Room at the Top

Room at the Top is a 1959 film based on a novel by John Braine. The screenplay was written by Neil Paterson and was directed by Jack Clayton. It won an Oscar for Best Actress. The movie stars Simone Signoret, Laurence Harvey, Heather Sears and Donald Wolfit, and tells the story of an ambitious young man moving to a small worker town, where he falls in love with the local magistrate's daughter.

Young, enthusiastic and ambitious Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) moves to a small sleeper village. In order to work his way up the social ladder, Lampton conquers and marries the daughter of the local magistrate and millionaire Mr. Brown (Donald Wolfit), while also starting an affair. Things become complicated when his wife becomes pregnant, causing his mistress to commit suicide. This forces Lampton to reconsider whether he hasn't followed his ambition too strongly at the cost of others.

• Laurence Harvey as Joe Lampton

• Simone Signoret as Alice Aisgill

• Heather Sears as Susan Brown

• Donald Wolfit as Mr. Brown

• Allan Cuthbertson as George Aisgill

• Donald Houston as Charles Soames

• Hermione Baddeley as Elspeth

• Raymond Huntley as Mr. Hoylake

"A seminal work that introduced the new British social realism tradition, this superbly acted film is an uncompromising indictment of the British class system; it launched the career of Jack Clayton, in his feature debut, as a new significant voice."— Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Comhttp://www.emanuellevy.com/search/details.cfm?id=4025

"Neil Paterson's literate, well-molded screenplay is enhanced by subtle, intelligent direction from first-timer Jack Clayton and a batch of topnotch performances."—Varietyhttp://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794561.html?categoryid=31&cs=1