Sous les toits de Paris (1930)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

René Clair

Writer:

René Clair (writer)

Release Date:

2 January 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Place Name In Title

Cast

Albert Préjean	...	Albert, a young street singer
Pola Illéry	...	Pola, a Roumanian girl
Edmond T. Gréville	...	Louis, Albert's friend
Bill Bocket	...	Bill, The Big Boss
Gaston Modot	...	Fred, a purse thief
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Raymond Aimos	...	Thief
Thomy Bourdelle	...	François, the other thief
Paul Ollivier	...	Drunkard
Jane Pierson	...	Fat Woman with Purse

Also Known As:

Under the Roofs of Paris (International: English title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Romanian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis Klangfilm)

Company:

Films Sonores Tobis

Movie Connections:

References The Mandarin (1924)

Soundtrack:

Sous les toits de Paris

It's hard to describe how beautiful and perfect this movie is

René Clair's early sound films are amongst the best ever made. Le Million (1931), Quatorze Juillet (1933), and Under the Roofs of Paris (1930) are masterpieces of musical comedy and romance (I leave out perhaps his most famous, À nous la liberté, which I need to see again). Under the Roofs of Paris is the loose but good story of a young street singer (Albert Préjean) who falls in love with a girl (Pola Illéry). He has an uneasy relationship with a couple of pickpockets (including Gaston Modot, who also made L'Âge d'or with Buñuel the same year) who like to work when he's demonstrating his talent. In the film's opening scene, there is an amazingly edited sequence of one of these men at work. Everyone wants Pola, including Albert's best friend, Louis, and when Albert is framed for burglary, they don't think twice about going after her. Clair's direction moves like silk. It's so supple. The camera movements, full of crane shots and pans, is technically stunning, especially for the time but even now. And the use of sound is absolutely revolutionary. It's more or less half silent, half talkie. Unlike many early sound films, Clair keeps the dialogue to a minimum, so it's never clunky. Characters only speak when they have to; at other times, they gesture. The film is often described as a musical, but it is not. There are two songs, and the music arises diagetically from an accordion player. The music, and the use of music, are quite amazing. This is one of the most wonderful movies ever made.