The 1927 war film Wings, which features a partially nude Clara Bow and the first on-screen kiss between two men, won the first Best Picture Oscar. The film was seen as a recruiting tool by the US War Department and many involved had served as wartime pilots. Wings is one of three films to win Best Picture without earning a Best Director nomination.
The first film to win the Best Picture Oscar was Wings, a 1927 war film that would probably seem quite tame when compared to what cinemas and TV offer today. But while the battle scenes aren’t bloody or even loud — it was a silent film shot in black and white — Wings did offer its share of surprises, including a partially nude Clara Bow and the first time two men shared a kiss on the screen Considering how much attention 2005’s Brokeback Mountain gained from focusing on the romantic relationship between two cowboys and all the talk Roseanne Barr-Mariel Hemingway’s kiss stirred up in a 1994 episode of Roseanne, it’s hard to believe Wings’ kiss could fly. But he did. Part of the reason was that no code was yet in place to restrict such a scene: censorship guidelines weren’t in effect until the mid-1930s. But it might as well have been allowed because it worked. According to author and actor Kevin Sessums, the love between the two fighter pilots who share the kiss felt more real than either of their affections for the female love interest played by Bow.
War, words and wings:
The US War Department saw “Wings” as a recruiting tool and contributed $16 million dollars towards its production.
Many men who worked at Wings had served as wartime pilots, including writer John Monk Saunders and lead actor Richard Arlen.
Wings was the first of three films to win Best Picture without earning a Best Director nomination, to date; the others are Grand Hotel and Driving Miss Daisy.
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