Tweet Press Release: WINGS (1927) on DVD and BluRay

[Danny Burk]

I watched the blu-ray last night, and it's really a sensational piece of work. The score is wonderful, sound effects appropriate without being overdone, and the image quality is by far the best it's looked, including the one time that I've seen it in 35mm.

A terrific job all around...congratulations and thanks are due to everyone involved!

Danny,

Is there any update on how far UCLA has gotten into it's 35 Millimeter restoration of BEAU GESTE (1926)? It was first mentioned here in July of last year after the AMPAS Summer of Silents series. Proud to say I have programs from every screening I got from a friend. They are really excellent. I will be tough to beat last years schedule.

Rodney,

Guess, I'll have to listen for "AIR FLIGHT" again. You said you only heard a few bars? Not the full composition?

Greg,

Awful to learn that Jeannie Pool received no credit for all her audio work, and than was Axed by Paramount!

I have read many articles commending the hard work that Jeannie Poole accomplished. I am thankful for her dedication to the score for Wings and applaud her.

Not happy to hear that there are people who made significant contributions to this magnificent home video release and not only didn't get credit, but then got dropped. Money talks, bull%&@# walks I guess.

Is that possible to you, fans of the Carl Davis Score, to synchronize the Davis score with this new restored edition???

Nope, the new restoration is at 24fps the Carl Davis score is at 25fps

Wrong. The score could be adjusted digitally to have the tempo and pitch match the print.

Derek

It would be possible to scan an original negative from 1925 such as THE BIG PARADE on highly specialized equipment and with much effort and expense but it is unlikely in the extreme that it could be mastered through any conventional telecine that uses sprockets and film tension.

Most of the new telecine equipment is sprocketless, so that's a moot point. You're correct about the re-grading issue. Somebody would have to decide if the expense could be paid for. Ideally, it should be scanned from the original negative, digitally cleaned-up, and have both a new negative created from digital as well as a hi-def master.

Derek

[Mike Gebert]

Has anyone noticed if all the frames were restored with Clara's racy scene with the mirror...?

I wouldn't know how to tell, but it's pretty racy.

It would be possible to scan an original negative from 1925 such as THE BIG PARADE on highly specialized equipment and with much effort and expense but it is unlikely in the extreme that it could be mastered through any conventional telecine that uses sprockets and film tension.

Most of the new telecine equipment is sprocketless, so that's a moot point. You're correct about the re-grading issue. Somebody would have to decide if the expense could be paid for. Ideally, it should be scanned from the original negative, digitally cleaned-up, and have both a new negative created from digital as well as a hi-def master.

Derek

I'm just not following? All this already been done. The fine grain master struck in 2004 is good enough for me. And a humongous improvement over the 1983 Telecine transfer used for the Thames Silents edition.

Finally saw WINGS, and have a few lighthearted observations. Not sure if this was noted anywhere, but I'll bet the moon that the soldier who refers to "buzzards" near the end is Wiliam Wellman himself.

Also, I kept thinking I was looking at Robert Downey Jr. instead of Buddy Rogers!

Noticed that the brief footage of the real Paris (probably second unit) had 1927 fashions and cars on view rather than 1917.

Also noted quite a wealth of interpolated popular songs of the time in the score, as confirmed in the final credits. "My Buddy" in particular was aptly used. The original score is excellent and am glad it was brought back in newly orchestrated form.

Fantastic film; the filmmaking is anything but stodgy, and a very good introduction to anyone wary of seeing an 85 year old silent movie as something archaic and inaccessible. Clara Bow is a vibrant presence transcending the decades. The aerial sequences with the lead actors are very effective, if not startling, given the actuality of what we're seeing.

[Mike Gebert]

Also, I kept thinking I was looking at Robert Downey Jr. instead of Buddy Rogers!

Ha, same thing occurred to me a few times.

We watched it last night with the Zamecnik score— I had probably seen it only once, in college in a print Films Inc. promised had the Carter score but did not, which meant I had to hastily throw on whatever cassette tapes we had in the booth (the early scenes set to our usual Scott Joplin for comedy shorts). It was easy to accept Maltin's 2-1/2 star rating then as being fair judgement on a thinly-plotted spectacle. Seeing it presented as well as one can possibly imagine it being presented, we were all swept into the film far more effectively than in that muddy 16mm showing, and it seemed to draw you in every bit as tautly as Beggars of Life (whose opening sequence is, to my mind, one of the all-time great illustrations of how to hook an audience shot by shot). Arlen was surprisingly effective, a sensitive kid who just happens to be built like a bruiser— far and away the best thing he ever did. At the end, both my kids were crying. Only thing I wasn't wild about was the Handschiegl effects, which to my mind made realistic battle scenes seem cartoonish; but it's true to what they did in 1927, so they were right to include them. A magnificent release, no question this release belongs near the top of the list of "DVDs to show a newbie and hook them on the power of silents."

When I first saw Wings, I always ask myself:

Why the character suddenly get gray hair in the end of the film???

