The Set Up In this 1927 silent (the first Academy Award Best Picture), David Armstrong and Jack Powell hail from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. What they do share in common is love for the same woman. These two WWI fighter pilots, although competing against each other at times, share a bond that manifests itself in a historic way. In For The Kill One man is lying on his death bed, and in a surge of emotions upon the impending loss of a loved one, a theatrical, tear-drenched kiss is planted. What Makes It So Great It wasn't uncommon to find two men kissing each other in The Great War, especially in the trenches. Nor was it a shocker that a guy-on-guy kiss made an appearance on the silver screen. Granted, it isn't a romantic kiss per se. But the Wings kiss makes the list for breaking a boundary that wouldn't again be an option until the 1960's when coded Hollywood began to unravel.
Ian Tilman Nichols is a film reviewer and enthusiast based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. You can hear more of his thoughts on films by checking out the It's Only a Podcast and Flicksation podcasts.
