Wings

With original musical score and accompaniment by Daniel Lloyd

Before "Top Gun" there was "Wings," the 1927 silent film about World War I fighter pilots, which received the first-ever Oscar for best picture. Charles Rogers and Richard Arlen play two men from the same small town, romantic rivals vying for the attention of the beautiful Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston) and ignoring Mary (Clara Bow), the pretty "girl next door." Both men enlist to fight in the war, and grow from romantic rivals into fast friends during the rigorous training period before flying against the Germans in Europe. Meanwhile, Mary finds her own way to Europe as an ambulance driver. The fog of war pervades the plot as missed romantic opportunities, misunderstandings, and a tragedy beset our main characters.

Directed by William A Welman, 1927, 144 mins., not rated, silent with English intertitles. On DVD. $10; $5 for MIA members. To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online »