Under the Roofs of Paris [Criterion Collection]

Director: Rene Clair Rene Clair

Overview

Rene Clair's comedy Under the Roofs of Paris comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The French soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the Clair silent film Paris Qui Dort, a BBC interview with the director, and the original theatrical trailer. Criterion has done a fabulous job with this title, as has come to be expected from them. Anyone with an interest in film history should see this DVD.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/21/2010
UPC:	0037429168929
Original Release:	1930
Source:	Criterion Collection
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	24,753

Special Features

New digital transfer; Deleted scene; Clair's silent film Paris Qui Dort (1924); A 1966 BBC-TV interview with Clair; Trailer; New and improved English subtitle translation

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Albert Prejean	Albert, a young street singer
Pola Illery	Pola, a Roumanian girl
Gaston Modot	Fred, a purse thief
Edmond Greville	Louis, Albert's friend
Paul Olivier	Drunkard
Bill Bocket	Bill
Jane Pierson	Neighborhood Woman
Raymond Aimos	Thief
Thomy Bourdelle	Francois
Edmond Gréville	Louis

Technical Credits

Rene Clair

Rene Clair

Director,Screenwriter

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. In the Wallets of Paris [9:13]
2. The Lady's Purse [3:18]
3. The Subtle Approach [6:25]
4. At the Dance [3:50]
5. A Roll of the Dice... [5:06]
6. "It's Nice Out Tonight" [4:59]
7. Room for One [5:39]
8. "Can You Watch This?" [1:30]
9. "It's Not Like That" [3:19]
10. The Happy Couple [7:07]
11. In the Name of the Law [3:32]
12. "Your Friend Albert..." [6:57]
13. Welcome Home, Albert [6:17]
14. "Hello, Pola?" [5:58]
15. Quite a Selection [4:19]
16. Brotherly Feeling [4:17]
17. Color Bars [10:14]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Deleted Scene
      Play Scene
   Trailer
   Paris Qui Dort
      Play
   BBC Interview
      Play
   Subtitles
      Subtitles On
      Subtitles Off

Editorial Reviews

A sweet and simple yet utterly disarming film, Under the Roofs of Paris has perhaps dated a bit since its initial release, but not enough to keep it from being recognized as a minor masterpiece. The story in this part-talking, part-silent hybrid is a bit weak, a fact which was recognized even back in 1930; but it is told with such consummate skill (by writer/director René Clair) that most will forgive it this weakness. From the moment Roofs opens, with a tracking shot that takes the audience from above the roofs of Paris and down into a working class district of the city, it's clear that the film is in the hands of a master, and Clair has plenty of other tricks up his sleeve to keep the viewer engaged. Case in point: a wordless sequence that concentrates solely on the feet of two characters and tells more about where they are in their relationship than many pages of dialogue could. Or the climactic fight sequence, played out under a harsh streetlight, but obscured by both the darkness of the night and objects the director places in front of the camera to add to the confusion and uncertainty. Or again, in his use of sound, as music or dialogue is often muted or increased at the opening or closing of a door. Clair is helped enormously by the beautiful lensing of Georges Périnal and by Lazare Meerson's sets, which exaggerate reality just enough to achieve poetry. The cast, led by Albert Prejean and Pola Illery, also deserves credit, but in the end, it's Clair that makes what could have been a very good film into a truly memorable one.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler