The Oscars Take Off With 'Wings'

From Wings to Shakespeare in Love, the Oscars have quite a history. It's easy to remember the films that have won the Best Picture Oscar in the past ten or even twenty years and even easier to see why. The films that were bestowed this same honor the first ten years of the Academy Awards were also outstanding films whose quality stands up to the winners of today. Here's a look at the films that were the first to receive one of the greatest awards in the film industry:

Wings (1927/1928)

A story of two men, played by Charles 'Buddy' Rogers and Richard Arlen, who are in love with the same woman. Set during World War I, the two men enlist in the Army Air Corps and the woman in the Women's Motor Corps. The love story is quickly overshadowed by the outstanding combat flying sequences, which undoubtedly helped Wings become the first Best Picture winner.


The Broadway Melody (1928/1929)

Not surprisingly, this film can claim an outstanding score. This story of two sisters who take their vaudeville act to Broadway is somewhat dated, yet there are definitely some acting sequences that should not be missed. The story is not a new one today: Eddie is in love with Harriet; then he falls in love with Queenie who think she's in love with Jack. Jack does not really love Quennie, and Harriet finally realizes Eddie is in love with Queenie. Confused? I guess you'll just have to watch it.


All Quiet on the Western Front (1929/1930)

This movie is based on a novel by Erich Maria Remarque. It is a powerful story about several German boys and their experiences as soldiers in World War I.

Paul Baumer (played by Lew Ayres): You still think it's beautiful to die for your country? The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for a country, it's better not to die at all.

Cimarron (1930/1931)

Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) is a man from Wichita who moves his family to a plot of free land he has claimed in Oklahoma. He is also a man of may trades, including a lawyer and a newspaper man. After establishing himself in the new Oklahoma town, Cravat becomes restless and heads for the Cherokee Strip. As a result of leaving his wife behind for a long period of time, Sabra Cravat (Irene Dunne) becomes an independent woman who makes her place in the town her husband left behind.

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