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
'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