Short and Sweet:
It is the year 1917. Jack Powell is a young man who loves fast cars and dreams of becoming a pilot. His neighbor, Mary Preston, is madly in love with him, but he seems unaware of her feelings. Instead, he is in love with Sylvia Lewis, who is in a relationship with the wealthy David Armstrong.
When the United States enters World War I, both young men volunteer for the American Flying Corps, where they become friends. As they engage in numerous aerial battles over France, Mary Preston volunteers for the Women’s Motor Corps of the Red Cross to move on from Jack and also ends up in France.
During a final large-scale offensive by the U.S. forces, David is shot down behind enemy lines. German infantry tries to capture him, but he refuses to surrender. When they open fire on him, he throws himself into a river, faking his own death…
Content:
It is the year 1917. Jack Powell is a young man who loves fast cars and dreams of becoming a pilot. His neighbor, Mary Preston, is madly in love with him, but he seems unaware of her feelings. Instead, he is in love with Sylvia Lewis, who is in a relationship with the wealthy David Armstrong.
When the United States enters World War I, both young men volunteer for the American Flying Corps, where they become friends. While they engage in numerous aerial battles over France, Mary Preston volunteers for the Women’s Motor Corps of the Red Cross to get over Jack and also ends up in France.
One day, all soldiers on leave are recalled to the front for a major offensive. In Paris, Mary spots Jack’s name on a list and finds him at the Folies Bergère in the company of a beautiful Frenchwoman. However, Jack is so drunk that he does not recognize Mary. She borrows a dancer’s dress and lures him away from the Frenchwoman. But in the hotel room, Jack merely sleeps off his intoxication.
During a final large-scale attack by U.S. forces, David is shot down behind enemy lines. German infantry attempts to capture him, but he refuses to surrender. When they open fire, he throws himself into a river and fakes his own death. The German pilot Captain Kellermann later drops a message over the English airfield, announcing David’s supposed demise.
The next day, consumed by a thirst for revenge, Jack, unable to find enemy aircraft, strafes German ground troops, causing a massacre. On his way back, he spots a lone German plane flying in the same direction. It is actually David, who has stolen a German aircraft and is escaping his pursuers. However, Jack does not recognize him. Seeing only the enemy insignia, he shoots down the plane and lands near the wreck to cut the emblem from the tail as a trophy. By then, infantry troops have already gathered around the dying pilot. A Frenchwoman calls Jack over, and to his horror, he realizes that he has killed his own friend.
Jack returns home and is celebrated as a hero. His visit to David’s parents is not as terrible as he feared. Overcome with grief, they absolve Jack of guilt, just as David and the French had done before. “That is simply the nature of war.”
In the end, Jack and Mary find each other. Jack confesses his small misstep in France, and she forgives him—without mentioning that she herself was the mysterious woman that night. Thus, the war at least has a happy ending for these two.
(Source: Wikipedia)
About the Film:
Wings was filmed between September 7, 1926, and April 7, 1927, in Bexar County, Texas, at Camps Bullis and Stanley, in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, as well as in Tucson, Arizona. The aerial sequences were shot at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. Hundreds of extras were hired for the film, and over 300 pilots participated in the aerial footage. Editing and preparations for the premiere took six weeks.
The American war film Wings won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the first-ever Oscar ceremony in 1929.
On the cusp of the sound film era, Paramount Pictures released the film both as a silent version and with an optical soundtrack featuring orchestral music and sound effects. This soundtrack was recorded using General Electric’s “Kinegraphone” process, later known as RCA Photophone. It included orchestral accompaniment and incidental sounds but no spoken dialogue.
Wings is considered one of the greatest aviation films of all time and was produced over nine months with an unprecedented budget of two million US dollars for its time. It was the first Hollywood production to collaborate extensively with the U.S. Army, which provided significant support for the filming. As a result, the flight and battle scenes were so realistic and spectacular that for a long time, many believed director William A. Wellman had used actual World War I footage.
Register:
William August Wellman (1896–1975) was an American film director. From the 1920s until 1958, he directed over 80 feature films, some of which are still considered classics today. Wellman himself had been a pilot during World War I.
William Wellman came from a distinguished East Coast family with roots tracing back to the founders of the United States. One of his great-great-grandfathers, Francis Lewis, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
After a turbulent youth, during which he was even sentenced to probation for theft, Wellman joined the French Foreign Legion during World War I. When the United States entered the war in 1917, he transferred to the American Air Service as a pilot and became a member of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille. Following a crash and severe injuries, Wellman was discharged from the military. He was highly decorated, receiving the Croix de Guerre and numerous other honors.
After the war, he worked as a stunt pilot and, through this, came into contact with the Hollywood film industry. He became a stunt flyer in Hollywood. His entry into the film business was unusual: Wellman crashed his private plane into a barn on the ranch of Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
His first film was as an actor in 1919, but he soon transitioned to directing silent films.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Musical Score:
The musical version by Wilfried Kaets follows the dramaturgical processes of its time, but it is a new composition that also integrates experimental elements and sound effects from the original film’s soundtrack.
The music closely reflects the emotional developments of the characters and the storyline, while also providing space for a contemporary composer’s and critic’s perspective on the historical context and the horrors of war.