Room at the Top (1959)

Director:

Jack Clayton

Writers:

John Braine (novel)
Neil Paterson (writer)

Release Date:

January 1959 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Savage Story of lust and ambition

Plot:

An ambitious young accountant schemes to wed a wealthy factory owner's daughter, despite falling in love with a married older woman.

Plot Keywords:

Accountant | Cocktail Party | Ruins | 1940s | Racetrack

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Simone Signoret	...	Alice Aisgill
Laurence Harvey	...	Joe Lampton
Heather Sears	...	Susan Brown
Donald Wolfit	...	Mr. Brown
Donald Houston	...	Charles Soames
Hermione Baddeley	...	Elspeth
Allan Cuthbertson	...	George Aisgill
Raymond Huntley	...	Mr. Hoylake
John Westbrook	...	Jack Wales
Ambrosine Phillpotts	...	Mrs. Brown
Richard Pasco	...	Teddy
Beatrice Varley	...	Aunt
Delena Kidd	...	Eva
Ian Hendry	...	Cyril
April Olrich	...	Mavis

Runtime:

USA:115 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | UK:15 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Remus

Trivia:

Features the first open reference to the sex act in a British film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The story takes place in 1947, but all the women's fashions and hairstyles are strictly in the contemporary 1958 mode, when the film went before the cameras.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: Rumor at the Top (#10.3)" (1981)

Room at the Top is the finest film I have ever seen.

Simone Signoret is the epitome of sexy, womanly vulnerability, and Lawrence Harvey is superb as the money/status seeking blue collar worker willing to do whatever it takes to climb the ladder to success but oh, at what a cost. Heather Sears plays an under-appreciated role as the naive young rich girl who can't understand what Joe Lampton (Harvey) sees in such an "old woman" as Alice Aisgill(Signoret). Each character is fully fleshed out, from the fellow at work and his fiancé June, who befriend Harvey and invite him to the drama group where he meets Signoret, to Heather's parents. Her mother in particular presents a perfect display of class meeting crass in her oh so proper and oh so cold behavior to Harvey. The supporting cast all offer stellar performances. I have seen this film 17 times and will no doubt see it many more times,if I am lucky.