Seventh Heaven

This movie has stuck with me since seeing it late at night on television 26 years ago. I became a Simon Simone fan and was already a Jimmy Stewart fan. An up lifting story showing that even the seemingly lowest people on the social scale can be courageous, serve a higher purpose, overcome hardships and past mistakes, and have a happy life shared with a true love. I have to admit to being a sucker for these types of movies though. This movie is similar to Cannery Row (Nick Nolte and Debra Winger) and The World Of Suzie Wong (William Holden and Nancy Kwan). I have never been able to find this movie showing on television since or on DVD or VHA. Wish I could find this one on DVD or VHS since I would love to share watching it with my wife.

A unique film - strangely haunting. Beautiful sets. I thought about this film for a long time after first seeing it. I've never seen another film quite like it. The story was very sweet, but also compelling, and unpredictable. I was frequently surprised by the plot which held my attention from beginning to end. Excellent acting and memorable characters. Recommended viewing.

I thought it was a very sweet movie. It made me believe in true romance, that there is such a thing as making love without...you know what I mean. It was uplifting because bravery and heaven were big in this movie. "Chico, Diane, Heaven" for example. That phrase kept me hanging on. Their bravery helped them achieve their heaven.

Seventh Heaven from 1937 is a remake of the popular film from 1927 starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell.

This time the roles of Chico and Diane are played by Jimmy Stewart, on loan to 20th Century Fox from MGM and Simone Simon.

I believe this role was intended for Tyrone Power, as he was a favorite of director Henry King and made a sort of splash with Simone in Girls Dormitory. Although he only had a cameo, one of the gossip columnists sat through the film twice to get his name.

I suspect Zanuck traded another actor with MGM.

It is France 1914. And let's get "Jimmy Stewart doesn't use a French accent" out of the way. They're in France, speaking French, perhaps with different dialects. They are not speaking English with a French accent.

Chico works in the sewers with ambition to become a street washer. He saves Diane from being arrested when the club she works in is cleared out by claiming she is his wife.

Now he's stuck because the police say they will check on them. So he brings Diane to his apartment which is seven flights up. It's a neat set - very open - a board outside his large window provides a walkway so that one can walk to the other apartments.

Chico and Diane fall in love and want to marry. However, on the day of their wedding, Chico receives a draft notice and must leave immediately. He promises Diane that he will be with her spiritually at 11 am daily.

Later, Diane is told that Chico is dead. She refuses to believe it.

This is a lovely film about the power of love, faith, courage, and miracles. Stewart is very boyish and funny. Simon is adorable. She returned to France to make films, but came back and was a huge hit in Cat People, reappearing as the same character in Curse of the Cat People. Ultimately she left the States for good. My mother told me she disappeared. No, she just went home to work.

Zanuck didn't have much luck with building up French actresses. He brought the French star Annabella over, only to have her fall in love with Tyrone Power. Zanuck then tried to send her back to break them up; when she wouldn't leave, he blacklisted her.

Good film, good cast.

Watching this movie, I can't understand why Simone Simon didn't become a great star. In this movie she's luminous on a level with Ingrid Bergman & Audrey Hepburn. Watch the scene where Jimmy Stewart really look at her for the first time as she turns her face to his with the melody of 'Diane' playing softly; movie magic!

She made two other well-known movies: Cat People & Curse of the Cat People, then her career dwindled into nothingness. Perhaps if she'd had more charismatic co-stars like James Stewart to play off against. She should have been James Cagney's unrequited love in "The Roaring Twenties" instead of that insipid Priscilla Lane (or was it Rosemary Lane?)

James Stewart is superb as Chico. He's awkward, gruff, reluctant to get involved with other people yet his core decency compels him prevent Diane's mistreatment and stop her suicide attempt. Stewart was probably that way in real life. I don't agree that he's miscast or that he should have a French accent. There are people like that in all countries. It's not about France or French people. Any urban setting like London, Rome, New York etc. would have done equally well.

I found the character played by J. Edward Bromberg rather disturbing. He kept showing up to rain on Diane's parade with those strange eyes. I kept hoping Diane would give him a beating like she did to Gale Sonergaard.