A film opens with a gathering of people in the street led by a ruffian named Alfred (Albert Préjean) singing a song titled 'Under the Roofs of Paris'. This device is used to introduce most of the main characters in the film. There is the beautiful Romanian woman who is new in town and looking for acquaintances, there is a tough street thug who thinks he runs the neighborhood, a petty thief who tries to rob women's purses and numerous other working class people.

The basic story is about Alfred - who lives in a modest apartment, makes money by selling music sing-along sheets to people and has a group of friends that are of questionable character.

The male characters are often more annoying than funny – especially in their treatment of the young Romanian woman, Pola (Pola Illéry), who is nothing more than an object to them. And, just like a good number of comedies from the era, the motivations of the main characters revolve around their need to get the woman.

Because of this there is a bittersweet side to the film that recalls Chaplin. Alfred falls in love with Pola. But the day she is supposed to move in with him he is carted off to jail on trumped up charges. This episode leads the Romanian woman right into the arms of the Alfred's best friend.

At times Under the Roofs of Paris, which was made in 1930, feels like a silent film with occasional moments of singing and talk. But that's fine because it adds to the visual value of the film since Clair refuses to let the sound get in the way of his stylistic flourishes. There are some neat silent images including the opening crane shot and later a gang fight fought amid dim street lights and train smoke.

Like À Nous la Liberté there is a strong bond between the two main characters in this film. But where that film concludes that nothing can fracture that bond this film points to the fact that the presence of a pretty woman is enough to cause major problems. Still, Clair refuses to let anything get too serious; he always wears his optimistic humanism on his sleeve.

Video:
The transfer is in standard 1.33:1 aspect ration and looks good although the print is not without a lot or wear. At times the black and white images pulse and lose contrast. But the image restoration is evident if you compare the quality of the print with the quality of the deleted scene print, which looks horrendous.

Audio:
The audio is a French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track. Similar to À Nous la Liberté the sound is rather clean. Often too the film switches between silent film mode and early talkie mode, which means there is some hiss noticeable but not like most films from the era.

Extras:
The extras on this DVD are excellent. There is a 30 minute short surreal sci-fi film titled Paris qui dort (The Crazy Ray) that Clair made in 1924. In some ways it is a better film because the story holds together a bit better and it has no slack moments. There is also a 1966 BBC-TV interview with René Clair, conducted by Dilys Powell, which is good. In it Clair talks about the difficulty of cinema being both an art form and an entertainment medium. In he he talks about his preference for the aesthetic of silent film over sound film because it allowed the camera more freedom. Included too is one deleted scene that was meant to be the original opening of the film and a trailer. There is also a good short essay on the inside jacket. By Luc Sante.

Overall:
Under the Roofs of Paris is an appealing film that captures both a realistic and fanciful slice of Parisian life circa 1930. As directed by French master René Clair the film moves along quickly with bits of humor and pathos with musical numbers tossed in for good measure. The Criterion DVD is very good with the best transfer available for the film and a good number of extras including one of Clair's rarely seen silent films.