In 1927, Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress with her performance in this film, among the most celebrated romances of the late silent era. Chico (Charles Farrell) is a poor sewer worker who has only two dreams in life: to be promoted to sweeping streets and to find a woman who will be his wife. While he prays for guidance and blessings, he continues to work in the filth beneath the Parisian streets. However, one day he meets Diane (Gaynor), a beautiful woman who has been
handed many hardships in life and is being chased by the police for a petty crime. Chico helps her hide from the cops, and soon the two have fallen in love. Despite their poverty, they give each other a reason to go on, and they happily marry. But their bliss is shattered when Chico is called to fight in World War I; Diane lives for the day he returns, and when she's told that Chico was killed in battle, her world collapses and she renounces her faith in God. However, while Chico was severely injured on the battlefield and is now blind, he did not die, and now he must find his way back to the woman he loves. In addition to Gaynor's Oscar, Seventh Heaven earned statuettes for director Frank Borzage and screenwriter Benjamin F. Glazer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The kind of movie that births a lifelong love affair with silent cinema... I'd be extraordinarily hard-pressed to come up with any way in which it's not flawless.
By today's standards, Borzage's romantic melodrama is sappy and outdated, but in 1927, the Oscar-nominated silent film was extremely popular with (female) audiences.
Based on a long-running stage success and wildly popular upon its first release, Seventh Heaven is probably Frank Borzage's most famous film, the one where all his principles of mystical romance come together most distinctively.
the film is wildly romantic and won an oscar in 1927 for frank borzage's direction. janet gaynor won best actress, a dual award for this and murnau's much better remembered sunrise. borzage seems to have slipped into obscurity after the silent era which is a shame. he made 2 other silent features with janet gaynor
and charles farrell, street angel and lucky star, among many other films. this has some great rooftop scenes of paris and well-staged WW1 battle scenes, shot by up and coming john ford. it's really quite wonderful
April 22, 2011
Stella Dallas
Super Reviewer
A beautiful and brilliantly made romantic drama with some comedy and suspense. I loved the ending too, it was fantastic. I highly recommend this movie.
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