Gosh, it had been 15 months since my last silent. That may explain why I decided to watch two at once. Netflix didn't even mention the second being on the same disc, probably because it's a sorely incomplete restoration, hence my lack of a separate review. More on that later.
In 7th Heaven, Chico (Charles Farrell), a sewer cleaner hoping for a better life, encounters someone worse off than himself and his buddies: Diane (Janet Gaynor), a broke young woman who needs to get away from her physically bullying drunk sister. At first, Chico shows Diane only baseline hospitality, but then he shields her from arrest by pretending to be her husband. She helps him keep up that charade to prevent his arrest by moving into his high-rise, the "heaven" of the title. He gradually grows as fond of her as she is of him, but before they can have a conventional wedding, World War I leads to an extremely immediate drafting. Chico promises to "visit" Diane, as if by telepathy, every morning at 11, but will there be miracles enough to protect this romance, especially in light of a more present suitor?
I was a little put off by the budding romance early on, not least because Gaynor, who was 21 that year (the youngest Academy Best Actress for nearly 60 years), acted a lot like a teen before finding her courage. Just as importantly, Chico is rude and arrogant, repeatedly calling himself "a very remarkable man" without readily showing it. Only desperation could drive Diane to an unwelcoming jerk like that.
But while Chico's opinion of himself never wanes, he does learn a lesson on at least one level. He starts out as one of those Hollywood atheists who complain that God didn't grant their egocentric wishes right away. Well, a priest overhears and grants his wish for a slightly better job, but that doesn't look like a miracle. His other wish is for a blonde wife. From what I can tell, Diane's a brunette, but Chico ultimately decides not to hold that against her or God. No, the most convincing "miracle" comes near the end....
Yeah, nonbelievers are liable to get annoyed. That said, I think the priest is mildly heretical. "You mustn't question God's will"? Gee, Job gained a better rapport with God than Job's comforters did. Of course, the film doesn't necessarily advertise Christianity; perhaps it merely romanticizes a divine connection between a man and a woman.
For the most part, things are treated quite seriously. We get a little comic relief from Chico's friends, especially the cabbie with an already old crank-starter, but even he has his solemn moments. That's about as close as I come to feeling sorry for an inanimate car.
Like in most silents, there's not much to the story. Sometimes I was surprised to realize how little had occurred in half an hour. It's designed to stimulate the emotions far more than the intellect. As such, it works quite well, thanks partly to acting, partly to direction by Frank Borzage, and partly to a powerful score.
On the subject of sound, as in most late silents I can think of, we can occasionally hear human voices. There's one background song and a noisy crowd. Nothing requires good lip syncing.
7H reminds me a bit of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and not just for the year, genre, and main actress. It actually received more Oscar nominations than Sunrise or Wings. I can see why, but I also approve the decision not to reward it quite so much. It's not the better romance or the better war flick in the end. You had best try to enjoy it on its own terms.
As for The River, another Borzage romantic drama starring Farrell, it must be missing more than a third of its footage, running less than an hour in its present form. Wikipedia calls it a semi-talkie, but I heard no voices whatsoever. Sadly, it sounds like all the visually interesting scenes have been reduced to still shots and supplementary intertitles (written small with French underneath).
But frankly, I doubt I'd've liked it much anyway. The plot concerns a boatman (seemingly much younger than Farrell's actual 29 years) accidentally stuck in the area for the winter, thanks in large part to the tricks of a crass woman with a jailed boyfriend. She...defrosts...toward the boatman, of course, but it's hard to root for their romance in light of the circumstances.
If you've watched 7H and really want to kill some more time with a silent, you may want to tune in to TR. Otherwise, I don't recommend it.
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