: :Wings, the first movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and the only silent film to win, is still remarkably enjoyable to watch. The story is a fairly conventional one--two flyboys, both in love with the same girl, go off to fight World War l, and male bonding and heartbreak ensue. lt's a perfectly serviceable plot, except for the key logical flaw that both young men have inexplicably fallen in love with the boring girl down the street and have somehow failed to notice that Clara Bow is the girl next door. Both male leads really flew their airplanes, and the dogfight footage is still spectacular. The main reason to watch
Wings, though, is to see the difference between an actor and a movie star. There are many actors in the film, but only two movie stars. Clara Bow is a treat to watch every minute she's on screen, and young Gary Cooper in a tiny role nearly walks away with the movie, mostly by standing there and looking dreamy. lt's well worth sitting through a little cheesy organ music for a movie this much fun.
--Ali Davis
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Average Rating:
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If only there were Clara Bows around nowadays ..
A film that hits just about every human emotion in the repertoire and
does so surprisingly well, although there is some overeagerness amongst the callow youth. The biggest surprise of all, however, is just how
enchanting Clara Bow is as the very sexy girl next door. While obviously men's tastes in women differ, it is still rather difficult to believe that Charles Rogers wasn't at least infatuated with his next door neighbor. Clara's personality is just as attractive as her looks. Watching
her is by far the most pleasant part of the film. If only women were around like her these days...
Rating: -
During the aerial dogfights....
one has to keep reminding oneself that this is REAL flying, not something pasted together to make it look like pilots of one-man planes are actually flying them. The ground really IS thousands of feet below, and Charles "Buddy" Rodgers and Richard Arlen--though they don't do all of the flying, do fly their own planes, and, unlike the director, Wellman, had never flown a plane before they started preparing for this movie!
Clara Bow, whom I had never seen before, is cute as a button, and it's very unfortunate that she made so few talkies (I'm told that she had emotional problems which kept her out of them). She plays the perfect "girl next door," even though she's quite beautiful.
Isn't it odd that Jack is so self-centered at the beginning of the film that he never notices that she's in love with him, but realizes it immediately when he gets home. What do you suppose causes that, Jack?
In spite of the length of the film, I never get bored. For one thing, there are various diversions, like Jack getting so drunk he sees bubbles coming out of everything (including Clara Bow, who, as a Women's Motor Transport driver, has been asked to round up all the soldiers whooping it up in Paris because the big push is about to start), the "gallent German" captain, Kellerman, the training scenes, the mistaken identity...
Another reason I never get bored is that I'm waiting for...MY FAVORITE LOVE SCENE, FROM ANY MOVIE, FROM ANYWHERE, FROM ANY TIME. (It doesn't hurt that the director's beautiful wife is standing in the doorway watching it--it's the only movie she ever appeared in.)
So there.
Rating: 
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This is where it all began.
This 1927 film is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, thus beginning a new era of motion pictures. It was also the only silent film to have won this prestigious award.
I have wanted this DVD for a long time. It is hard to get and currently not available on DVD in this country. I've read other reviews that said how their copy was poor quality. However, the DVD that was given to me by a very dear friend is from Hong Kong and the quality is above average to excellent. You just have to endure the Chinese subtitles as you can't remove them with a flick of a button.
This film is long, 138 minutes and since it's silent, you can't miss anything. I tend to fall asleep during long films, but this one was so enchanting and I was waiting to see it forever, that I lasted the entire 138 minutes.
The star, Jack Powell (Charles Rogers) is a young guy that thinks of nothing but flying airplanes and cars. His next door neighbor, Mary (Clara Bow), really loves him, but Jack only sees at her as a friend. Jack wants Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston), but she is in love with a very wealthy guy, David Armstrong (Richard Arlen).
Jack and David are friends and join the armed services to fight in World War I in France. Their relationship is somewhat strained as they are both in love with Sylvia. Mary joins the Women's Corp, trying to be close to Jack. He hits on another girl in France while partying down, Mary sees this and decides to go back stateside and try and forget him. Jack and David become tight pals, but since this is a war, tragedies happen. After Jack returns, he realizes that Mary is the girl for him.
The acting was suburb! Clara Bow was cute and convincing. There is even a short scene with a very young Gary Cooper as Cadet White. His character was memorable even if he was only in this film for a couple of minutes. We also see the beginning of special effects with planes and dogfights and "bubbles". It is truly worth watch this to see the start of the hobby we love so much finally getting an award for achievement.
Please enjoy this film...and thank you Clint for finding it for me.
Rating: -
Off to a Good Start
Much note has already been made of the fact that "Wings" won the very first "Best Picture" Oscar. It's worth repeating since that, and the presence of Gary Cooper in a minor role were the reasons I chose to watch it. For the record, I thought I might have trouble picking out Cooper but he was the main focus on the screen in the brief time he appeared. Clara Bow was the main star in name and billing although hers was essentially a supporting role. Some may disagree with that but I felt the real strength of "Wings" was the aerial combat and its' brilliant camera work. The essential story is two rivals for the hand of the other girl they left behind and how their competion turned them into flyering Aces. The script was above the standard of its' day (although this is no "Grand Illusion").
Near the end the story takes an unusual twist which led to a most bizarre extended scene. For the record, this is a silent movie and my wife came into the room wanting to hear (on the radio) the high school baseball team play in the state championship game (they won 1-0) so I turned the sound completely off while I watched the ending. I probably missed some very sad music that could have changed my perspective of the scene in question and I certainly understood the cameraderie that had developed between the two men and the poignant circumstances. However, I couldn't help but think that I was watching the most expressive love scene between two men in the first 50-60 years of Cinema. You watch that scene with no sound and you'll see what I mean if you don't already. To quote Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with it" but I was really surprized by what I was watching. After that, everything was predictable but it was still enjoyable to watch. I was really impressed with the sets, the planes, and the action (and the outcome of the baseball game).
