Room at the Top

Beautifully observed portrait of a quietly ruthless social climber is a masterpiece of understatement, fired by two extraordinary performances; Harvey brings just the right combination of ingratiating cockiness and brutal coldness to the role, but film is stolen by Signoret's heartbreaking portrait of sad desperation. Film resembles 'A PLACE IN THE SUN' in many ways (and Harvey's performance brings to mind Rhys-Meyers in Woody's MATCH POINT) but presentation here is far more cut to the bone.

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.

I need to watch some more films from the British New Wave, apparently, because this muscular and nicely shot love triangle tale, which won Academy Awards for Best Actress (Signoret) and Best Writing, was excellent.

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.

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.

Effective tragedy of class and gender.

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.

Very good but it didn't meet the hype for me. Maybe not relating to the time and place enough.

Em honra do centenário de Jack Clayton #1 e de Simone Signoret #1. Um dos diretores mais aptos a transformar obras-primas da literatura em obras-primas do cinema, algo raro em transposição de linguagem, mas que fazia como ninguém nas diversas obras que adaptou. Aqui não é diferente, mas a decisão mais acertada mesmo foi ter a gloriosa Simone Signoret no papel feminino principal, céus, eu poderia passar a vida toda olhando para aquela face. WEBRip no MakingOff.

La Frontiere de l'Aube

Not only did I fall asleep watching this, but I found myself unable to not keep my eyes closed!

Set in England just after WWII. About a returning soldier who wants to marry a wealthy woman and live a luxurious life. But, before he can do that, he falls in love with a married woman. Forced to abandon his true love, she dies in a car accident soon after they break up. Heartbroken, he walks down the isle with the rich girl. A story that drives the point home "be careful what you wish for, you might get it". Performances were good, but the movie is somewhat dated.

Jack Clayton's is a highly impressive feature debut. Paterson's script after Braine's novel is a richer, more compelling and morally murky "love triangle" than you're likely to find elsewhere, and some of the text is quite daring for its time. Simone Signoret in a rare English-speaking role completely steals the show.

Working-class Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) fights the British class system in his efforts to climb the social ladder, but while he achieves his goals, they come at a heavier price than he imagined. Once daring, this angry-young-man drama now succeeds mostly on the strength of Harvey's and Simone Signoret's performances; she won an Oscar as an older woman he falls for. They're both excellent, but the film itself seems a little thin now, the Oscar-winning script not quite dazzling anymore.

"A Place in the Sun" reloaded.