Serving newspaper readers since 1975... "Fresh Air" listeners since 1985...Rowan University students since 1998... Online visitors since 2007...
FLICK PICKS: The first Oscar winner
WINGS
Monday at 6 a.m., Turner Classic Movies
Wow. That's the way it still feels to watch Wings, even though it was made 80 years ago. The spectacular air combat and free-fall flight sequences retain their thrills, especially since we know they were filmed the old-fashioned way -- by people really performing dangerous stunts, without special effects or computer imaging.
Director Howard Hawks [correction: William Wellman -- see comment below -- DW] knew how to shoot this 1927 World War I saga because he'd been there himself, in the Army air corps. He clearly put all his oomph into the aerial sequences, which fly head and shoulders above the pedestrial love triangle/quadrangle that shifts from the United States to France as the war heats up.
Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Richard Arlen are the buddies with whom Clara Bow and Jobyna Ralston get entangled, while Gary Cooper has a key supporting role in this enduring classic -- recipient of the first best picture Academy Award, at the dawn of movie sound, making it the only silent feature to receive that honor.
Watch a vintage Wings trailer here.
(If you miss the Memorial Day showing, Wings repeats on TCM the night of July 27.)
1 Comments
Leave a comment
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
March 2008
February 2008
DAVID BIANCULLI
Founder / Editor
DIANE WERTS
Managing Editor
CONTRIBUTORS
ED BARK
Uncle Barky's Bytes
P.J. BEDNARSKI
I Like to Watch
MARK BIANCULLI
The Son Also Criticizes
TOM BRINKMOELLER
Raised on MTM
BILL BRIOUX
TV Feeds My Family
THERESA CORIGLIANO
Terri TV
ERIC GOULD
The Cold Light Reader
DIANE HOLLOWAY
Holloway's Couch
NOEL HOLSTON
The Grassy Noel
GERALD JORDAN
Crossing Jordan
ED MARTIN
Ed Martin's TV Mix
ERIC MINK
Tiny Tin Voice
ALAN PERGAMENT
Still TalkinTV
Sign up for a
FREE subscription
for TVWW updates
Wings was directed by William Wellman not Howard hawks.
[Thanks, H -- Right you are, of course! A momentary brain freeze for me. William Wellman, it is. Alliteration confusion, perhaps? Thanks for the correction. Diane]