Wings (1927) July 31, 2006
Posted by derek in : Reviews, Action-Adventure , trackback
Wings (1927) certainly impresses with its action sequences both on the ground and particularly up in the air. They are among the finest in any war film I would say, the depiction of World War I is excellent and exciting. What would have made those dog fights even better would have been a few sound effects, they were I believe in many release prints and in clips in the Hollywood series (A Celebration of American Silent Film, Thames TV, 1979). Not all theatres would have been equipped for such a soundtrack in 1927 but I really believe it would add a lot to the impact of this film though the battle scenes are excellent as they are.
Unfortunately once we get out of the plane the movie I believe hasn’t aged all that well. It’s not headed for a spread-eagled crash but its not really too good. The main problem is the love stories : the love triangle between Buddy Rogers, Dick Arlen and Jobyna Ralston (Harold Lloyd’s leading lady in six features) just isn’t very interesting. Poor Jobyna gets so little to do, she looks delightful but she could really have walked off the set of Girl Shy (1924) its Miss Buckingham all over again. The end of her part of the story is rounded out with a shot of her crying, that’s all.
Clara Bow fares a lot better : it was definitely her presence that kept my interest in the early reels : the lady had sparkle and bounce. I don’t understand how Rogers can’t see that Clara is the girl of his dreams, if I could go on a date with any silent actress I would ask for her phone number. The best bits apart from the combat scenes are definitely those in which she appears though she looks a bit weird dressed up as a soldier. I love the section in Paris and at the Folies Bergere, then Clara being caught in a state of undress in Buddy’s room ! Pity she then disappears for most of the rest of the movie.
As to a comparison with the most famous silent war film : The Big Parade (1925) this didn’t move me in the same way as that did, possibly because I found the back story less believable and Rogers and Arlen are simply not John Gilbert.
For most of the time this appears a bit more hawkish than The Big Parade (1925) though they certainly show the harsh realities of war clearly enough. Still an important film as the first Academy Award winner, I’m delighted to have seen it. (2 1/2 stars out of 5)
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