Simply A Masterpiece

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In 1956, John Osborne wrote his play "Look Back in Anger," which was a turning point in British drama in examining class revolt and changing social conditions in England in the post war years. But while Osborne's play is now virtually forgotten as a "kitchen sink" period piece, "Room at the Top," which examines similar issues in the film medium, has stood the test of time.Laurence Harvey stars as the social climber from humble origins, a role that is the reincarnation of Osborne's "angry young man" Jimmy Porter in "Look Back in Anger." Porter succeeds in marrying a woman above his social rank, then abuses her. But as portrayed by Harvey, the character of Joe Lampton is much more complex, as his driving ambition to win the hand of the daughter of an influential industrialist is balanced by his soulful connection to an older married woman. The self-loathing of Lampton is apparent throughout, as he constantly humiliated by his social superiors. Possibly the worst abuse comes from his future mother-in-law, who is dripping in contempt for what she perceives as a commoner. In the process, Joe becomes nearly as tortured as Raymond Shaw, the protagonist of "The Manchurian Candidate," for which Laurence Harvey will always be remembered.In the portrayal of the younger woman named Susan, Heather Sears is outstanding for her naivety and cheerful optimism in the attraction she feels for Joe Lampton. But it is in the interpretation of the older woman, Alice Aisgill, that the film will always be remembered for the transcendent performance of Simone Signoret.Signoret's portrayal of Alice as the vulnerable French expatriate in a loveless marriage to a British highbrow is almost a mirror image of the social misfit Lampton. The characters bond in their common ground as outsiders in the claustrophobic British class system in the fictional town of Warnley. In virtually all of her scenes, Signoret is magnetic in her sensitivity, as especially apparent in her eyes.Every viewer will have his or her favorite scene in this film. For me, it is moment in the cottage where Joe and Alice have escaped to an idyllic seaside retreat where they rush into the house out of the rain. Joe offers Alice a cigarette, but she refuses. She tells him that she wishes to abstain for smoking and drinking during their holiday for she wants each of their moments together to remain "clear and sharp" in her memory. This unforgettable moment could only be realized by a performer of Signoret's abilities.Led by Signoret, Harvey, and a stellar cast of British actors, this old-style black-and-white film with the rapid-fire pacing and wrenching emotional ending rises to the top as one of the great cinematic experiences of the second half of the twentieth century.

It is very easy for me to overlook films such as Room at the Top because I was always reading similar books at school and watching kitchen sink dramas all the time as a kid.Yet this was one of the films that heralded the kitchen sink dramas in British cinema, the naturalistic films set in working class towns. It has a bitter bite as men who fought in the war still faced up to the class divide.Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) arrives in a provincial Yorkshire city such as Bradford with a secure job in the council's accounts department. Joe who was a prisoner of war is determined to succeed and does not lack in confidence. In his sights is young, vulnerable Susan Brown (Heather Sears), daughter of the local businessman, Mr Brown (Donald Wolfit) who like Susan's snooty boyfriend is all too aware of this social climber.While Susan is sent abroad to be kept away from Joe's clutches, he turns for solace to Alice Aisgill (Simone Signoret) who he met at a local theatrical club when he was pursuing Susan. Alice is an older married woman from France, still sensual but unhappily married to her husband who is also cheating on her.Joe thinking that Susan and her riches are outside his grasp falls in love with Alice attracted to her European sensibilities, but divorcing her husband is not easy and then Joe finds Alice is pregnant and her family want a quick wedding.This is a tempestuous drama helped by Signoret's layered performance oozing sexuality as well as vulnerability. Harvey also gives a good performance, wanting to get to the top but conflicted in pursuing a girl for her wealth and a woman whom understands him.

I've always thought of "Room at the Top" as an important movie.Although the story seems anchored to life in Britain at the end of WW2, and driven by the class struggle and sense of delusion after the war, the major themes are universal.Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) in his attempt to rise above an impoverished background by latching onto a girl from a wealthy family has many cinematic soul brothers – Montgomery Clift in "A place in the Sun" and "The Heiress" for starters.In Joe's case, he sacrifices the woman he really loves, for comfort, security and position. Needless to say, he comes to regret that decision and therein lays the soul of this movie.It's easy to see why Simone Signoret won the Academy Award as Alice Aisgil, the older woman he loves. She is at once worldly, but vulnerable; it is painful to watch her as she realises the fragility of her relationship with Joe.Then there is Laurence Harvey. His was a difficult role, and although he may be a little too strident earlier in the movie, by the end, he inhabits Joe Lampton like a second skin.Laurence Harvey gave a certain gravitas to many movies, although his critics would seem to deny him any stature as an actor at all – I often wonder if they mixed up his off-screen life with his on-screen roles? Apparently he was promiscuous, bi-sexual, perennially late on set, and used people to gain advantage – not unlike Joe Lampton – but all that was off camera, it's not the Laurence Harvey 99.9% of us ever saw.When British actor Robert Stephens described Harvey in his autobiography as "an appalling man and, even more unforgivably, an appalling actor." It's hard to take that as a particularly astute observation when we watch not only this film, but also "Darling", "Butterfield Eight", "The Manchurian Candidate" and even "The Alamo", where Laurence Harvey's cultivated Colonel Travis is the perfect counterpoint to the testosterone charged performances of just about everyone else in the cast. But maybe those smooth good looks and that superb voice just got up the nose of less photogenic peers – there seems much peevishness in their comments.There is considerable depth to his performance in "Room at the Top", especially at the end when the anguish over what he has done breaks through his icy demeanour; it's understated and all the more powerful for it. Made in 1959, but set in the late 40's, the film looks good, and has that sense of timelessness often achieved by films made at a later date than when they are set.The sequel, "Life at the Top," made in 1965, was a polished production that had something to say about the politics of the time, and also featured a more mature performance by Laurence Harvey. However, it didn't have the immediacy of the original, which ushered in that brilliant period in British cinema in the late 50's and early 60's. History aside, "Room at the Top" is a powerful experience full of fascinating and attractive stars.

Much has been said about Simone Signorets's magnificence here, but I feel compelled to add my own voice to the mix, so astonished & moved was I by her performance. I want to pay homage to a particular scene. She's been blowing, sheathing herself, in gorgeous plumes of smoke throughout the film, but at a climactic moment, delivers these lines:"No--no, I don't want to smoke, and I don't want to drink. Because cigarettes and drink--they dull you. I want every minute of these four days. And I want them...sharp...and clear." Prosaic lines, in and of themselves. Listen to, and watch, an artist at work here, illuminating the essence of naked, fragile, beautiful humanity. Thank you, Ms. Signoret.