Wings (1927)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

John Monk Saunders (story)
Hope Loring (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 January 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War | Action

Tagline:

An Epic of the Air

Plot:

Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | France | Friendship | WWI | Unrequited Love

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins

Cast

Clara Bow	...	Mary Preston
Charles 'Buddy' Rogers	...	Jack Powell (as Charles Rogers)
Richard Arlen	...	David Armstrong
Jobyna Ralston	...	Sylvia Lewis
El Brendel	...	Herman Schwimpf
Richard Tucker	...	Air Commander
Gary Cooper	...	Cadet White
Gunboat Smith	...	The Sergeant
Henry B. Walthall	...	David's Father
Roscoe Karns	...	Lieutenant Cameron
Julia Swayne Gordon	...	David's Mother
Arlette Marchal	...	Celeste

Runtime:

139 min | USA:141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Certification:

UK:A | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bexar County, Texas, USA

Company:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Trivia:

When a preview was shown in San Antonio, Texas in the Spring of 1927, the movie had 14 reels. It was cut down to 13 for release to theaters.

Quotes:

British Soldier: Hello Yank, welcome to a very merry little war. And now how about a wee drop for the King and Uncle Sam?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)

Soundtrack:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

VHS version with Theater Organ music track

For a feeling of what the silents were really like, look for the version of this film with Gaylord Carter performing the score on a Wurlitzer Theater Organ. Carter recorded this version in the 1980's when he was in his 80's. Amazing performance - basically 120 minutes of live, somewhat improvised music with establihed themes for each character. Incidental music was improvised live combining themes from the various characters.

Carter was one of the last musicians that performed during the silent era. Very few musicians understand how difficult this art form was, and Gaylor was one of the best. Each showing of the film was an original, never before heard version due to the improvisational nature of the music. The stamina required to play live music, on 3, 4 or even 5 keyboards with a pedal board and dozens of stops, thousands of pipes for over two hours cannot be overstated. Especially when one of these performers were expected to do so 3 or more times a day!

Orchestras are all well and good, but few theaters could afford them - Wurlitzer (and a few other companies) sold 40,000 instruments to theaters world wide during the 20's, and chances are, 90% of screenings of this film were accompanied by a theater organ.