There is nothing more exciting for a movie fan then the Oscars. Like the Superbowl for football, the Oscars is a time for the whole movie industry to gather and celebrate the achievements of cinema. It’s been said that you can’t know where you are headed till you see where you have been, so in that spirit let’s take a look at the films that have won the coveted award of Best Picture, as we prepare for this year’s Oscars Awards!
Title: Wings
Year: 1927
Starring: Clara Bowe, Charles Rogers, Gary Cooper
Director: William A. Wellman
Runtime: 2 hrs 24 mins (Restored)
Is It Any Good?: It’s fantastic. Charming in every way possible. What it lacks in words it makes up for in cutting edge visuals and a great screenplay. We get an odd little love triangle in which Mary (Bowe) has a crush on Jack (Rogers), while Jack has unrequited love for Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston), and instead, Sylvia loves David. As World War I gets into full swing David and Jack are both called to duty leaving Mary behind. She doesn’t like that idea and decides to enlist as an ambulance driver of sorts. All this to be closer to Jack. Here’s where not only the comedy but the brilliant action scenes take place.
Memorable Quote: Mary: “D’you know what you can do when you see a shooting star…you can kiss the girl you love!”
Competition: Not so stiff. It was only up against 2 other films one was The Racket whose only existing copy was found here in Las Vegas at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Go Rebels! This film was banned in Chicago during its original run due to its portrayal of police corruption. And the other film was the very strong 7th Heaven which in 1995 got selected and placed in the National Film Registry. An interesting year here in that officially Sunset: A Tale of Two Humans could also be considered a winner. However, since the official recognized winner was Wings that is what we’re going with.
What do you guys think? Would you like to see us make it all the way to this year’s best picture winner? What about the format? Let us know in the comments below! I’m available on all the social medias @FilmSnobReviews. Please feel free to discuss this with me.
