The Wings (Swedish: Vingarne) is a 1916 Swedish silent film directed by Mauritz Stiller, starring Nils Asther, Egil Eide, Lars Hanson, Lili Bech, and Julius Hälsig. It was based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel Mikaël, which was the same source Carl Theodor Dreyer used for his 1924 film Michael.
| The Wings | |
|---|---|
 Nils Asther in the film | |
| Directed by | Mauritz Stiller |
| Written by | Axel Esbensen Mauritz Stiller |
| Starring | Nils Asther Egil Eide Lars Hanson Lili Bech Julius Hälsig |
| Cinematography | Julius Jaenzon |
| Distributed by | Svenska Biografteatern |
Release date |
|
Running time | 69 minutes |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Silent (Swedish intertitles) |
Besides being an early gay-themed film, it is also notable for its innovative use of a framing story and telling the plot primarily through the use of flashbacks.
Plot
editThe story is that of a conniving countess (played by Lili Bech) coming between a gay sculptor, Claude Zoret (Egil Eide), and his bisexual model and lover, Mikaël (Lars Hanson), ultimately leading to Zoret's death in a raging storm at the base of a statue of Mikaël as the mythological Icarus.
Preservation status
editThe film is largely lost, with only half an hour surviving of the original 69-minute film. A restoration was made using still photos and title cards to bridge the missing sections in 1987.
External links
edit- Vingarne at IMDb
- The Wings at the Swedish Film Institute Database
