SEVENTH HEAVEN
starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
PICTURE PLAY MAGAZINE
September, 1927
One of the great successes of the year is "Seventh Heaven." It is a triumph for those who aim to give the public what it wants - in this case a charming fairy tale skillfully camouflaged to pass for grim reality, and splendidly acted by personable young Americans in the roles of French sweethearts to whom love is all. It is a version of Paris as it is supposed to exist. The total absence of cafe scenes and fashion parades, hitherto sine qua non in films of Parisian life, is a refreshing novelty and does much to make "Seventh Heaven" seem real. But its flavor remains that of "The Two Orphans," in spite of a story taking place during the war.
Diane, beaten to unbelievable limits by her elder sister, and hopelessly desperate, arouses the sympathy of Chico, a cheerful young man who works among the sewers. Moved by pity alone, he takes Diane to his attic - spacious, picturesque - overlooking the roofs of Paris, and shows her kindness to a degree which, unaccountably, she has never before known.
Shyly they fall in love, almost without knowing it, and are about to be married, - Chico providing Diane with a delicate, lacy wedding gown fit for a Dresden-china figurine - when war is declared, and he is swept out of her life. They agree to hold silent communion every morning at eleven o'clock, so that he will never really be away at all.
The spectator is led to believe that Chico is killed in action, but he stumbles, blindly, up the attic stairs at the critical moment when Diane is being besought by a military suitor, and the suspense comes to an end in the gentle glow of lovers united.
There is more to this incredible story than appears in a synopsis of the essentials, and more, much more beauty and sincerity and depth in the acting of Janet Gaynor, as Diane, and Charles Farrell, as Chico, than I can describe here. It is sheer perfection, a rare and lovely presentment of youth in love, as sensitive, as shimmering, as if these young people had spent a life-time in practicing an art, instead of a few paltry years in Hollywood make-believe.
The direction of Frank Borzage - who did "Humoresque," you remember - could not be bettered. The sentimental, romantic atmosphere, lends itself perfectly to his technique, and since Mr. Farrell and Miss Gaynor have never approached their acting in this, Mr. Borzage may justly take considerable credit for their accomplishments.
Nevertheless, the picture as a whole is fairly riddled by inconsistencies
and implausibilities - absurdities, if you are less charitably
inclined. But they need not be pointed out, nor dwelt upon, because
the spirit of "Seventh Heaven" overwhelms its deficiencies,
and the leading players are irresistible.
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