Wings

Starring: Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rodgers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper, Jobyna Ralston
Directed by: William A. Wellman
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, War, Romance
1927

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two pilots (Charles "Buddy" Rodgers, Richard Arlen) go off to fight in World War I, where they experience hardship and heartbreak.

Review:

Tim: Wings was the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, and the only silent movie to ever do so. It is also an extremely worthy movie, and a terrific one. It has elements of pure excitement, of emotional drama, and some good romantic moments as well. I was thoroughly engaged in this long movie, and I think it a perfectly deserving movie to claim the first Best Picture.

Charles "Buddy" Rodgers and Richard Arlen are both quite good as Jack Powell and David Armstrong, respectively. They are certainly better "silent" actors than anything else, but they work here. Clara Bow is excellent in the movie. Bow is obviously the biggest movie "star" in the film, and I liked every scene she was in. She was very, very good. I'd also like to mention the all-too-short performance of Gary Cooper. He was terrific in a too small role. I really enjoyed seeing him in the film.

This movie features some absolutely astounding dogfighting scenes. The scenes are mostly real footage of planes actually careening and swerving through the sky. The actual actors really did some of the flying, which is incredibly impressive. Although this movie is over 80 years old, these scenes stand up as remarkable. I was thoroughly engaged in these moments. There are also a number of dramantic moments as Jack and David butt heads, become friends, and eventually have a falling out. The Clara Bow-Buddy Rodgers relationship also offers a few great moments. I do have to mention perhaps the worst scene in the movie. I simply did not get it, and it detracted greatly from the film and my eventual rating. I disliked the scene where Rodgers gets drunk and is taken in by the bubbles. I don't know if this was trying to break up the drama with some levity, but it didn't work and took me out of the film. This scene lasted far too long and really hurt the movie.

Luckily, the rest of the movie is quite good. It is a classic, enjoyable film that I feel is underrated and overlooked, even though it won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is a great war movie, and I highly recommend tracking this one down.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: All Quiet on the Western Front, Flyboys