Wings 1927 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. At the time, the award was officially for best picture, production, which is todays equivalent of best picture. One of the most exciting silent dramas, with spectacular action and aerial photography of the dogfightcombat flying sequences including actual wwi. The last 25 years have seen a revolution in visual fx and made these thrilling movie moments possible. Metropolis features a range of elaborate special effects and set designs, ranging from a huge gothic cathedral to a futuristic cityscape. Wings, the first feature film to win an academy award, tends to disappoint a little when seen today. Modern sources state that gary coopers brief scene in wings helped launch his career to stardom and was the beginning of his romantic relationship with clara bow. Aerial combat in wings 1927, no special effects was really filmed in the air. A spaceship, a dinosaur, or a guy with a sword a mission.
Starring charles buddy rogers, richard arlen, and clara bow, this excellent silent picture is the story of two boys who love the same girl and fight in wwi together as hotshot pilots. Check out some the best from the past 25 years, ahead. Aerial combat in wings 1927, no special effects was. Wings comes from an era when it was okay to be heartbreakingly emotional at all times. Clara bow is excellent as the sweet lead of the film whose two friends go off to war. To make wings, the 1927 silent film about world war i pilots, the director.
William wellman the first oscarwinning film for best picture production, and the only nonspeaking film ever to win the academy award until the artist 2011. Wings, the first film ever to win the academy award for best picture in 1927, was a silent war film acclaimed for its technical prowess, with decadent scenes like this that aesthetically rival baz. In 1917, jack powell is a young man with passion for cars. Ironically, a massmarket silent spectacular like william wellmans wings effortlessly showcases far more visual variety than mainstream american. At the first academy awards in 1929, wings was named the first ever best picture for the years 19271928. Gary cooper appears in a small role which helped launch his career in hollywood. A spaceship, a dinosaur, or a guy with a sword a mission to explore all movies nominated for best special effects. Celebrating silent movies by making gifs out of them press j to jump to the feed. The crazy thing about wings and hells angels is that there werent really special effects beyond firing blanks from guns. Perhaps not that great a coincidence since my recent recording of william wellmans aerial spectacular came courtesy of tcms 31 days of oscar february 2011 programming. Wings won the oscar for engineering effects at the first academy awards ceremony in 1929 beating out the jazz singer and the private life of helen of troy. Wellman with clara bow, charles rogers, richard arlen, gary cooper, year.
In an interview, fritz lang reported that the film was born from my first sight of the skyscrapers in new york in october 1924. While there are still plenty of directors and dps creating stunning cinematography using practical effects, the word is increasingly used to praise. Her energy and charm threatens to push the mere actors off the screen, and elevates a silly comic subplot she has to round up pilots out drinking at a paris hotel up for a mission to the point where it feels just as. For more than 80 years, wings was considered the only silent film to have won an academy award for best picture. Wings official bluray trailer first academy award winning movie 1927 subscribe to trailers. Consider it coincidence that i post my look at wings 1927, the first ever best picture winner back at the 1929 academy awards, on the morning leading into the 83rd annual academy awards. It is most famous as the first movie to win the academy award for best picture. That takes you back to 1896, to a film brought to you by thomas edison. Sunday night my wife and i watched a silent film about the air war during world war i called wings.
General electric kinegraphone later called rca photophone soundonfilm sound system music and sound effects added for 1927 sound rerelease. The picture was so sharp and vivid and the effects were awesome for a movie as old as this one, thats incredible. Wingsscene from wings 1927, directed by william wellman, with. Wings is a 1927 american silent war film set during the first world war produced by lucien. Wings received the first academy award for best picture of 192728 and roy pomeroys contribution was given a special academy award for engineering effects. It also lists other movies such as dawn patrol, etc. Wings deserved its oscar for best production as the best picture category was known in 1928. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts.
