Under the Roofs of Paris

1930

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

Musical

Romance

List

90%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

In the tenement slums of Paris between the world wars, impoverished street singer Albert (Albert Préjean) yearns for beautiful Romanian immigrant Pola (Pola Illery). Pola's boyfriend, local hoodlum Fred (Gaston Modot), grows jealous of Albert's constant attention to his woman and frames the hapless musician for one of his own petty crimes. But while Albert is in prison for Fred's misdeed, Pola ends up falling for Albert's faithful best friend, Louis (Edmond T. Gréville).

Variety Staff

Variety

Practically nothing else of importance happens, and yet the director has managed to wind together a film that holds and never lags.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Gilbert Adair

Time Out

A miniaturist masterpiece.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

This picture becomes somewhat tedious after the first half. The introductory scenes, however, are highly satisfactory, particularly when M. Clair has a fancy for a little irony.

Jan 28, 2006

Full Review

Francisco J. Ariza

Cine-Mundial

A small jewel that won't need to be adapted or subtitled because the dialogue is very brief and intelligible for anyone. [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

The dawn of French talkies

Nov 7, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A slight but charming bittersweet romantic comedy set in the streets of Paris.

Rated: B-

Jun 25, 2014

Full Review

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scott s

Such a wonderful comedy right when silent films were transitioning to talkies. Clair's innovation helped pave the way for sound in movies. The one thing that I loved about this movie is how joy and loved thrived in a deteriorating Paris

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

There's some creative use of the "new" technology of sound, but there's little else.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

The kind of affectionately vivacious, musically stirring, playfully sarcastic and emotionally meandering cinema only the French could produce.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Are French women really this terrible, or are French filmmakers just misogynistic?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is my first Rene Clair film and it is a magnificent one. It's a film about a love triangle between a young woman, a street singer and a gangster. It's funny, thrilling, moving and goes into unexpected directions. This was made in 1930 and it's one of the early sound films with some scenes playing out kind of like a silent movie. It also features some highly inventive use of sound and music. The ending is a bit unexpected but very satisfying nevertheless.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Lacks focus and tone, but the performances and camerawork make up for the missteps.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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René Clair

Director

Albert Préjean

Albert

Pola Illery

Pola

Edmond T. Gréville

Louis

Gaston Modot

Fred

Paul Olivier

Drunkard

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Synopsis

In the tenement slums of Paris between the world wars, impoverished street singer Albert (Albert Préjean) yearns for beautiful Romanian immigrant Pola (Pola Illery). Pola's boyfriend, local hoodlum Fred (Gaston Modot), grows jealous of Albert's constant attention to his woman and frames the hapless musician for one of his own petty crimes. But while Albert is in prison for Fred's misdeed, Pola ends up falling for Albert's faithful best friend, Louis (Edmond T. Gréville).

Director: René Clair
Producer: René Clair
Screenwriter: René Clair
Production Co: Films Sonores Tobis
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2019
Runtime: 1h 32m