Wings (1927)

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

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

Release Date:

22 March 1928 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War | Action

Tagline:

An Epic of the Air

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Silent Movie | Shot To Death | Shot In The Shoulder | Airplane Shot Down | Blood

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 28

12:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Clara Bow	...	Mary Preston
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers	...	Jack Powell
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

Runtime:

139 min | USA:141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Certification:

UK:A | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bexar County, Texas, USA

Company:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Trivia:

Chocolate syrup was used as blood in the movie.

Quotes:

Mary Preston: D'you know what you can do when you see a shooting star?
John "Jack" Powell: No, what?
Mary Preston: You can kiss the girl you love.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

All set (hopefully for DVD)?

This film is, no doubt, a timeless triumph of the silent cinema. I first saw it three years ago and have seen it at least 30 times since then. I've only looked back to see that I have it in my collection...but not on DVD! These studios need to start thinking back to the days in which movies as good as these were made and stop producing so much garbage that they think will make tons of money without considering whether it's done right or not. This film taught me just how important gesture and body language can be in the acting world, whether it be on film or on stage. I know just how "in-character" an actor is just by looking at their face, their eyes, and how they're written in the script. Don't get me wrong, people can overact and underact in certain parts, but if you do anything without considering your character's expression or mood, regardless of whether or not your voice is unbearable to hear, you will never see success past the sound of crickets hiding in the audience. The industry knew that sound was coming. Most didn't accept this truth, but they knew it alright! "Wings" reminds those who've seen it, as with most classics of the silent cinema, that ACTIONS SPEAK A MUCH GREATER VOLUME THAN THE SPOKEN WORD. I've said all I need to say, and now I'll let this picture speak for itself.