Sous les toits de Paris (Rene Clair, France, 1931)
Sequence selected 12:30-13:30
The clip opens with a pedestal shot, going downwards, of a building. It begins at the top of the building where we can see the roofs of Paris and the night sky. As the camera slowly goes down, the shot reveals a first window where we can see a woman passing. We then see a second window with a couple singing, a third with a man, and a fourth with a middle-aged woman. The shot ends on a view of the street where we can see and hear a man inside his apartments playing the song on the piano. This shot shows how the song connects all the characters in the scene, and how sound was used as a new cinematographic tool for filmmakers. It then cuts to a shot, moving forward, of the exterior of the bar. A man is whistling the melody of the song, continuing the link with all the characters.
The clip selected highlights Clair’s use of crane shots as he pans down a building onset. As Clair pans down the audience hear multiple different people singing the song “Sous les Toits de Paris,” a song that is heard frequently throughout the film. Sound is used effectively, in which the viewer cannot see the characters whom are singing completely yet feel connected to them as there is a small insight into their home. We hear a character sing which fades to another character singing without the use of expressive acting, as the pan continues so do the fades which occurs five times until the last character whistles the last few notes and it cuts to silence. The use of silence indicates the shift from one scene to the next and suggests that the narrative is about to progress.
Sous les toits de Paris highlights Rene Clair’s desire to continue cinema as an art form rather than a reliance on sound for progression of narrative, this is highlighted in the selected clip. The use of a crane shot for a complete sequence indicates Clair’s style of using movement of the camera to develope narrative, as the crane shot connects the characters whom are singing, the use of sound is pivotal for the viewer to hear them singing the same song.
When considering early sound in cinema we must question the purpose of it within film, for instance whether the film is aiming for synchronicity or trying to forge a different relationship with the image and move away from realism. Within this clip we can see that René Clair is attempting a purposeful use of sound, with the people singing from the windows matching the romance of the film, exhibited through the lyrics and the light, dreamy tone adding to that theme. It also allows for continuity as the song itself is a motif throughout, creating familiarity with the audience. To aid continuity and realism within this specific clip, as the camera moves down, we hear the singing from each window, the volume increases as each character enters the centre frame which then fades onto the next. In this film it’s clear that sound effects and music are not there for novelty, but to enhance emotion and action in a realistic way.

Written by: Anna Bradbury, Katherine Harding, Monet Calleja and Tom Meadham