NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 443, 27 August 1928, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“WINGS” “Wings" is a war picture, but it shows war the like of which has never been seen on the screen before. It is war from the air, a thrilling battle of war eagles. But “Wings” is more than that, for it has also an intensely human story, of two boys and a girl in their quiet lives before 1914 and the reconstruction of their livfs afterwards.' The immensity of the theme, the vastness of the action, and the power with which the absorbing story is woven, mark “Wings” as a great picture. The central players are Richard Arlen and Charles Rogers, who are two young aviators in France, and Clara Bow, who plays the role of Mary Preston. One of the many thrilling incidents of the picture is when the enemy learns that the tiny village of Mervale is packed with munitions and jammed with billeted regiments. It has also been attacked by "flu, and a Red Cross car driven by Mary Preston is a daily visitor. A mighty Gotha, escorted by two swift battle planes, starts out to blow Mervale off the map. The machines are sighted, and Jack and David rise to give battle. As Jack hurls .himself at the Gotha, David tackles the two battle planes, sending one crashing to earth and the other scurrying home. Jack’s triumphant fight with the Gotha is watched by Mary, who is thrilled when she hears that the hero is the flying fool they call the shooting star, for Jack has painted the star on plane just as he did on the old motor back home. In the final scenes of this picture, however, there is real pathos and tragedy. “Wings” is preceded by a short picture entitled “Knights of the Air,” telling the story of aviation from the first short flights. Special sound effects are produced during certain qf the scenes. When a plane is seen to crash, and fall, the sound of the crash, as well as the whining of the wires and the struts through the air, is reproduced with realism, to the amazement of the audience. A special musical accompaniment is presented by the Regent Operatic Orchestra, under Mr. Maurice Guttridge.