The Winner: Wings? Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans? Both of them?
The Other Nominees: Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, The Crowd, The Racket, and 7th Heaven
The Academy Awards had two categories for “Best Picture” in their first year. One was called “Outstanding Picture,” and the three nominees were The Racket, 7th Heaven, and Wings. Wings, a tale of the friendship between fighter pilots in World War II, won. The second category was “Best Unique and Artistic Production,” and the nominees for that award were Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, The Crowd, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. Sunrise, the story of a couple finding their love for each other despite horrific events, won in that category. The designation of Best Unique and Artistic Production was deleted after the first year, and the Academy, in its infinite wisdom, now claims that Wings was the winner of the first Best Picture Oscar. Sure. I’m still going to consider all six movies, however, since they did choose two pictures to win different awards for “best” or “outstanding” that year.
My Choice: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans remains one of the most accomplished and powerful films of the silent era. Wings is great entertainment, certainly, but Sunrise represents the greater artistic achievement in so many ways.
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