A gem. The photography is wonderful, naturally beautiful without ever being obtrusive. The acting works well, especially Signoret; she gives weight to every scene she's in. A fine way to kick off the New Wave. This needs a decent Region 1 release.

Two Oscars and both well deserved. Signoret isn't the lead but she's the heart of the film, and she gives such a strong performance that it adds a lot of depth to Joe and his social climbing conflicted personality. The writing is spectacular in this nascent angry young man film with a ton of internal conflicts and a lead that's likable but not always sympathetic.

A scathing denouncement of class society. Not the first film of the kind, but it pushes the envelope and manages to be far ahead of its time. The script is extremely risqué, and the story is unabashed in presenting questionable characters in difficult circumstances. Even the lead character isn't without flaws (particularly greed). The acting is just outstanding across the board, especially Simone Signoret, who steals every scene she's in. I also enjoyed the neat and cleanly composed photography.

If I were to give a score to the level of photography/framing/camera technique, it'd be much higher, but this just didn't pull me in. The lead actor being completely wooden is mostly to blame.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Room at the Top, it's got some great performances and some wonderful directing, but it's also just too much at the same time. There's simply too much sex and too much sensuality within the film, it gets overbearing and tired before the experience is over and it feels like most of those scenes tend to drag out the film far longer than it really should be. Still, it's interesting and thought-provoking, certainly worth a watch.

Ok melodrama spiced up by a superb performance by Signoret. She's subtle yet powerful in all her scenes.