BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

lolarites-894-174248 I feel I must speak up for Larry. After all I've read on this site as who how weak his Joe Lampton is. Like thin watery gruel he is. How no one wanted him for this, etc. I have to protest. Of any one, I feel no one can play the sympathetic cad like Larry. He is the King of Cads. Over and over again, i.e. A Dandy in Aspic (which he directed and rewrote some of the script after Anthony Mann died), Room at the Top, Life at the Top, Darling, Walk on the Wild Side, Summer and Smoke, Butterfield 8, he played the most loathsome of characters, always leaving a sliver of hope that there might be a real human being buried in him somewhere, which is usually the longings of a selfish, insincere boy. He was a genius at this, he even makes his portrayals of Philip Carrey and Raymond Shaw which seem to be sympathetic characters cold and reptilian. He was a special actor and I could never imagine anyone else in these roles. To prove his authority, my sister in law was once in New York on a very rainy day and as she reached for the door handle of probably the last available cab, someone took a shot at her like a linebacker and pitched her right in the gutter. He he grabbed the door handle and stepped over her to get in the cab, she looked up and locked eyes with Mr. Lawrence Harvey himself. I rest my case.

atlasmb A powerful performance by Laurence Harvey highlights this drama about a young man determined to be successful. Joe Lampton leaves the lower class industrial town of his youth with his sights set on achieving success on his own terms. His thin veneer of braggadocio hides layers of insecurity about his class and blue-collar pedigree.He determination to wed a naïve girl (Heather Sears)from money is sidetracked by his relationship with an older woman (Simone Signoret). Will his cold calculations determine his future or will he learn that life is about more than status and money?The strength of Harvey's portrayal borders on scenery chewing, but it is eminently watchable. Fortunately, Sears and Signoret are strong enough to balance his flamboyance, with the aid of Donald Wolfit who plays the father of the would-be bride with an understated power.Filmed in black and white, "Room at the Top" deserves its six Oscar nominations (and two wins). How much viewers enjoy it depends heavily upon their appreciation for Harvey's character, Joe Lampton.

robert-temple-1 This film won an Oscar, as did Simone Signoret for best actress and the screenwriter Neil Paterson for best screenplay. It made a huge hit when it was released, and it had a major social impact in Britain as well. Based on the best-selling novel by John Braine, the film dealt with the aspirations of the working class to rise in the world, and the intimidation they felt from the rich upper middle class, in this case a Yorkshire mill-owner, played with ruthless honesty and typical Yorkshire bluntness by Donald Wolfit. The hero, or I should really say anti-hero, of the story is Joe Lampton, played by Lawrence Harvey. His desire to get on in life is all-consuming, and he is desperate to escape the row cottage in the small Yorkshire mill town where he has grown up with his widowed mother. He was in the RAF in the War, but was only a sergeant, and spent most of the War as a POW. It is 1947 and he has now returned to civilian life and has to decide what to do. So he moves to a larger mill town, which is not an entirely working class location, and gets a job in the offices of the local textile mill. On his very first day, he sees the pretty young daughter of the mill owner and decides he is going to 'get' her, both because he wants her and as a means of advancement. He is brutally frank about wanting to 'marry a million pounds'. He wants to get to the 'top'. Wolfit\s daughter is played by the young Heather Sears. It is a great pity that she did not appear in the sequel film LIFE AT THE TOP (1965, see my next review), and that she was replaced with Jean Simmons, who was not right for the part, and the difference in tone destroyed much of the continuity. Heather Sears was absolutely perfect. She played the daughter as a sweet, dreamy, but spoilt and wilful creature lost in her romantic notions. She is completely dazzled by Larry Harvey and in love with him, and keeps saying to him as things work out for them: 'Isn't it wonderful?' For her, she is living out a romantic dream. But she is far from a passionate creature in the carnal sense, which is essential to the story. For that side of things, Harvey has his own passionate love affair with the woman who is to be the one true love of his life, played by Simone Signoret with overwhelming soulful intensity. Signoret could say more with her bedroom eyes than almost any actress one can think of. You can see her thinking, and what is more, you can see her feeling. That takes some doing in moments without dialogue. She certainly deserved her Oscar. Larry Harvey's performance is wonderful and dominates the film, as indeed it should. The film is magnificently directed by Jack Clayton, and is one of his finest achievements. The cinematography by Ossie Morris is even better than his usual superb standard, with Brian West as operator. I knew (at a later date, not when this was made) so many people connected with this film, not least Larry and Jack. Alas, I never met Signoret. That would have been something. This film is a real classic, powerful, emotional, upsetting, compulsive viewing, and deeply tragic. It is what can be called without hesitation 'the real thing'.

ivegonemod Oh how I enjoyed this film, that's what it was, a film, not just a movie. I can't believe it took me so long to watch, silly me had it on my DVR since March/05/2012 and never felt like watching it. I just finished it now.The acting from the leads was superb! I loved Alice and Joe. The acting from so many of the actors was top-notch, only the character Susan was a bit of a drag. How I hate that Joe would be stuck with her whiny and silly self. He did realize that what he thought he wanted wasn't what he wanted at all, and look how he messed everything up. Poor dear Alice! I was hoping all would end well, but I knew it would not. I just knew it. Joe is going to be wealthy and have a life that his friends would never have, but he truly learned that his love for Alice meant more than anything to him. Can you imagine having to listen to Susan for years to come?