7th Heaven (1927)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Austin Strong (play)
Benjamin Glazer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 January 1929 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Expect a Big Picture. We personally assure you that you'll not be disappointed in "7th Heaven"

Plot Keywords:

Taxicab | 1910s | Medal | Paris | Blindness

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Janet Gaynor	...	Diane
Charles Farrell	...	Chico
Ben Bard	...	Col. Brissac
Albert Gran	...	Boul
David Butler	...	Gobin
Marie Mosquini	...	Madame Gobin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dolly Borzage
Mary Borzage
Lewis Borzage Sr.
Sue Borzage
Gladys Brockwell	...	Nana
Emile Chautard	...	Father Chevillon
Jessie Haslett	...	Aunt Valentine
Brandon Hurst	...	Uncle George
George E. Stone	...	Sewer Rat
Lillian West	...	Arlette

Also Known As:

Seventh Heaven (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1995.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Diane

A film which MUST be seen.

There is some pedestrian acting in Seventh Heaven; furthermore, there are situations which in the world of today seem crass beyond belief. But anyone who can watch this film, with its original tints and Movietone score, without a complete sense of wonder at what film once was, and might be again if the business of films allowed, is dead emotionally and spiritually.

It is no wonder Janet Gaynor won an Oscar for this, and other, film in 1927. Frank Borzage, who seems to be the forgotten director of all time, deserved sainthood for getting at least a credi8ble performance from Charles Farrell. His deft handling of the material and the camera is really astounding. His use of the helix as a symbol of re-birth, not original, is flawless and we still get fatigued walking with the two lovers up seven flights of stairs with his excellent crane shot. One suspects Lewis Milestone learned much from the war scenes and I wonder how Borzage would film Iraq, Afghanistan, or the World Trade Centre.

Simply put, no cinema fan can comment intelligently on film without seeing this masterpiece. I prefer it to Sunrise, no easy thing to admit. I rate it a 9 simply because Farrell is objectionable in so many ways. But Janet Gaynor is a wonder and Frank Borzage deserves a university course of his own.