Rating: 
Summary: ah, Clara...
Review: I keep running across critics badmouthing this film, and I can't for the life of me understand why. Everyone seems to agree, at least, that the flight sequences are amazing --- some of the best ever filmed. Wellman held up production so that the skies would look just right behind the planes. Quite striking... If you're a Clara Bow fan, she's not really in this quite enough, but she is certainly adorable and looks great in her uniform. One complaint I've heard about this film is that Buddy Rogers isn't a compelling enough actor. This is hogwash, I think, and I can't understand why I keep reading it. He's perfectly charming, and very moving, in a couple of scenes in particular. Adding to the enjoyment are a few unique directorial choices --- the bizarre bubbles floating all around in the drunk scene and some very strange camera movements for example. It's nice to see Gary Cooper (VERY briefly) so young, too. Apparently he "stole" the scene he was in, and had everyone talking about him. Really, he just sort of pops in for a minute and looks handsome and sweet, but it's nice to see him nonetheless... All in all, I'd rank this as one of my favorite Academy Award winners.
Rating:
Summary: Still "Holds Up" After 70+ Years!
Review: I saw "Wings" for the first time tonight, but not on a tape -- at a silent movie festival! I sat in a huge, dark auditorium and soaked in the music of a live theatre organist. Now granted, you won't see it larger than life like this at home, but I've GOT to tell you how much I liked this movie! It was NOT slow for me; not at all! The combat scenes are fantastic, especially for this early period of movie making. The story was touching, the dogfight scenes were thrilling. . . what can I say? WATCH this moive, and you'll want to own it! I know I plan to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: The Great American Classic Film
Review: If you were only to ever sit down to watch one silent film - Wings should be that film. I have a VHS copy and have taken to watching it judiciously just to preserve the tape. This needs to be out on DVD! The plot is elegant and well thought out. If anyone has convinced you that you can't tell a complex story without a lot of dialogue, just show them this masterpiece to shut them up. I'm sure that Lucas must have been a fan of Wings when I watch the X-wing fighter sequences in the Star Wars films. Even so, Lucas didn't do as good a job as these folks did back in the 1920's. The flying is brilliant, the actors do most of their own flying and stunt work, and the emotion is startling and powerful. Watch Wings, and then be prepared to reevaluate every film you've ever seen - this is a true masterwork.
Rating: 
Summary: CLARA BOW!
Review: Overall, Wings was a good movie, and it's fun to watch it and know you're watching the first movie to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
I'm not really into war epics, and I watched just to see Clara Bow, one of my favorite actresses. She does not have a very big part, but when she's on screen she lights up the scene and inevitably steals the show.
Recommended if you like war epics, or if you're an Oscar buff, or like romance, or if you're a Clara Bow fan. This movie has something for everyone...
Oh, and don't forget to watch out for Gary Cooper's little part, which definitely hints at his future star power.
Rating:
Summary: Wings Music- - - Cheesy Music?- - -
Review: The first review of the tape version of Wings ended with a remark to the effect that it was worth sitting through the cheesy organ music. If and when the DVD version is released, and IF IT INCLUDES THE CHEESY ORGAN MUSIC of the taped version, I intend to be at the head of the purchase line!Dr. Tom Mote, Major, USAF, Retired
Rating:
Summary: Wings Music- - - Cheesy Music?- - -
Review: The first review of the tape version of Wings ended with a remark to the effect that it was worth sitting through the cheesy organ music. If and when the DVD version is released, and IF IT INCLUDES THE CHEESY ORGAN MUSIC of the taped version, I intend to be at the head of the purchase line! Dr. Tom Mote, Major, USAF, Retired
Rating:
Summary: Luminescent Wings
Review: This exceptional film is indeed long overdue for its DVD release. (Paramount Home Video, get on the ball!) Like Eric Player, I saw this film many years ago, and it too is one of those rare flicks that remains imprinted on one's memory. I don't know if any of my fellow reviewers have seen this film as it was meant to be seen -- in a pristine restored print, shown on an actual movie screen with live organ accompaniement. And Not on VHS tape (yuchh)!!! I live in the Washington DC area, which also happens to have, outside of Hollywood, two centers of film preservation and restoration: the Library of Congress Motion Picture archives, and the American Film Institute. Some 15 - 20 years ago, I attended a screening through the AFI, as part of its great classics film festival, and was blown away by this presentation. The quality of the restored print was so startingly crisp that it looked as if it was shot the day before. No need to expound further upon the performances, nor the plot, save to say that Wings just about has everything that makes a special film great. Incidentally, the always handsome Charles Buddy Rogers had a special regard for this film, and often in his later years, accompanied Wings when it was shown at festivals and college film classes. Rogers lived into his early nineties -- the last surviving star of the film -- and died just around 5 years ago!
Rating:
Summary: Clara Bow Rules the silver screen!
Review: This film is worth seeing if only to get a glimpse of the young Clara and the younger Gary Cooper... a wonderful silent film.
Rating:
Summary: Silent But Speaks Volumes
Review: This is the first picture to win the best picture Academy Award, and, of course, the only silent film to do so. If you've never watched a silent film before, it will take some effort, since if you take your eyes off the screen, you will not "hear" what the actors are saying, that is, you may miss a dialogue box. Also, at two hours and 19 minutes, the film tends to be long. However, the combat flying sequences are still some of the best ever filmed, and are well worth the effort. Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Richard Arlen certainly perform well. Clara Bow is at her most beatutiful; however, in terms of actual screen time, hers tends to be more of a supporting role. The short Gary Cooper scene is a bonus and presages the great career to follow. The film is interesting both substantively and in terms of its significance in film history; it is worh the investment in time.
Rating:
Summary: A bit above average, I guess.
Review: Well, here is exactly the type of silent film that most people do not watch nowadays; it's neither a comedy like the Charlie Chaplin movies, nor a horror film like Nosferatu. This, instead, is a typical American action/drama flick, with ample quantities of both. It certainly suffers at times for being a silent film; dialogues have to be displayed on the screen, and this happens quite often because the story here is sometimes quite complex. Not only do the characters talk a lot, but the story also often requires some explaining, and some of the explanations can be quite long. The action sequences are not as "big" as in they would be in movies today, but they are a lot more impressive in their own way. I was just amazed at how they could have shot some of those sequences; I got the impression that the person who was shooting was probably in quite a lot of danger, because I knew that they could not have used special effects in 1927; what I was seeing was the real thing. It was quite exhilirating to see those old, unsafe, WW1 planes in the air. I do not think that any director today would be crazy enough to duplicate something like this with real planes, so this is probably the only chance anyone has to see these planes in action, and feel like you're right in the thick of a dogfight. That having been said, the film does stretch out for a bit too long sometimes. It never really gets boring, but it never really gets particularly interesting for most of the movie either. Most of the time, it's just entertaining enough to keep you watching it. The reason I gave it a "4" is because the ending, when it comes, is quite good (don't let anybody spoil it for you; watch for yourself), and also because of the action sequences. The film is also quite funny in a few spots, notably in any scene with the patriotic Dutch aviator (I wish we had seen more of him), and in the Paris "drunken man" scene. Overall, not a bad movie, and one that I know others may like more than me; so go ahead and see it (don't forget, though; it's 131 minutes)!
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