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Room At The Top
Room At The Top “A young man determined to
  improve himself and rapidly climb
  the social ladder moves from a small
  town, where he sees no opportunities
  to rise, to live in a larger town in
  Yorkshire where he is apparently
  thwarted in his quest for wealth
  and status by falling in love in the
  multi-award-winning film Room At
  The Top...”

DIRECTOR JACK CLAYTON'S DEBUT FEATURE Room At The Top, based on the best-selling novel by John Braine, was a multi-Oscar-winning success in 1959 when it was filmed and has now joined STUDIOCANAL's Vintage Classics Collection.

Would-be social climber Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey: Women of Twilight; The Silent Enemy) is ruthlessly ambitious but lives in a small town where there does not appear to be a way for him to achieve wealth and status. He moves to a larger town where he thinks there will be more opportunities to improve his lifestyle and social standing, sharing a flat with Charlie Soames (Donald Houston).

“There is a lot of merit
in Room At The Top
as an emotional,
very human story from
the late 1950s with
respected thespians led
by Laurence Harvey acting their socks off.
Interesting also
to see some well-known
but uncredited actors
and actresses in minor
roles...”
Despite a warning from Charlie, he makes a move on Susan Brown (Heather Sears: The Story of Esther Costello; The Phantom of the Opera), the daughter of a wealthy man (Donald Wolfit: Lawrence of Arabia; Beckett), who was dating the affluent Jack Wales (John Westbrook).

Her father and mother (Ambrosine Phillpotts) attempt to split them up by sending Susan away and trying to lure Joe back to his old town with an offer of work. Seeing Joe as beneath Susan, they feel he should stick to his own class; but they fail to convince their daughter she could be making a big mistake.

Joe has already begun an affair with Alice Aisgill (Simone Signoret: Les Diaboliques; Ship of Fools), a French teacher some years older than Joe whose marriage is desperately unhappy. Her upper middle class husband George (Allan Cuthbertson) is abusive and unfaithful and Alice's liaison with Joe soon becomes more serious for both of them. Their passionate but volatile relationship comes to a head when they have a falling out and Joe returns to Susan, seducing her.

However he is still enamoured of Alice and takes her away for a few days, during which time she is convinced they will be together permanently. Her husband refuses a divorce and out of spite threatens to wreck both her life and Joe's unless she gives him up.

Meanwhile Susan discovers she is pregnant. Her father is insisting on marriage and offers a sweetener: a guaranteed job with a rewarding salary. Little does Joe realise the tragedy that is about to unfold as he enters into an arrangement he once thought would be the answer to his prayers.

Close to achieving the life he has craved for so long, will Joe be able to live with his conscience and make a life with Susan?

One of the earliest examples of the 'Kitchen Sink Drama' that helped pave the way for the incoming 'British New Wave' of filmmakers, Room At The Top contains the first open reference to sex and the earliest inclusion of adultery in a British film.

Controversial for the era, it was initially refused a certificate by the censors in 1959 before eventually being given an 'X' Certificate. Judged by modern standards the film would be considered somewhat tame, but there is a lot of merit in Room At The Top as an emotional, very human story from the late 1950s with respected thespians led by Laurence Harvey acting their socks off. Interesting also to see some well-known but uncredited actors and actresses in minor roles.

Room At The Top went on to become a major box office success, opening the floodgates for other adult orientated movies. The film gained widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two: Best Actress (Simone Signoret) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Neil Paterson). Supporting Actress Hermione Baddeley's performance (2 minutes, 19 seconds) is the shortest Oscar-nominated performance in movie history. Complete with brand-new extras, Room At The Top is one of the latest additions to the ever-expanding Vintage Classics Collection from STUDIOCANAL.

Room At The Top also features: Hermione Baddeley (Mary Poppins; Brighton Rock) as Elspeth; Ian Hendry as Cyril; Wendy Craig as Joan; Derren Nesbitt as Thug; Anthony Newlands as Bernard; Prunella Scales; and Miriam Karlin.

Written by Neil Paterson (Screenplay), John Braine (Novel) and Mordecai Richler; Music by Mario Nascimbene; Director of Photography is Freddie Francis; Produced by James Woolf and John Woolf; Associate Producer is Raymond Anzarut; and Directed by Jack Clayton (The Great Gatsby; The Innocents).

* STUDIOCANAL is delighted to announced that Room At The Top, Jack Clayton's boundary-pushing and multi-Oscar winning British classic, is joining the Vintage Classics Collection and will be available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 11 March 2024.

Extra Material —

New Delena Kidd on Room At The Top | Extract from BEHP Audio interview with Sir John Woolf | Audio Commentary with Jo Botting | Audio Commentary with Neil Sinyard | Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery | Trailer.

Certificate: 12 | Running Time: 118 Minutes.

"...there is a lot of merit in Room At The Top as an emotional, very human story from the late 1950s with respected thespians led by Laurence Harvey acting their socks off" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar

"A motion picture so frankly physical... So boldly unashamed... We recommend it to adult audiences only!" — Quote from the late 1950s
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