[Mike Gebert]

"He went off to war a boy, and returned a man."

I was wishing some scientific explanation...

"He went off to war a boy, and returned a man."

Finally saw WINGS, and have a few lighthearted observations. Not sure if this was noted anywhere, but I'll bet the moon that the soldier who refers to "buzzards" near the end is Wiliam Wellman himself.

Also, I kept thinking I was looking at Robert Downey Jr. instead of Buddy Rogers!

Noticed that the brief footage of the real Paris (probably second unit) had 1927 fashions and cars on view rather than 1917.

Also noted quite a wealth of interpolated popular songs of the time in the score, as confirmed in the final credits. "My Buddy" in particular was aptly used. The original score is excellent and am glad it was brought back in newly orchestrated form.

Fantastic film; the filmmaking is anything but stodgy, and a very good introduction to anyone wary of seeing an 85 year old silent movie as something archaic and inaccessible. Clara Bow is a vibrant presence transcending the decades. The aerial sequences with the lead actors are very effective, if not startling, given the actuality of what we're seeing.

That broken down old bomb that Buddy fixes up drives in the beginning of the film would have looked rather new in 1917 or perhaps even not built yet. That scene is more the thing a boy tinkerer circa 1927 would be doing.

I have read that that soldier you mentioned was indeed Wellman.

Finally watched the restoration in its entirety last night, along with a group of friends I had over. I liked it even better this time; an absolutely incredible film in this incarnation, and now my favourite war film. My entire audience was hooked from frame one, and when the aerial madness started they were gasping in astonishment. Huge round of applause at the end. What a revelation this restoration is; the film looks pristine, the orchestra score is perfection, and the surround sound effects make you feel like you're right there with the characters.

As for Wellman's cameo, it is confirmed in the included documentary as the doomed soldier with the buzzard line.

Yes, I caught up with the extras and the Wellman cameo was mentioned--as well as his wife's appearance, which I didn't know before! The documentary made me wish more silents were getting the WINGS treatment from their respective studios, but WINGS is an excellent example of what can be done. Good to see Wellman Jr. witnessing all this!

A lot more silent films could get the treatment Wings received. It's a matter of restorers trust in foreign companies who haver lower prices and fine quality.

just got my copy today in the mail! will try to watch it sometime when i have some free time (maybe this friday night).

I am glad to read here (and everywhere!) how much everyone is enjoying the restoration and music/sound effects on Wings. I knew in my gut that the long wait would be worth it and I knew when I first saw the results in late August at Paramount that people would go nuts! Let us all hope that further restorations take place along similar lines!

So has anybody seen this lovely painted Movie Herald page before for WINGS? Anyone have more pages? It was sent to me by my friend Christopher yesterday.

Thank you for posting these. What wonderful things to see! A lack of something like this printed out and included is one of the few tiny gripes I have about this video release. I love things like that, and I have a few WB DVD's that gratefully include them.

I don't recognize the photo at the top left as being in the film (the one which seems to be labeled "shot down behind enemy lines") -- while one of the characters IS shot down behind enemy lines, he's never surrounded by officers. Is that a scene cut from the film? Or is it mislabeled and it's just one of the heros being welcomed back after a successful run?

Rodney,

In one of the Mini-Documentaries on the Blu-ray release they mention that WINGS was originally 14 reels long. The surviving safety is 13 reels. A reel was later cut even in road show engagements. Though not until it had been screened allot of places already. I already asked if it contained any additional footage of Clara Bow or especially Jobyna Ralston. Something that confirms that David Armstrong actually knew Mary Preston. I didn't get an answer about it. I don't think a full reel was removed, but rather footage that amounted to a full reel from several reels throughout the picture.

I don't recognize the photo at the top left as being in the film (the one which seems to be labeled "shot down behind enemy lines") -- while one of the characters IS shot down behind enemy lines, he's never surrounded by officers. Is that a scene cut from the film? Or is it mislabeled and it's just one of the heros being welcomed back after a successful run?

I have a few stills from the film of scenes which do not appear.

[Christopher Jacobs]

My Blu-ray of WINGS arrived in yesterday's mail. Last night I watched the hour's worth of bonus documentaries (all very good, and all in HD), and did some spot-checking of a number of scenes with both scores. The picture quality is very good, although not quite up to the quality on Kino's THE GENERAL Blu-ray and some of the other silents a generation or two closer to the original camera negative. And much as I still like the Gaylord Carter organ score, it is the restored Zamecnick orchestra accompaniment combined with the brilliantly-incorporated sound effects that really bring WINGS to life in a way I've never previously experienced it.

