By Violet LeVoit
Under the Roofs of Paris
Brief Synopsis
A street singer and a gangster vie for the love of a beautiful young woman.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Rene Clair
Director
Albert Prejean
Albert
Pola Illery
Pola
Max Montagu
Louis
Bill Bocket
Bill
Paul Olivier
Drunk
Film Details
Also Known As
Sous les toits de Paris
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Foreign
Romance
Release Date
1930
Production Company
Tobis Film
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Synopsis
A street singer and a gangster vie for the love of a beautiful young woman.
Director
Rene Clair
Director
Cast
Albert Prejean
Albert
Pola Illery
Pola
Max Montagu
Louis
Bill Bocket
Bill
Paul Olivier
Drunk
Gaston Modot
Fred
Jane Pierson
Crew
Armand Bernard
Music; Music Director
Marcel Carnt
2nd Assistant Director
Rene Clair
Screenwriter
Rene Clair
Dialogue
Frank Clifford
Producer
Rene Hubert
Costumes
Georges Lacombe
1st Assistant Director
Rene Lehenaff
Editor
Lazare Meerson
Production Designer
Raoul Moretti
Music
Raoul Moretti
Songs ("Sous Les Toits De Paris" "Ce N'Est Pas Comme Ca")
W Morhenn
Sound Recording
R Nozelles
Songs ("Sous Les Toits De Paris" "Ce N'Est Pas Comme Ca")
R Nozelles
Music
Georges Perinal
Photography
Herman Storr
Sound Recording
Photo Collections
1 Photo
Under the Roofs of Paris - Movie Poster
Under the Roofs of Paris - Movie Poster
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Also Known As
Sous les toits de Paris
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Foreign
Romance
Release Date
1930
Production Company
Tobis Film
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Articles
Under the Roofs of Paris
French director Rene Clair was not enthusiastic about the addition of sound to film, fearing the certain domination of "all talking" pictures in audience's hearts as a "dreadful prophecy". (The leaden dramas full of chatty actors and immobile cameras that were the staple of early American sound film only confirmed his fears.) But, upon realizing that embracing sound did not mean rejecting the rich visual language silent film had already developed, he breathed astonishing life into a simple story about a street entertainer (Albert Préjean) who falls for a Roma beauty (Pola Illéry), only to find her other suitors include a criminal (Gaston Modot, later of other French classics like L'Age d'Or (1930) and Children Of Paradise (1945)) and his own best friend (Edmond T. Gréville, who later directed Josephine Baker in Princess Tam-Tam (1935)). With plenty of street noise, Victrola music, and trains rushing by to sweeten a mostly noiseless world, Clair's camera is free to float and linger on this delicate, bittersweet story.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Under the Roofs of Paris
French director Rene Clair was not enthusiastic about the addition of sound to film, fearing the certain domination of "all talking" pictures in audience's hearts as a "dreadful prophecy". (The leaden dramas full of chatty actors and immobile cameras that were the staple of early American sound film only confirmed his fears.) But, upon realizing that embracing sound did not mean rejecting the rich visual language silent film had already developed, he breathed astonishing life into a simple story about a street entertainer (Albert Préjean) who falls for a Roma beauty (Pola Illéry), only to find her other suitors include a criminal (Gaston Modot, later of other French classics like L'Age d'Or (1930) and Children Of Paradise (1945)) and his own best friend (Edmond T. Gréville, who later directed Josephine Baker in Princess Tam-Tam (1935)). With plenty of street noise, Victrola music, and trains rushing by to sweeten a mostly noiseless world, Clair's camera is free to float and linger on this delicate, bittersweet story.
By Violet LeVoit
