Wings

Synopsis

Two young men from the same small town, Jack and David, rivals for the same girl, enlist as fighter pilots when the United States enters the First World War. Trained together and sent to the front in France, their rivalry turns into a deep friendship in the skies over the trenches, while Mary, the neighbour who has always loved Jack, follows them to Europe as an ambulance driver. A tragic misunderstanding in the final offensive seals their fate.

Critique

The first winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, Wings remains the definitive aviation film of the silent era. William A. Wellman, himself a former combat pilot, staged the dogfights with real aircraft and cameras mounted on the planes, achieving a physical authenticity that studio spectacle could not match. The famous tracking shot through the Paris café and the Saint-Mihiel battle sequence show a director in full command of scale and movement, while Clara Bow's warmth grounds the film's emotion.

Technical sheet

Director

William A. Wellman

Year

1927

Country

United States

Running time

144 min

Genre

Drama, Action, War, Romance

Written by

Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton, John Monk Saunders

Cinematography

Harry Perry

Cast

Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston, El Brendel, Richard Tucker

Production

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Music

Newly composed original score

Licensing