Parisian sewer cleaner Chico is tired of his dead-end job and aspires to work his way into the middle class. He meets Diane, an abused prostitute, and sympathizes with her plight. When Diane is about to be arrested, Chico tells the police that she's his wife. He invites Diane to live with him to keep up the appearances of marriage. Eventually a real romance blossoms between them. However, the couple face a challenge when Chico gets drafted in the army at the start of World War I.
A three-story elevator scaffold was constructed to follow Chico and Diane's dramatic ascent from the ground level to the apartment loft - the titular "7th Heaven".
Initially released as a traditional silent film, the movie was re-released by the Fox Film Corporation with a soundtrack utilizing the company's pioneering Movietone technology, making it one of the first feature films with a recorded soundtrack.
Following the movie's success, Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor went on to make another 10 films together.
The film received the most nominations at the first Academy Awards ceremony, with five.
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