Wings: The Complete Series 1 And 2 [DVD]

I remember it was a big ratings winner in the late 70's when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I took a gamble I bought the series as I only had sketchy memories of a few scenes and characters from thirty years ago. I thought that for the price you couldn't go wrong for 25 episodes. It was well worth it. It is far superior to anything shown over the Christmas period or all year for that matter. A drama following the fortunes of early British pilots in the first world war at the very dawn of air power. My parents and I have really enjoyed it. It's a period drama so has not really aged at all. The stories are well told and the characters are distinct and well performed. These days I feel writers are lazy and they hide silly plot holes with a manic pace ( I'm looking at you Spooks writers ). No modern soap-opera sensationalized rows and tedious `relationship' merry-go-round disputes between semi-clown characters. These stories are credible and are really rich in depth and texture. I particularly liked Michael Cochrane who did a superb job of showing a man under extreme strain. The joy of watching real aircraft over cartoon ones cannot be under-valued either. I watched a few minutes of the historically dubious Red Baron film at around the same time and found the computer generated aircraft silly in both speed, movement and believability in comparison to the solid forms of the rickety and sluggish planes of Wings. It's strange Wings has never been repeated on any of the many channels that show old BBC dramas ( Colditz, Secret Army, House of Elliot, Onedin Line etc ). In my opinion Wings is superior to all of them except Secret Army. Wings was a series that filled the peak time BBC1 slot on Sunday evening at around 7pm. This is when there were only three channels to watch! It's also incredible to me that the three lead actors have vanished into virtual obscurity to only appear in occasional character parts rather than to become house hold names. Tim Woodward probably had the largest scope to appear in more dramas. He has completely vanished from our screens as a leading man. Michael Cochrane and Nicholas Jones have real presence as upper class officers; both in very different and memorable ways. I suspect they may have been type cast in upper class roles ever since. To a modern audience I think Nicholas Jones as Captain Triggers is probably a bit too full throttle. He never seems to relax. He at times reminds me of Lord Flashart from Black Adder Goes Forth - which of course came many years later. All three leads are however superb and it was with real regret that I watched the last part. It really did feel as if I'd lost old friends when I watched the last part. It was good enough for another series. The series had still plenty of bite in it. There was no dropping off in quality over time. It would be great if the BBC could re-unite the leads for a one-off drama set thirty years later just after the second world war. I suspect in the post Star Wars mania era of the late 1970's, the BBC changed to dramas like Blakes 7. It's a shame because even though I'm a Blakes 7 fan, Wings is a much better drama and should be appreciated far more than Blakes 7.

Well, that's it....I finished watching the last episode today of this captivating series. It almost seems like I've shared the same journey as the characters within and didn't want it to end. To be honest, when I played the first episode, and the credits and music started - I thought...ayup! This could turn out to be not quite what I thought it was going to be (sound and picture quality, etc). The pace is quite slow too or it appears that way at first but then you have to make big allowances for the fact that firstly, life 100 years ago was just that (and much simpler) and secondly, the series was made 35 years ago! I think that with those two elements in mind is the reason why it works so well. There's little point in making a glossy, fast paced CGI packed production (like you would expect from todays standards) as it just wouldn't be believable in the slightest. I think it all works beautifully well. I was impressed by the acting of the main characters and I'm not entirely sure whether it was intentional, but there were quite a few scenes where the actors stumbled with their words / lines - this for me, made it even more real. Ok, there was also the odd occasion where a door slammed and the 'wall' wobbled, etc. but again, it didn't spoil it in the slightest. I was particularly impressed with the aerial action and outdoor footage generally, especially the authenticity of the aircraft - even the radio controlled models were brilliantly handled and filmed. I think the producers were spot on with portraying the period and I urge anyone studying (or just interested in) WW1 and particularly the RFC to watch this series. Not necessarily for historical accuracy (I never spotted the steel helmets in 1915 as one reviewer did!) but just to soak up a flavour of what life in the RFC and wider British Army must have been like and the relationship with ordinary life back home. A wonderful series with generous helpings of poignancy and nostalgia thrown in! Glad I bought the series and would definitely recommend buying and watching it. A very worthy addition to your DVD library!

This is one of the most outstanding World War 1 drama's to be every put on DVD. Saw it years ago, and thought it marvelous. This is the Royal Flying Corps at its best. Details are accurate (right down to the nomenclature and then-used phrases, like "Gone West"). Characterizations of the flyers are faithfully portrayed by actors who brought a level of perfection that should not be missed. The series covers many types of combat the RFC was involved in and that makes this one of the most realistic dramas. The home front scenes are also excellent with good character studies of those who waited at home for their boys to return. All the realism is here: the perils of early flight, the thrills and chills of being airborne, the horrors of war in the air (and on the ground in the trenches); all at a time when these original heroes of flying, carried little defensive armament and no parachutes. Whether in the pub or the Officer's Mess, it's all faithfully portrayed. This series represents the true story of the RFC and the men who flew above the trenches...witnessing the War from a completely different perspective. They represented the forerunner of the RAF pilots who would become "The Few" of the next world war. I highly recommend this without reservation.

Everyone in the family is enjoying the series. Thanks very much.

Wonderful series about the Royal Flying Corps in WW1. The series intertwines the lives of people caught up fighting the war and those at home trying to carry on in a normal manner.

This MIGHT be a great series but it is for "Region 2" DVD players (Europe). That means you can't play these DVD's in the USA. I googled how to do it but neither my wife or I were able to make them play. Will be returning the set. It would be nice if Amazon put that on the description of this product.