WILLIAM A. WELLMAN
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.
USA, 1927
First Academy Award winner for Best Picture is a rip-roaring adventure of the skies that has rival suitors Charles Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen forget their differences once they enlist and become friends during their many missions together as fighter pilots. Clara Bow plays the girl back home who loves Rogers, even though he’s still obsessed with Arlen’s girlfriend. The setup of this exciting melodrama was cliched even in 1927, but the flying scenes are completely breathtaking. Look for matinee idol Gary Cooper in a cameo role as a doomed pilot.