Wings (1928)

The one and only silent film to ever win Best Picture...

Starring: Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen and Gary Cooper
--The only semi-noteworthy name I found was Bow. I recognized the name from 1920's pop culture, but I'm sure most people would skip over it just like I skipped over the other two guys, who, for all I know, could have been the best things since sliced bread. Cooper only actually appears in about 4 minutes of the movie, but since he was a big name later on, I suppose he was added to the credits years later for that extra little oomph.

Quick Synopsis: The movie takes place during WWI. Two men go off to battle hating each other, then bond over their shared experience. They become the best of friends, despite the fact that they are both in love with the same woman. Meanwhile, Bow's character is left behind to quietly weep for one of the men, whom she is not-so-secretly in love with. The end of the movie brings about the tragic death of one of our heroes, but also brings the triumph of love for two of the characters.

My Viewing Experience:

First of all, I need to mention again that this was a SILENT FILM. Two hours and eighteen minutes of grainy black-and-white picture, orchestra music, and miming is a lot to handle. Not gonna lie, I may have hit the fast forward button a time or two. However, one can see how this was an admirable film in its time.

While the special effects were nothing to say, George Lucas, they were impressive when you think about the fact that they were done 90 years ago. The planes actually look like they are flying through the air, not suspended by strings with a wind machine blowing them around. I have to imagine that the budget for this movie was pretty extensive, given the amount of flaming objects that descended during aerial fights. The only thing that amused me in regards to special effects were the crashes. Apparently, my notions about plane crashes were all wrong. You see, I used to be under the assumption that planes burst into a thousand pieces, scattering debris and (gasp) bodies for miles upon impact. But no, no, no. That is all wrong. What actually happens is the plane spirals to the ground, where, upon impact, the nose crunches a little and tips over gently. If you're really unlucky, you snap a wing. The pilot can, in fact, walk away from a dog fight completely unscathed. I now feel more comfortable flying circa 1928 then I do riding a bicycle down a hill. Thank goodness Director William A. Wellman cleared that one up for me.

To me, silent movies, whether tear-jerkers or comedies, all leave me wanting to giggle a little bit. It's probably do to with the over-dramatic acting that actors have to use to compensate for the lack of vocals. For this reason, I found the climactic scene where one of the character dies, to be mildly humorous. I know that sounds terrible, because I really did like the guy, but it was just a little too much bromance for me, personally. It looked like I was watching a scene out of Brokeback Mountain. But, I guess when one man unknowingly shoots down his best friend, some dramatic cheek pressing and neck carressing is in order.

Overall, I would say this movie probably deserved the award it received. Although, I have to admit that I have not seen any of its competitors to offer evidence to the contrary.

I should add that I now own this classic film, because no where in the world has it available to rent. Thank goodness for Amazon.

The Project - Academy Award Winners

I've wanted to start a blog ever since seeing Julie & Julia this summer with my mom and grandmother. Unlike the character Julie, I have no intention of trying to cook my way through a French cook book and share it with the world. A) I don't have the budget to be buying whole ducks (that's what being a college student in California will do to a girl) and B) My boyfriend could out-cook me any day. Which makes me feel like somewhat a failure of a woman, even though this is no longer 1952.

So I thought long and hard about anything interesting I could possibly have to say to the world. I doubt the bloggers out there want to hear about my drunken escapades of freshman year at San Diego State University (although that would provide great entertainment for some, it would most certainly not paint a pretty picture of myself), or about the ins and outs of my relationship (although I do think my roommates get great pleasure out of the stories I tell). And then it hit me. Movies. And no I'm not talking about the fact that I own 3 copies of Legally Blonde, or that I couldn't make it through the acid-head ramblings of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. About two years ago I took on a project that I didn't follow through with at the time, but will now tackle again with this blog being the motivation for me to complete it.

I have decided to watch every single Best Picture Academy Award Winner. Some would argue that these are the best movies to ever have been made, seeing as how they were the ones who achieved the coveted title of Best Picture. There have been 81 in total, of which I have watched approximately 33. I say approximately because I don't think I should count the movies that I know I've seen at some point but can't remember any significant details of, and those movies that I have seen only parts or edited versions of. Such as, the Godfather, which I have seen on television. Given the high amounts of gore and swearing that I'm sure occur in this movie, it doesn't seem fair that I should give it a review based on a version I saw on broadcast television.

Now, for the purposes of this blog, I will give my opinions and views of each movie as I go down the list. I will watch, or in some cases re-watch, each movie on the list, then write a blog about whatever I feel needs to be said about the movie. Why, you ask, should I be interested in what this 21 year old college student thinks about critically acclaimed movies throughout the ages? Well here is your answer: When I was 9 years old, I played the part of a talking pig in my school's rendention of The Three Little Pigs. This acting achievement was followed by my directorial debut in my 9th grade Drama class. (I got a B-.) These triumphs, coupled with the fact that my mother had me watching so many black-and-white movies with her that I grew up thinking Cary Grant was still alive and well, make me an excellent blogger on the subject of films.

So with that being said, I invite you to join me on this journey through the film reels of yesteryear and enjoy the greatest films ever made. Stay tuned for my first review of the first movie to ever achieve the title of "Best Picture"...