Under the Roofs of Paris

Having been highly impressed by "Le Million", I decided to check out Rene Clair's other acclaimed musical comedy, "Under the Roofs of Paris". I can happily assure you that this film was even better than "Le Million" in almost every single way. It amps up the heart and humor, has a much stronger emotional impact, and, while "Le Million" felt like a purely plot driven film, "Under the Roofs of Paris" balances plot and character to near perfection.

This hilarious love story unfolds slowly and steadily, introducing the audience to different characters and places without rushing everything. We watch and learn before the plot strikes us like a lightning bolt of beauty. Rene Clair's camera beautifully glides through the streets of Paris, following characters and peaking in on their most fragile moments. This film is like the finest work of literature; it contains laughs and tears, moments of melancholy and hope. It is, simply, a masterpiece.

There were quite a few reasons for wanting to see 'Under the Roofs of Paris'. The premise sounded great. The title of the film is a charming and far from forgettable one. Not every early sound film is great or even good, with some silent film directors and actors not being able to transition from silent to sound. Have liked to loved other films of the very gifted Rene Clair, including other early sound films of his such as 'Le Million' (one of the best).

'Under the Roofs of Paris' isn't one of his best overall films. Also did prefer his other early sound films, namely 'Le Million' and 'Quartorze Juillet'. Also preferred 'A Nous La Liberte'. It is a very good film though and mostly accessible, even if the other three films had more story content and more rootable characters, have noticed that they have been the film's two main criticisms and can understand both. There is so much to recommend and all the good things of 'Under the Roofs of Paris' are brilliant.

Its weak link is the story, which is very slight and some of it is pretty uneventful.

Although the characters are very well played and quite interesting, they could have been developed more and will agree that they are not easy to get behind. Certainly didn't care for these characters as much as those in 'Le Million' and 'Quartorze Juillet'.

However, Clair's direction is absolutely immaculate and he depicts Paris in a way that is very nostalgic and full of atmosphere. It is very classy direction and is never static or dull, not all directors were comfortable with the silent film to sound transitioning but Clair was and it was like he was already a pro despite in reality being relatively new to it. The film is a clever mix of silent and sound, with no favouring of one over the other. The silent sections are handled with a lot of nuance and there is just as much energy as in the scenes with dialogue. The dialogue itself is not too talky and flows well, with a nice mix of amusing and touching in a sophisticated way.

Despite the story being very slight, there is charm and energy present too. The sound is cleverly used and doesn't come over as gratuitously random or gimmicky, no unrefined experimenting here. While there may not be standout performances as such, the actors play their characters with vigour and always in a natural way. The music is lovely to listen to, with a very infectious main song.

What stands out though in 'Under the Roofs of Paris' is the cinematography, which is pretty incredible. Not just very sophisticated, seamlessly fluid and really enhancing the handsomely and affectionately used locations, but also very creative in its technical skill (the case with all of Clair's early talkies).

In summary, not one of Clair's overall best or among his finest early works but as far as early talkies go 'Under the Roofs of Paris' fares better than most at this early stage of sound film development. 8/10

The film marvellously shows the nostalgic dream of the old Paris and its common people. With melancholic irony, Clair tells a story of the milieu of backstreets and backyards, of street singers, pickpockets, fiddlers and strange townsmen. Here, his grasp into the present does not become realistic depictions of circumstances, but a poetic romance, for which reality is only one aspect of life.

In this regard, especially the sound has turned out quite well. And how hesitantly Clair used this new technical innovation! His generally critical attitude towards sound in films induced, that "Sous les toits" is mainly composed of silent parts (including many dialog scenes), which are highlighted with music or noises such as trains driving past. The song "Sous Les Toits De Paris" of Albert, the street singer, becomes to the red thread which links several scenes and bridges time distances. A fight taking place in the dark only informs the viewer through noises. For that, we witness a dispute, where the matter is uninteresting and predictable, without any sound - shot through a glass door. One can say sound is especially used for enrichment and left out when it would be needless. Thus, a film came into being that wonderfully combines sentiment, humor and intelligence with languishingly beautiful tunes.

René Clair's "Sous les toits de Paris" ("Under the Roofs of Paris" in English) manages to strike the right balance between happy and gritty. This jolly musical tells the story of a love affair between street singer Albert and Romanian immigrant Pola. Or at least, they attempt a romance. They're surrounded by all manner of lowlifes. This is not the gay Paree that we expect.

Released when talkies were still in their relative infancy, the movie has sound scenes, but also silent ones. It finds the right balance between them. Moreover, the characters are complex if lowly individuals. Watching it all these years later, I wonder which direction French cinema would've taken had World War II not happened.

Anyway, outstanding movie. Not the greatest by any stretch, but still impressive.

"Under the Roofs of Paris" is a film written and directed by René Clair. His direction is lovely--with some creative and lovely camera-work. As far as the story goes, it seems a bit thin.

The film begins with Pola being vigorously dated by Fred. In other words, the thug Fred isn't about to take no for an answer--and Pola is naturally creeped out by him. Ultimately, Fred steals her apartment key and Pola is understandably afraid to return home. When she bumps into Albert, he takes pity for her and takes her home. Over time, they fall for each other. However, Albert is arrested (thanks to his friend Emil) and Fred isn't about to allow Albert and Pola to be together. What's to come of them?

Technically, the film is a mixed bag--though I really cannot fault the film for its deficits. Although the film is part sound and part silent, films outside the United States took much longer to shift to all-talking pictures--so I accept that French films still were making the transition. Sound-wise, this 1930 film is very similar to 1927's "The Jazz Singer"--with a few songs and a bit of dialog but otherwise being essentially a silent film. However, what was very advanced was the camera work and the crane shots--they were very impressive and the film sure looked great.

Apart from the technical, the film had a story that seemed a bit weak. There isn't a lot of depth to the characters, they aren't necessarily likable and I didn't feel all that involved with them. So, overall, it is worth seeing but not a must-see--and not as good as some of the director's other efforts.