Wings, Dr. Strangelove: Film preservation and ‘Amazing Tales from the Archives’ (photo: Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Clara Bow, Richard Arlen in William A. Wellman’s Wings) The 2012 San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s edition of "Amazing Tales from the Archives" was perhaps the weakest of the series to date. In the past, they have done a wonderful job demonstrating the excitement of finding lost films and footage, assembling them together, preserving and restoring them. This installment revolved around the "Digital Age," and did not concentrate only on silent film. The reconstruction of William A. Wellman’s Wings (1927), the first Best Picture (or "Best Production") Academy Award winner, was a familiar story of how an old film print could be dusted off and used for the production of a Digital Cinema Package. By now, we all are aware of the importance of film preservation, which is part detective work and part modern technology.
- 6/4/2013
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Chicago – By today’s standards, “Wings” would be more expensive than any movie ever made. That’s what an undertaking this legendary film was for Paramount in the ’20s. The biggest studio in the world set out to make the biggest film in history, presenting viewers with things they had never seen before and pushing the boundaries of what was capable on celluloid. Sadly, “Wings” has somewhat become an answer to a trivia question and the remarkable quality of the film itself has been underappreciated by time. This glorious Blu-ray restoration should help fix that oversight.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
As the Blu-ray version of the film opens, the Paramount logo cycles back through its different iterations, arriving at what it was in 1927 when “Wings” was released. It’s a brilliant overture, taking us back in time. A sepia-tinged plane flies overhead and the gloriously-reconstructed score, which was rerecorded by a modern...
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
As the Blu-ray version of the film opens, the Paramount logo cycles back through its different iterations, arriving at what it was in 1927 when “Wings” was released. It’s a brilliant overture, taking us back in time. A sepia-tinged plane flies overhead and the gloriously-reconstructed score, which was rerecorded by a modern...
- 2/3/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.