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First Gay Kiss in film history - Wings 1927
You are correct that Wings (1927) is famously cited as featuring the first male-male kiss in mainstream cinema history. The film, which was the first ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, contains a poignant scene where Jack (Buddy Rogers) kisses a dying David (Richard Arlen). While modern audiences often view this as a landmark of queer cinema, the scene was originally intended to portray fraternal platonic love between soldiers facing death in World War I.
The Scene in Context
The Moment
In the film's climax, David lies dying from a gunshot wound. Jack, realizing he has mistakenly shot his own friend in an aerial dogfight, rushes to his side. Overcome with grief, Jack kisses David on the lips and cheek. The intimacy was accepted by 1920s audiences as a display of "camaraderie" rather than romance, partially due to the lack of rigid censorship codes (the Hays Code) that would be enforced in the 1930s.
In the film's climax, David lies dying from a gunshot wound. Jack, realizing he has mistakenly shot his own friend in an aerial dogfight, rushes to his side. Overcome with grief, Jack kisses David on the lips and cheek. The intimacy was accepted by 1920s audiences as a display of "camaraderie" rather than romance, partially due to the lack of rigid censorship codes (the Hays Code) that would be enforced in the 1930s.
Earlier Historical Precedents
1
1895
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film
Often referred to as "The Gay Brothers," this 17-second test film by William Dickson for Thomas Edison shows two men waltzing together while a third plays the violin. It is considered the earliest surviving example of same-sex affection on film.
Often referred to as "The Gay Brothers," this 17-second test film by William Dickson for Thomas Edison shows two men waltzing together while a third plays the violin. It is considered the earliest surviving example of same-sex affection on film.
2
1919
Different from the Others (Anders als die Andern)
A German silent film that is explicitly pro-gay, created as a plea to repeal Germany's Paragraph 175 (which criminalized homosexuality). Unlike the subtext in Wings, this film openly depicts a romantic relationship between a violinist and his student.
A German silent film that is explicitly pro-gay, created as a plea to repeal Germany's Paragraph 175 (which criminalized homosexuality). Unlike the subtext in Wings, this film openly depicts a romantic relationship between a violinist and his student.
3
1922
Manslaughter
Some historians credit Cecil B. DeMille's Manslaughter with the first erotic same-sex kiss, though it is far less documented in popular culture than the scene in Wings.
Some historians credit Cecil B. DeMille's Manslaughter with the first erotic same-sex kiss, though it is far less documented in popular culture than the scene in Wings.
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William Wellman’s WINGS was the first film to win the “Best Picture” Academy Award in 1929 and it features a (barely) subtextual bourgeoning love between its leading men. The film follows two fighter pilots in World War I, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and Dave (Richard Arlen), who are in love with the same woman, Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston). Adding to the romantic complications of the film, Clara Bow stars as the girl-next-door/ambulance driver who is in love with Jack. Dave and Jack start as rivals, but after proving their courage to one another in a boxing match they become very…close. Vito Russo noted in his 1981 book “The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies” that despite the talk of heterosexual love, the only scene of intense romance in the film is between the two men leading to one of the first male/male kisses in Hollywood history. Interestingly, the kiss in WINGS isn’t the only queer moment
The 1927 film *Wings* features one of the first male-male kisses in Hollywood history. The kiss is between the two leading men in the film, Jack (Charles "Buddy" R
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Can you show how a historian would analyze this, citing as many sources as possible to show the meaning of this in historical context -- view the film like a historian!
A historian's analysis of the famous kiss in Wings (1927) reveals it as a cinematic "Rorschach test"—a moment where meaning shifts entirely depending on the era of the viewer. To a film historian, the scene is not just a "first," but a window into the Pre-Code era's unique permissiveness and the specific cultural processing of World War I trauma. While modern queer theory reclaims the scene as a landmark of same-sex romance, historical evidence suggests it was originally crafted and received as the ultimate expression of "fraternal love"—a bond forged in the trenches that transcended societal norms of masculinity.
The 1927 Lens: The "Buddy" Alibi
In 1927, audiences did not view this interaction through the binary of "gay vs. straight." The film operates under the "Deathbed Exemption," a dramatic trope where impending death grants characters permission to express physical intimacy that would otherwise be taboo. Historians note that the devastation of WWI created a cultural understanding of "trench intimacy"—where the physical closeness of soldiers was seen as a necessary psychological defense against horror, rather than a sexual act.
- Cultural Context: Romantic Friendship: The 19th-century concept of intense, non-sexual emotional bonds between men was still lingering in the cultural memory.
- The Narrative Alibi: Rivalry to Love: Jack and David begin as rivals for the same woman (Sylvia), framing their eventual intimacy as the resolution of conflict rather than the start of romance.
- Silent Era Acting: Physicality: Without dialogue, silent films relied on heightened physical touch (kissing, holding) to convey any strong emotion, whether platonic or romantic.
The Queer Lens: Subtext & Reclamation
- The Russo Analysis
Vito Russo noted that while the film text emphasizes their love for the same woman, the visual text shows them having "no such intensity of feeling" for her as they do for each other. He categorizes this as a moment where the camera reveals a truth the script tries to hide.
The Structural Shift: Before & After the Code
1
1927
Wings Released: The kiss is accepted by censors and audiences as "camaraderie."
2
1930
The Code Written: The Hays Code is drafted, explicitly stating: "Sex perversion or any inference to it is forbidden." This clause was designed to target homosexuality.
3
1934
Strict Enforcement: The Production Code Administration (PCA) begins strictly enforcing the rules. Scenes like the Wings kiss become impossible to film for the next 30+ years.
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William Wellman’s WINGS was the first film to win the “Best Picture” Academy Award in 1929 and it features a (barely) subtextual bourgeoning love between its leading men. The film follows two fighter pilots in World War I, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and Dave (Richard Arlen), who are in love with the same woman, Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston). Adding to the romantic complications of the film, Clara Bow stars as the girl-next-door/ambulance driver who is in love with Jack. Dave and Jack start as rivals, but after proving their courage to one another in a boxing match they become very…close. Vito Russo noted in his 1981 book “The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies” that despite the talk of heterosexual love, the only scene of intense romance in the film is between the two men leading to one of the first male/male kisses in Hollywood history. Interestingly, the kiss in WINGS isn’t the only queer moment
The kiss is between the two leading men in the film, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and Dave (Richard Arlen). The kiss is barely subtextual, but there is also a bri
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12 sites
William Wellman’s WINGS was the first film to win the “Best Picture” Academy Award in 1929 and it features a (barely) subtextual bourgeoning love between its leading men. The film follows two fighter pilots in World War I, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and Dave (Richard Arlen), who are in love with the same woman, Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston). Adding to the romantic complications of the film, Clara Bow stars as the girl-next-door/ambulance driver who is in love with Jack. Dave and Jack start as rivals, but after proving their courage to one another in a boxing match they become very…close. Vito Russo noted in his 1981 book “The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies” that despite the talk of heterosexual love, the only scene of intense romance in the film is between the two men leading to one of the first male/male kisses in Hollywood history. Interestingly, the kiss in WINGS isn’t the only queer moment
The kiss is between the two leading men in the film, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) and Dave (Richard Arlen). The kiss is barely subtextual, but there is also a bri
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