Seventh Heaven (1927)

Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell star in one of the best pictures to come out of the great year in movie making, 1927. Seventh Heaven is a love story of two indiviuals with now particular connection who would find each other and help support one another leading to a romance through times of joy and sorrow. This silent picture proves to be a story that grips the audience as the two characters learn that, though it wasn't their intentions, they can't live without each other.

The story follows a street cleaner, Chico (Farrell), who though he is a person of low social stature has quite the self confidence to allow himself to keep a positive outlook on life, continually referring to himself as "a remarkable fellow." He comes across Diane (Gaynor), mistreated and abused by her older sister to the point of running away from home when Chico saves her from her sister. Despite being a positive fellow, Chico tends to think about himself until Diane comes into his life, doing what he can to protect her from her past life sheltering her in his seventh story flat overlooking Paris and claiming her as his wife when police come to take her away. At first the two are timid with each other, but their inner beauty begins to grow on each other, blossoming into a romance. Though each other Diane would gain self confidence by standing up to her abusive sister, while Chico discovers he cares for Diane more then himself after previously being a man that only looked after own well being. Their love would be tested when war breaks out in Europe, being the first World War, and Chico goes to fight on the front lines, but they both promise to think about each other at the stroke of eleven every night, never allowing them to feel lonely while apart. News would come that Chico was killed in battle breaking the heart of Diane, when in what would seem to be a dream Chico returns from war as the two lovers emotions spill over with the reunion that seemed too good to be true.

The production quality of the film is delightful. With some good cinematography and art decoration to go along with good directing and great acting the picture is very smooth and makes you forget you are watching a silent picture, a true note of a good film. A particular creative point in the film is the accent of the seven flights of stairs to Chico's home. he camera tracks up the number of flights as the set built for these shots allowing the camera to move up with the characters tracking their movement up the many stairscases. The shots may not seem to be much, but it is a welcome change and a bit of a treat to see the camera continue to climb upwards on this movie set revealing floor after floor as Chico and Diane move up instead of just cutting away when they start up to when they reach the top.

The motion picture was an adaptation of a stage play of the same name and proved to be hugely popular with audiences. In fact Seventh Heaven would be successful at the very first Academy Awards held in 1929 (honoring films of 1927 and 1928.) Director Frank Borzage would win the very first Best Director award, while Benjamin Glazer won best writing for an adaptation production. Janet Gaynor would be honored with the best leading actress, which was won beased or her body of work in '27 and '28 including Street Angel and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. The films was also nominated for the first Best Picture award which it would fail towin, but with all its success Seventh Heaven proved to be a very popular film in its day.