Wings

Year: 1927

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Wellman

Review

the first academy award winning best picture and the last of the 80 that i needed to see. it’s a good film. a bit long and i’m not in love with silent films in general, but it’s enjoyable with a good story. like many best picture winners after it, it takes place during a war and is longer than the average film released at the time. gary cooper is in it, which i didn’t know, but he is on screen for about 4 minutes before he dies. it’s directed by william wellman. clara bow is great. it’s a precode film and you can tell, but it’s not over the top. there’s some great camerawork and even better effects in the film that really make it enjoyable and modern beyond its 1927 production date. it shows the ills and honors of war with equal balance and i don’t have any problem with it beating out metropolis for best picture.