Tribulations of “Seventh Heaven’s” Producer

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 122, 13 August 1927, Page 23

Tribulations of “Seventh Heaven’s” Producer

Trials of Paris FILMING STREET SCENES

rpHE lengths to which producers sometimes go to give realistic atmosphere and background to pictures with foreign locales is illustrated by a partial recital of what Frank Borzage did in order to get street scenes in Paris for the film conception of “Seventh Heaven,” which is shortly coming to New Zealand under the Fox direction.*

Among the scenes which Mr. Borzage finally selected to go into the production was a mobilisation of ancient taxi-cabs in the Rue de la Paix, where he set up his camera opposite the building at No. 16 in that celebrated street—the building which houses the Paris office of “The New York Times.’* It required six weeks of effort on the part *of a half dozen agents to locate 115 veteran taxi-cabs. Like the horses of Paris, the taxi-cabs of the French capital seem never to die, for a surprisingly large number of them were found capable of travelling under their own power, although all of them were more than ten years old. OBTAINING PERMISSION Before the scene could be “shot** permission had to be obtained from the police to use the street. This took three weeks. Prom the War Office permission had to be obtained for the showing of the uniformed and armed poilus who occupied the cabs—another two weeks. By orders of the police the scene had to be taken in the very early hours of the morning, and, as the men who drove the cabs were ail union chauffeurs, a special arrangement was insisted on by their union, Protecting them in the matter of extra Pay for the extra time—another week ot negotiations. For the machines which needed repairs in order to allow them to act their parts in the scene a score of mechanics had to be hurriedly Impressed and rushed at the work. Tyres of obsolete dimensions had to be bought and shipped to the garage "here repairs were made, and likewise all sorts of automotive parts. STILL MORE DELAYS Finally, when all the permits and arrangements were in hand and everything was ready for the actual recording of the scene, the man whose business it is to wet down the Rue de la , alx with a hose made trouble because S ?! n s one had forgotten to notify his . his work could be delayed that morning. This interruption became serious enough to appear like a nullification of all of Mr Borzage’s preparations, but 11 "ad its compensations. The hose Jhan had a “make-up” such as no prain could deliberately devise, includn K a moustache of astonishing curves. a David Butler’s portrayal roii e char *acter Gobin will be physicaiiy perfect, for it will be copied xactly from the “stills” of the disgruntled hose man.