That was back in 1927. It remains one of the great anti-war films even though the war is World War I. It also marks the apex of the careers of its three stars: Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, and Richard Arlen. Buddy Rogers would later marry Mary Pickford and concentrate on Big Band music while Clara Bow made only a few sound films before retiring in 1933 at the age of 28. Richard Arlen stayed in movies a bit longer but is best remembered today as the hero of 1932’s THE ISLAND OF LOST SOULS with Charles Laughton. The director William Wellman would go on to quite a distinguished career making such films as THE PUBLIC ENEMY with James Cagney, the 1937 A STAR IS BORN and 1943’s THE OX-BOW INCIDENT. He made his last film, LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE, in 1958.
Wellman had actually flown planes during the Great War and so he wanted to make sure that this film captured what it was like to fly and to engage in combat up in the skies. One of the film’s great strengths is the outstanding aerial photography which Howard Hughes would copy for HELL’S ANGELS three years later. Another strength is the story itself. While basically one of the first buddy films, WINGS manages not only to capture the horrors of war but the innocence of pre-WWI America as personified by the three main characters. Clara Bow gives a remarkable performance showing that she was more than just a 1920’s sex symbol when given a good script and placed in the hands of a capable director like Wellman. By the time the film is over you long for its beginning. The final scenes are among the most moving in all of silent film with an ending that you have waited the whole movie for.
After years of bootleg copies from Asia simply transferring the old VHS edition to DVD, Paramount is finally giving WINGS the quality restoration it deserves. Available on both Blu-Ray and DVD, the release will include the film’s original orchestral score in a new recording, the old Gaylord Carter organ score from the VHS copy, color tints like those used in 1927, and period sound effects. This is the first of several restorations by Paramount of a number of the studio’s legendary films to coincide with the company’s 100th anniversary in 2012.
The Capsule Critic 