by At the cusp of filmmaking moving from the silent era to “talkies”, Wings (1927) – a silent romantic war movie – won “Outstanding Picture” at the 1st Academy Awards ceremony held in 1929. Starring the definitive flapper Clara Bow, the story follows two men – Jack (Charles Rogers) and David (Richard Arlen) – from the same small town sent off to World War I. They both love the same woman, Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston), leaving Mary (Bow) to hopelessly pine for Jack.
But the legacy for Wings doesn’t lie in the simple, sometimes cliched story, but rather the impressive and realistic feats of production. Both Jack and David enlist to become combat pilots in the Army Air Service and the film features no shortage of aerial spectacles.
300 pilots, mostly from the US Army Air Corp, and their planes were utilized to capture real footage in air. Most surprisingly is that the two stars, Arlen and Rogers, piloted their own planes and even operated their cameras on and off to capture close-ups while flying. Arlen came to the production already a knowledgeable pilot, having served in the war as a pilot in Canada for the Royal Flying Corps. Rogers, on the other hand, had no prior experience, and had to learn throughout the shoot, eventually logging over 800 hours of flight time.
Director William A. Wellman was himself a fighter pilot in WWI, and was hired as he was the only director in Hollywood at the time who had pilot experience. He was said to have frequently conflicted with the military officers brought in to supervise the picture, but nevertheless he attracted heavy War Department support and involvement in the project. They in turn saw the film as an effective recruitment tool.
With a budget of $2 million, the movie was filmed in San Antonio, TX over the course of 9 months – unusually long for most productions at that time. To capture ideal weather conditions – cloudy skies to serve as a good contrasting background for the planes – the production team had to wait on one occasion for 18 consecutive days. During the delay, rehearsals for the large Battle of Saint-Mihiel – seen at the climax of the film – took place over 10 days with about 3500 infantrymen (many of whom were National Guard) on a full-size recreation of a battlefield, complete with trenches and barbed wire. Explosions used were real, controlled by Wellman himself, to detonate at the precise time. During this scene, which was only filmed once, at least 20 people had hand-held cameras to film everything.
Wings, hailed for its realism, was an instant success to audiences, who at the time were interested in aviation due to Charles Lindbergh’s recent trans-Atlantic flight. The film was considered lost until 1992, when it was found in an archive in France and subsequently reproduced and restored.
It holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Krissen: This is the first silent movie I have ever seen and I am happy to say that I enjoyed it more than I expected. Wings is one of those movies that served such innovative and daring technicals, it’s no wonder that it has stood the test of time in film. A lot of parts really surprised me for being made in 1927, though I admit I know little about this time period.
There were lots to be impressed by, like the sheer scale of production: the big battlefield sequence, all the aerial footage while actually in flight, real explosions! The choreography and planning needed for all of these practical effects is almost unparalleled today with our reliance on computer generated imagery.
Some surprising moments: brief moments of both male and female nudity (there were no ratings systems in place yet), a glimpse at a same-sex couple in a Parisian club, and platonic kissing between two men! All things I would not have expected to be put on display in a film from the ‘20s.
Of course, there were things I didn’t like too. The story itself is basic and a lot of moments are unsurprisingly cliched. The majority of the editing was nothing exciting, save for one shot I can think of off the top of my head. The acting seemed standard, but again I don’t have experience with silent films to really compare. And a lot of the flowery language used in the text slides made me giggle, but I suppose that was the vernacular of the times.
Overall, it was enjoyable from a movie-lover’s standpoint. I give it 6/10 stars. (It should be noted that we watched the version with a fully orchestrated score, rather than with the original Wurlitzer pipe organ, and with some added sound effects.)
Nolan: As a big fan of classic and silent cinema I was looking forward to seeing this film, although I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
It’s always interesting to watch films of this era because they automatically seem basic and plain to us now, but 100 years ago it was all new. There are techniques we see all the time today because films like this took chances on innovative styles of filmmaking.
I never mind watching silent films because it forces me to pay more attention to all the work that went into creating it’s style and visuals.
I was quite impressed with the production design and cinematography of Wings. There were several beautifully executed shots that moviegoers had not seen before, like new camera placement and movements. It gave a very unique perspective of the pilot and added some great energy to the action scenes.
Also, the scale of the production for the 1920s blew me away. There were hundreds of extras, multiple dogfights against remarkable backdrops with dozens of planes, and some epic battle sequences.
There were some truly unique scenes I loved. Such as a few of the plane fights and crashes that involved actors operating their own cameras mid-flight. I thought these were very inventive and visually grabbing. I also loved the clever effects and tinting techniques they used to showcase bullets and fire on the actual film itself. That definitely made the battles more entertaining.
However, there were definitely scenes I scratched my head over a bit. Jack obsessing over and drunkenly hallucinating bubbles for about 15 solid minutes of screen time seemed unnecessary. Clara Bow got a raw deal. She had very little screen time and was basically used superficially to move the story along. I would have liked to see more of her throughout the film especially in those killer army boots.
The story itself was simple, but did end up having an impact on me by the end. It was tragic and bittersweet to see the journey of these two men end the way it did after they both lost their lucky charms. The production design and cinematic techniques were enough to keep me satisfied to the end.
Overall, I give this film 7/10 stars.
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