Special effects artist roy pomeroy received the award for best engineering effects for. It was the first feature film released with synchronized soundonfilm using the fox movietone system, and incorporating a musical score by hugo riesenfeld. As the film was made in 1927, its pretty light on special effects, but that kind of works in its favour, because that huge budget was clearly spent on realistically recreating what it was. Even though some of the special effects that were seen as. Wings, the first feature film to win an academy award, tends to disappoint a little. Wings is a 1927 american silent war film set during the first world war produced by lucien hubbard, directed by william a. Dogfights in the air, bombs on the ground, and all of it without special effects wings is an oldschool epic, enormous in scope and basically real. At the end of the video you can see a behind the scene photo. I can see why these effects might enhance the experience for some people. Murnaus compelling american debut his first project for hollywoods fox film corporation and william fox, but planned in germany. Both broke new ground, and each inspired a legion of imitators and even their own genre. It stars clara bow, charles buddy rogers and richard arlen. A single unbroken shot can seem to begin with an entire city and end with a detail inside a window consider the opening of moulin rouge. Details about the production process of this film are sourced from the documentary wings.
Wings 1927 a spaceship, a dinosaur, or a guy with a sword. So, in many scenes, the actors are flying the planes, running the cameras and acting all at the same time. Too much time is afforded the wheezy old plotline about two world war i aviators buddy rogers. Then, jack is reunited with mary and realizes he loves her. It is a film my wife had picked for netflix which may surprise some people as it is a war film more my type of fare. Released by lala land records in 2012 lllcd 1206 containing music from wings 1927. This article contains spoilers for a few minor plot points of 1927s wings. The cameras freedom to move is taken for granted in these days of the steadicam, the lightweight digital camera, and even special effects that reproduce camera movement. I was wondering about all the different types used in william wellmans 1927 movie wings and found this helpful information from the site listed below. Some of the special effects in this film were very well made, and the story isnt. This brokebackbeforebrokeback moment took place in the 1927 film wings the first and only silent film to win the academy award for best picture. Metropolis employed vast sets, 25,000 extras and astonishing special effects to create two worlds. Now we rewind the videotape and present the first samesex kiss in film history or at least one of the earliest known ones. Wings 1927 william wellmans world war i fighter pilot picture, wings, is a remarkable achievement that stands as a forerunner to todays bigbudget action blockbuster.
On the night of the first academy award ceremony held at the hotel roosevelt on may 16, 1929, wings won the academy award for best picture. Wings starring clara bow, charles buddy rogers, richard arlen, and gary cooper release date. Wings has aptly been compared to star wars for its broad appeal and for its influence on hollywood filmmaking. The cinematography in 1927 film wings puts 2015s to. That same year mcleod made his directing debut with. Vii moviestars wings 1927 v wwi richard arlen ex rfc, future usaaf. The script is hokey at times and did we need to see the special effects bubbles as long as we did. In 1928 mcleod cowrote the scenario for the air circus, which howard hawks directed with lewis seiler. His next door neighbor is mary preston, who is in deep love for him, but jack does not notice her. Premiered 12 april 1927 at the criterion theatre in new york, new york. For me, the movie wings was an exit ramp off the highway of films nominated for the academy award for special effects and onto a clara bow side trip. Read with caution if you have never seen the film and would not like to be spoiled.
Wellman who had been a flier during the war, and later became a barnstormer and his team of daredevil pilots threw caution to the wind while filming the most staggering action scenes that anyone had ever attempted up to that. It now shares that distinction with the artist, a fact which irks many fans of silent cinema who dont consider michel hazanavicius 2011 release to be truly silent but what if somebody added a whole bunch of sound effects to william wellmans 1927 saga of world war i flying. Watching william wellmans wings 1927 for the first time. When he returns davids effects to his grieving parents, davids mother blames the war, not jack, for her sons death. It also won the academy award for best engineering effects roy pomeroy. The cinematography in 1927 film wings puts 2015s to shame the. Nevertheless, the ending retains its power after all that time.
1321 1078 1307 1107 885 960 633 590 1154 723 691 917 266 1156 1511 138 335 87 275 131 590 277 814 684 109 941 377 1000 482 1066 363 1310 1272 921 438 1242 450 1028 1398 692