Wings (1927)
Directed by William A. Wellman
Boasting some spectacular air combat sequences, a beautiful tracking shot accented by a risqué lesbian kiss, plenty of obvious (if likely unintentional) gay subtext, and an overabundance of good old-fashioned 1920s melodrama, William A. Wellman’s Wings has a lot going on – and that’s without even mentioning its win for “Outstanding Picture” at the first ever Academy Awards ceremony. At its core, Wings tells the story of a miscommunicated love triangle set against the backdrop of World War I fighting aces, but what it achieves is much more than the sum of these basic parts. Sure it’s overacted and perhaps a bit overlong, but what Wellman captures both in the air and on the ground is both innovative and enthralling. For anyone serious about film and film history, Wings should be essential viewing.
7th Heaven (1927)
Directed by Frank Borzage
At a glance, the melodrama at work within Frank Borzage’s Oscar-nominated 7th Heaven is the kind of stuff those with only a passing knowledge of silent films always assume all silent films are made of. But, once past whatever surface level presumptions you may be clinging to, you may find a plot oddly similar to the premise of their favorite sitcom or modern romantic comedy – for better or worse. Yes, 7th Heaven contains plenty of sap and schmaltz, but it also has a hell of a lot of heart and humor. There’s the handsome but poor man with big dreams (Charles Farrell, a sewer cleaner who dreams of becoming a street sweeper), the troubled girl whose profession is heavily hinted at but never said aloud (Janey Gaynor), and of course the impulsive act of selflessness that thrusts the unlikely pair together. You might know the drill (meet cute, eventually fall in love, get ripped apart by fate, etc.), but Borzage’s creative cinematography and ability to coax extremely emotive expressions from his actors propels 7th Heaven above many of its contemporaries.
The Racket (1928)
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Upon its release in 1928, screenings of Lewis Milestone’s The Racket were banned in the Chicago area because of its depiction of local government corruption. It was well known in political and criminal circles at the time that Chicago Mayor “Big Bill” Thompson was in the pocket of Al Capone, but that didn’t mean Thompson wanted this information dramatized on the silver screen. It’s unknown what Capone thought of the movie, but I suspect he enjoyed it.
At any rate, The Racket (not to be confused with the 1951 remake starring Robert Mitchum) is a pretty decent early gangster picture, if a bit overworked and far-fetched in places. The plot, as you might expect, centers around a squeaky clean cop (Thomas Meighan) hell-bent on ridding the streets of booze, along with the corrupt criminal organizations who partake in its distribution. Following no shortage of intrigue, swerves, and double-crosses, law and order is eventually restored, and everyone ends up with the fella or dame they’re supposed to. For a morality tale, it’s got a lot of murder and corruption, but that’s just the kind of subversion that makes so many old movies such fun to watch.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.