Seventh Heaven (1927) (1927)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(664 ratings)

In 1927, Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress with her performance in this film, among the most celebrated romances of the late silent era. Chico (Charles Farrell) is a poor sewer worker who has only two dreams in life: to be promoted to sweeping streets and to find a woman who… More In 1927, Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress with her performance in this film, among the most celebrated romances of the late silent era. Chico (Charles Farrell) is a poor sewer worker who has only two dreams in life: to be promoted to sweeping streets and to find a woman who will be his wife. While he prays for guidance and blessings, he continues to work in the filth beneath the Parisian streets. However, one day he meets Diane (Gaynor), a beautiful woman who has been handed many hardships in life and is being chased by the police for a petty crime. Chico helps her hide from the cops, and soon the two have fallen in love. Despite their poverty, they give each other a reason to go on, and they happily marry. But their bliss is shattered when Chico is called to fight in World War I; Diane lives for the day he returns, and when she's told that Chico was killed in battle, her world collapses and she renounces her faith in God. However, while Chico was severely injured on the battlefield and is now blind, he did not die, and now he must find his way back to the woman he loves. In addition to Gaynor's Oscar, Seventh Heaven earned statuettes for director Frank Borzage and screenwriter Benjamin F. Glazer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 59 min.
Directed By: Frank Borzage
Written By: Benjamin Glazer
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: May 25, 1927 Limited
On DVD: Dec 9, 2008

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
If it weren't for the existence of Murnau's Sunrise, I wouldn't hesitate to call 7th Heaven the greatest of all silent films.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
The kind of movie that births a lifelong love affair with silent cinema... I'd be extraordinarily hard-pressed to come up with any way in which it's not flawless.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Gorgeously filmed (by Frank Borzage) film featuring Gaynor and Farrell.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
By today's standards, Borzage's romantic melodrama is sappy and outdated, but in 1927, the Oscar-nominated silent film was extremely popular with (female) audiences.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Based on a long-running stage success and wildly popular upon its first release, Seventh Heaven is probably Frank Borzage's most famous film, the one where all his principles of mystical romance come together most distinctively.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
An entrancing fable from an era in cinema history that already felt a little out of time when the movie debuted.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

the film is wildly romantic and won an oscar in 1927 for frank borzage's direction. janet gaynor won best actress, a dual award for this and murnau's much better remembered sunrise. borzage seems to have slipped into obscurity after the silent era which is a shame. he… More
the film is wildly romantic and won an oscar in 1927 for frank borzage's direction. janet gaynor won best actress, a dual award for this and murnau's much better remembered sunrise. borzage seems to have slipped into obscurity after the silent era which is a shame. he made 2 other silent features with janet gaynor and charles farrell, street angel and lucky star, among many other films. this has some great rooftop scenes of paris and well-staged WW1 battle scenes, shot by up and coming john ford. it's really quite wonderful
AJ V

A beautiful and brilliantly made romantic drama with some comedy and suspense. I loved the ending too, it was fantastic. I highly recommend this movie.
Byron B

By the time the Oscars started, narrative movies had already been around for roughly two decades. And this was the last big year for silent pictures. This film impressed me because the acting is less over-the-top than earlier silents, the story is good, and the camera work and use… More
By the time the Oscars started, narrative movies had already been around for roughly two decades. And this was the last big year for silent pictures. This film impressed me because the acting is less over-the-top than earlier silents, the story is good, and the camera work and use of tints to suggest different locations and emotions made for visual interest.