7th Heaven (1927)

A street cleaner saves a young woman's life, and the pair slowly fall in love until war intervenes.

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

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

Stars:

Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Ben Bard

Won 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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:
Lewis Borzage Sr.
Dolly Borzage
Mary Borzage
Sue Borzage
Gladys Brockwell	...	Nana
Emile Chautard	...	Father Chevillon
Jessie Haslett	...	Aunt Valentine
Brandon Hurst	...	Uncle George
George E. Stone	...	Sewer Rat

Storyline

In Paris, in the early years of the twentieth century, lives Chico, a sewer worker with lofty aspirations. One night, Chico saves a young prostitute named Diane from the murderous rage of her tyrannical sister. Despite her lifestyle, Diane is honest and innocent, and when the police arrive to arrest her, Chico spontaneously claims that she is his wife. Forced to maintain this facade or else both face prison sentences, Chico reluctantly allows Diane to live with him -- and in the process, love gradually blossoms between them. However, the dark spectre of World War I has begun to descend upon France, and Chico and Diane cannot help but fall under its shadow.

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Plot Keywords:

love | taxi | sister sister relationship | paris france | world war one | 

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Taglines:

"7th Heaven" is the eighth wonder of the movie world...inspiring from start to finish...If you don't see it you've seen nothing in the moving picture line. -- The N.Y. Evening Telegram

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

French

Release Date:

1927 (Germany)

Also Known As:

El séptimo cielo

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Following the success of 7th Heaven, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell went on to make another 10 films together.

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Connections

Referenced in The 63rd Annual Academy Awards (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Diane"
Lyrics by Lew Pollack
Music by Erno Rapee

User Reviews

remarkable film

This could have been something awful. It's high schmaltz, really fever-pitched melodrama, and the plot relies on a huge number of coincidences. But it all works beautifully, through a perfect combination of acting, directing, and photography, not to mention the incredible lighting and set design. This is one of the great silent movies, and one of the great screen romances. Janet Gaynor had quite a year in 1927, turning in fantastic performances in this, as well as F. W. Murnau's Sunrise. 10/10

A year later, Buster Keaton in The Cameraman would do a brilliant spoof of the famous staircase crane shot from Seventh Heaven.