What defined cinema in 1927?

The year 1927 was a significant period in film history, marked by the release of influential silent classics and early experiments with synchronized sound. Notable films from this year include the pioneering science-fiction epic Metropolis, the war romance Wings, and the star vehicle It, which popularized the concept of the "it girl". Many of these monumental motion pictures later entered the public domain and were recognized for preservation by national and international registries.

What we know

• The 1927 American war film Wings won the first Academy Award for Outstanding Picture at the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony. [4]
• Fritz Lang directed the 1927 German expressionist science-fiction film Metropolis, which is regarded as a pioneering feature in its genre. [5]
• The 1927 film It starred Clara Bow and popularized the concept of the "it girl" after becoming a major box office hit. [3]
• Wings was released with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, though its sound version contained no audible dialogue. [4]

Still open

• Critics initially offered mixed receptions to Metropolis, with some praising its visual beauty while others criticized its story as naive or simplistic.

Where to go next

• how it workedHow did Wings achieve its realistic air-combat scenes?
• how we knowWhat was the initial reception to Metropolis?
• whoWho was Clara Bow?
• the bigger pictureHow did German expressionism influence early science fiction?
• whenWhat films won the Academy Award for Best Picture in the 1920s?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a damaged print found in Argentina complete a German science-fiction masterpiece?A long-lost print of Fritz Lang's Metropolis was discovered in an Argentine museum in 2008, allowing restorers to bring the film to within five minutes of its original running time.

Sources

• [1]1927 in film (Wikidata Q848086) · CC0 1.0
• [2]1927 in film · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]It (1927 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Wings (1927 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Metropolis (1927 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0