Toronto Silent Film Festival: WINGS
Soar through the skies with the Winner of the 1st Academy Award for Best Picture!
Wings not only won the first Oscar, it’s superbly choreographed stunt flying and aerial combat scenes are considered masterpieces and have influenced hundreds of films to this day.
Two best friends enlist and go overseas seeking adventure and become heroic flying aces in WWI France. Clara Bow, the “It” girl and Paramount's hottest star, in love with her best friend, enlists as an ambulance driver to keep close to him. At the front, the action heats up in more ways than one!
Legendary director “Wild Bill” Wellman convinced the US army to lend him 220 planes for his WWI flying ace veterans to re-enact full throttle aerial dogfights and crashes. Even the two male stars learned to fly so their cockpit close-ups could be authentic. And as breathtaking as they are, romance is not lost as Clara Bow’s sexuality sizzles on the screen. As a bonus, a young rising actor, Gary Cooper, makes a lasting impression in his memorable scene.
Buckle up-from battles in the air to lively café scenes in Paris, this fully restored masterpiece, including the specialized Handschiegl colouring in the aerial fights, will take you on a thrilling cinematic ride.
Live piano accompaniment by Jordan Klapman
$15 in advance from The Fox Theatre or at the door.