The film with the organ track runs 2:18:48, while the film with the orchestra score is 2:24:17. The extra time covers the opening overture, the intermission music, and I expect the restoration credits at the end as the exit music plays. I skimmed through much of the movie and made a few notes for anyone who might want to try giving a theatrical-style presentation in their home theatres, indicating the time cues for curtains, lights, and one or two Magnascope sequences. I haven't yet gone through much of the second section, so I didn't give the timings for the last aerial scenes that might also have been in Magnascope, or for the ending lights-up half or close-curtain cues. (I don't personally have a functioning curtain in front of my screen, unfortunately. Maybe some day. But I do have my lights on a dimmer, and the Magnascope effect can be done with the projector remote, either by zooming the whole picture larger or more easily by zooming with the aspect ratio button to fill the 16x9 frame (the only option if you don't have a projector). The two aerial sequences I timed for Magnascope look mostly okay at 16x9 with the top and bottom cropping, especially the first one which almost appears to have been protected for 1.66 if not 1.85, but some other aerial sequences have frequent cutting to ground scenes that suffer greatly if they're cropped.

0:00:00 Overture Lights still up
0:00:35 Paramount logo montage Lower lights half (open curtain)
0:01:39 Original Main Title Lights out

-- after title: "The whir of wings..."
0:41:18 planes take off Magnascope sequence 1 (zoom to full 16x9)
0:50:45 fadeout after drink in British trenches (back to pillarbox 4x3)
-- title: "Weeks pass. The fledgling flyers..."

-- shortly after titles "All set" & "O.K."
0:55:59 LS boys taking off Magnascope sequence 2 (zoom to full 16x9)
1:03:47 fadeout before title "The reward of valor" (back to pillarbox 4x3)

1:05:54 End Part 1 fadeout Curtain & lights up half
1:06:00 INTERMISSION title
1:07:17 music fades out Lights up full (pause disc)


1:07:19 Part 2 first title Lights out & open curtain

2:24:17 END - Lights up full

Finally caught up with WINGS on DVD last night - what a great restoration job and a fun film. I only noticed two or three instances where missing frames caused a small jump in the flow of the action. The "making-of" featurette was good too. I saw this many years ago on TV and enjoyed it, but it was a real pleasure to see the new, practically pristine picture and terrific orchestral score.

A few observations of my own:

The plot and pacing are very well-structured. Nice dramatic arc, just enough family drama and romance elements to balance the action scenes, along with a final tragedy and an upbeat ending. The fact that Buddy Rogers is basically a jerk throughout the film until he "grows up" and is changed by his experiences seems to be a template followed by a lot of the flag-waving movies made just before and during the Second World War.

Despite Arlen's (let's just say "low key") acting style in this film, which is mostly composed of wistful, sheepish, resigned navel-gazing, he's definitely the most likable and sympathetic character in the picture. And Clara is adorable and incredibly sexy in equal amounts - a standout in a genre in which the female romantic interest is usually perfunctory.

I found the build-up to the real flying scenes interesting and very smart. The boxy airplane model used for the title is distractingly fake, and the next few scenes with aircraft use shadows cast against the ground. We finally see the actual aerial gymnastics only when it counts and for the greatest impact - the first combat and beyond. Clever to wait until after the first couple of acts before pulling out the film's visual trump card. (Too bad they had to resort to a few obvious but well-done model shots of aircraft later on, but I'm not complaining - they're well-done.)

The added sound effects worked very well, although I doubt they represent what we would have heard in 1927 - a bit too precise. Does anyone know if these were done "live" during the original prestige screenings or were they synched up from discs? And just my opinion, but full orchestral scores for these big films beats a single (albeit talented) organist or pianist. The new recording of the score is fantastic.

I'm looking forward to revisiting HELL'S ANGELS after seeing this again and wonder if its early talkie dialogue recording techniques will make WINGS seem even better by comparison. For instance, I think ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT works a lot better in its silent version.

Apologies for the long post, but I really enjoyed seeing WINGS all cleaned up and shining and wanted to voice my enthusiasm.


Bob Meyer

Just a short follow-up -- Mont Alto just accompanied Wings to the 35mm film print from Paramount, at the Denver Silent Film Festival. The 35mm looks excellent, and contains the hand-colored gunshots and flames. The history of that -- did they have color on film in a different source? Did they go from digital back to film, at least for those scenes? I have no idea. On the screen (at least, from off to the side where I sit at the piano) the orange was not as bright as my experience of seeing it on the BluRay and from DCP, which I thought was just fine. There were a few spots where our score was off by a few bars that may have been shorter scenes, or perhaps places where reel changeovers got us out of phase, but mostly it stayed exactly where we expected compared to playing to the DVD in rehearsal. This score is particularly "tight," and shows pretty small differences in timing.

The 35mm print also has the "parade of Paramount logos through the ages" at the beginning, but since we hadn't included that in our reconstructed score, we had the projectionist start with the historic Paramount title for this screening.

i volunteer at one of the national air and space museums. some time ago we got a call from someone that wanted to complain (over the phone) about that the german planes in wings where not german planes. said after, the movie is 86 years old, why complain now?

i volunteer at one of the national air and space museums. some time ago we got a call from someone that wanted to complain (over the phone) about that the german planes in wings where not german planes. said after, the movie is 86 years old, why complain now?

You should have told him to go shout his complaint at the ocean, where Wellman's ashes were scattered.