'Seventh Heaven (1927)' is usually compared to 'Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927),' and not without reason. Director Frank Borzage has a keen sense for lighting and shot composition, perhaps not as effortlessly graceful as that of Murnau, but the film superbly explores three-dimensional space, most memorably in a vertical long take that follows the characters up seven floors of staircases, and a backwards tracking shot through the crowded trenches of a battlefield. Janet Gaynor, who also starred in 'Sunrise,' is once again a perfect picture of fragility and helplessness, a persona at which she was bettered only by Lillian Gish. More interesting, however, is that Gaynor's character undergoes a startling character arc, developing from a weak, embattled victim – a trampled flower – to a decisive and assertive woman, a member of the workforce, and an independent but devoted wife. Her husband, played by Charles Farrell, likewise undergoes a transformation, of the spiritual kind. Together, they share a love so definitive that the formula has since become familiar, but Borzage keeps it fresh.Perhaps the greatest miracle about 'Seventh Heaven' is that the romance works at all. Farrell's Chico is a haughty, athletic sewer worker, so determined of his own worth that he bores his grotesque colleagues with anecdotes of his future greatness. Gaynor's Diane, a small creature routinely lashed by her sleazy sister, is at first an object of derision for Chico, who uses her mere existence to affirm his atheism. Indeed, so aloof is his attitude towards her that I could scarcely believe that the pair were to fall in love, but the transition is carried out gradually and convincingly. As in most great romances, the two star-crossed lovers are swiftly separated by the onset of war. Here, once again, Borzage's keen eye for visual storytelling results in some wonderful sequences of conflict, with his portrayal of the battlefield perhaps serving as inspiration for Lewis Milestone's war drama 'All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).' Only with the occasional moments of misplaced comedy – the ritualistic bowing of the street-sweepers, for example – does the director fumble with the film's mood.This reviewer being an atheist, films dealing with a central religious theme face an uphill battle. Chico opens the film not unlike myself, as an obstinate atheist who curses God for failing to answer his prayers. Christianity intercedes through a kind-hearted priest, who offers Chico his dream-job as a street-sweeper, as well as two religious necklaces. Predictably, our hero is converted by the film's end, and, indeed, stages a resurrection that borders on Biblical. This "miraculous" ending could easily have had me rolling my eyes, but – somehow, and against all odds – it didn't. Borzage doesn't play Chico's survival as a startling revelation, and nor does it feel tacked-on, as does the fate of Murnau's hotel doorman in 'The Last Laugh (1924).' Alongside Diane's stubborn insistence that her husband is still alive, to actually see him pushing through the crowds seemed like the most natural thing in the world. And even if Chico is dead, then his wife is already there in Heaven, on the seventh floor, waiting to greet him.

Diane (Janet Gaynor) leads a horrible life; her sister beats her constantly for no reason and life in the slums leaves no room for escape. One day when the two are visited by their parents, a chance comes to break free from their seedy existence, but Diane is too honest to deceive them. She belies the fact that they have been far from moral. Her sister retaliates by attacking her in the street, but a good Samaritan steps in. Chico (Charles Farrell) works in the sewers and dreams of better things. He cannot stand to see a defenseless, albeit fearful, girl be abused. Unfortunately, when he stands up for Diane, he risks his forthcoming job as a street cleaner. He lies and tells the police that he and Diane are married, so she moves in with him to carry on the charade for his sake. The relationship blossoms into love, but the war comes and the two are pulled apart.This is the first time that Gaynor and Farrell were paired on the screen, and the chemistry between the two is electric. It only improved as time went on, but it is exciting to see the start of it all. Gaynor is beautiful and so petite next to the masculine presence of Farrell. He takes care of her just as much as she does him; the two represent the ideal couple, two halves that make a whole.Frank Borzage directs, and his signature touch permeates the film. The lush, soft lighting make the dirty locations seem lovely and appealing. The sparse apartment that the lovers call heaven really has a glow about it. This style lends itself perfectly to the love story and makes the more melodramatic parts forgivable in context.

Well Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell are a couple of "remarkable fellows" in this gem of a romance! They truly prove that heaven is where your heart is, even a 7th floor tenement in what is surely not the best part of Paris! Their chemistry together is remarkable and their love transcends time and space! Ah! Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? The fact that they compliment and lift each other up is the start of their romance. They bring out the best in each other. Not many movies today bring out the subtle nuances of character development the way they did in the old days! The secondary characters are fine in this too. I especially liked the rotund cab driver and his cab Eloise who gave her life for the war effort! And the married couple neighbors were a nice touch as well in rounding out the story.On a slightly critical note, I think the movie would have been better had not the soupy tints been added. I would've preferred it in black and white, but hey, the fact that the film still exists for generations to enjoy more that makes up for that! My Mom saw it too and she liked it as well! Not to be missed !

A beautiful melodrama, which, at its best, nears Sunrise. Janet Gaynor starred in both of them, and one the first Best Actress Oscar for her work in those two films. She plays a destitute Parisian girl kicked out of her home by her father. When a police officer attempts to arrest her, a sewer worker who has just been promoted to a street cleaner (Charles Farrell) selflessly claims that she is his wife. The two have to uphold this charade for a few days, but, by the end, they are in love. By the time they realize this and get married, though, WWI has begun and the men are off to war. The first half, maybe more, is the romantic part, and it is wonderful. Some of the best filmmaking around, and a couple of scenes that are just gorgeous. I will never forget sweet Janet Gaynor putting Farrell's coat on the back of a chair and then, sitting in that chair, she puts the coat's arms around her body. The second half, the war half, is very good, but it pulls down the magical romance into reality. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, no matter how much I was enjoying that first half. It's a good war film, at least the equal of Wings. The battle sequences are well produced and harrowing. Meanwhile, Gaynor faces the no-longer harmless flirtations of a Colonel. The direction is always fantastic. The visual and narrative motif of altitude is very well done, with Farrell beginning in the sewers and, a bit later, he ascends to the stars in his tall apartment building. Seventh Heaven might have been a masterpiece, but it completely crumbles by the end. The end should have written itself. The end of the war should have been the sign that Farrell had not abandoned Gaynor. Unfortunately, we have to deal with an entirely tacked-on ending. It can't ruin the film, of course. 9/10.