American small-town rivals Jack Powell and David Armstrong enlist to become combat pilots in World War I. After extensive training, the two pilots learn to trust each other and become friends. In France, Jack earns the reputation for being an ace pilot and grows cocky. He reveals to David that he has a fling for David’s beloved Sylvia and the two argue. Back in the air, David is shot down behind enemy lines. Distraught with the loss of his friend and how things ended between them, Jack takes off and guns down countless German planes to avenge David. However, still alive, David steals a German plane and heads back for Allied lines—but not before Jack, who sees the Iron Cross on David’s plane, aims to bring down one more German.
“Wings” is the first film to have won the Academy Award for “Best Picture” and it's actually really fantastic. I hardly imagined this silent film would cary its 2 hours and 20 minute runtime but it did. Even without speaking, the story was incredibly well told, with complex characters, changing motivations, and character growth. This is complemented by the stunning aerial photography, innovative camera work, and still passable special effects. You don’t get war film's with training sequences, or the dog fights in “Top Gun” and “Star Wars”, without this film.
The one character that stood out as ever-present but confusingly irrelevant was that of Clara Bow’s Mary Preston, the tomboyish “girl next door” who loves Jack and jostles for his attention. With the top billing and no effect on the story, it was no surprise when I learned she was only tagged into the project because she was Paramount’s biggest star. Still, she was charming, brought to the film its ‘20s moxie, and even represented the first, brief example of pre-code female nudity in a mainstream movie in the film's Paris segment. Talk about “draw me like one of your French girls”!
Finally, “Wings” is available to be viewed through rental channels after a 2012 restoration. The heavily cleaned up imagery and remastered audio played like a time machine to the past and helped each character feel larger than life. Though nearly 100 years old, this remastered film holds up and I can’t recommend it enough as an accessible jaunt into 1920’s culture, attitude, historical-narrative, and entertainment. What a perfect last film of 2019 before we venture off into this century’s ‘20s!