Review: 7th Heaven (1927)

7th Heaven

Rating

Director

Frank Borzage

Screenplay

Benjamin Glazer, Katherine Hilliker, H.H. Caldwell (Play: Austin Strong)

Length

1h 50m

Starring

Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Albert Gran, David Butler, Marie Mosquini, Gladys Brockwell, Emile Chautard, Ben Bard, George E. Stone

MPAA Rating

Approved

Review

On the cusp of the sound era, 7th Heaven came to define the transition while also becoming a symbol of the end of the silent era.

Chico (Charles Farrell) works in the sewers of Paris. He longs to get a job working as a street sweeper. It is there he meets Diane (Janet Gaynor) who is struggling to survive when her family discovers she’s been working as a prostitute to make ends me. He swoops in for the rescue, claiming to be her husband and encouraging her to move in with him. Their relationship builds from there but the Great War (what is now called World War I) threatens to pull them both apart again.

The plot may seem a bit stale in today’s light, but for the period, it was a striking one. Even viewed against modern films, the naturalistic flow of coincidence makes for an appealing trip through 1920’s melodrama. Its discussion of atheism as perceived by a religious man isn’t something that occurred very frequently through the Code Era that would follow several years later. The ending seems a bit contrived, setting itself up to bring bittersweet joy to the audience, but it works within the confines of the narrative.

This was a perfect example of how the silent film medium had been improved and perfected as one of the premiere art forms of the 20th Century. While 7th Heaven was initially released silent, Fox chose to re-release it with synchronized sound. It remained dialogue free but was given a musical score and sound effects. It was one of the first features to successfully release with incidental soundscapes and musical accompaniment. Even with those affectations, the lack of dialogue gave the audience an opportunity to see some fine actors conveying complexity without a word.

It’s no surprise that Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress. With the two of her attributed films that I’ve seen, this and Sunrise, she easily displayed the grit and talent the screen celebrated before talking pictures started to wipe the slate clean and redefine what a great performance required. Farrell is a little over the top as the sewer cleaner with higher aspirations, but within the confines of the period, it was a strong central performance. The colorful supporting cast were also excellent.

7th Heaven was one of the winners at the first Academy Awards (Gaynor, director Frank Borzage, and adaptation by Benjamin Glazer) and despite almost a century passing since its release, it remains a quintessential film of that period. Few features reached its pinnacle and while it might not be what modern audiences are looking for, it can be a gateway to silent films for the most curious of budding cineastes.