stock where a scene takes play in the sky over another scene on the ground. But "Sunrise" shows the lyrical art of the camera, and of editing, and of a less literal kind of storytelling. "Wings" is probably much easier to watch for most people--that's the idea. But "Sunrise" is far more engaging and complex, begging you to watch it twice. I doubt anyone needs to see "Wings" a second time.

But then, I have to admit the acting makes more sense in this film. The naturalism of the three leads helps you get emotionally involved. The most famous by far is the woman, Paramount's biggest star, Clara Bow. She doesn't get a huge role (the men do the fighting and flying) but at least when she's there she's a treat. The flying is actually done by the actors, and many of the people involved were veterans (including Wellman, who was a WWI pilot himself).

It's pretty exciting to find this so exciting all these years later. Give it a look. It's been restored really well (there's even a new Blu-Ray release). And it looks great. Don't expect anything new from the story or the filmmaking, but just expect a really well made high drama affair.