Wings (1927)

Directed by William A. Wellman. Starring Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen, Clara Bow, Jobyna Ralston, Eli Brendel, Richard Tucker, Henry B. Walthall.

The very first Oscar winner for Best Picture (and the only one to ever triumph that’s a “true” silent film) hasn’t aged especially well, especially in its overly sentimental love story that dominates too often. Dedicated to the “young warriors of the sky whose wings are folded about them forever,” it’s a tale of two rival US Army aviators (Rogers and Arlen, each one inadequate) during the Great War, both trying to impress a beauty (Ralston) back home while “girl next door” Bow goes ignored; more critically, however, it’s a tale of two types of filmmaking, where the scenes in the air remain spectacular and thrilling even today, but the ones on the ground are cheap, sappy melodrama that drag out the overlong story. However, due to the public’s fascination with aviation (Lindbergh completed his famed transatlantic flight just a few months before the film’s release) and the “It” factor of supporting actress Bow (often billed as the lead in promotional materials), the picture became a major hit and made film history. Also won an Academy Award for its special effects (then called Best Engineering Effects, the only time the award was issued with that label). Gary Cooper briefly makes an early screen appearance; director Wellman also has a bit part.

48/100