Room at the Top

ROOM AT THE TOP, the boundary-pushing and multi-Oscar winning British drama from 1959 ranks among the finest ‘kitchen sink dramas’ of its generation – charting the rise of Joe Lampton, an ambitious working class lad who leaves the drab Yorkshire factory town of Dufton for the larger town of Warnley to start a new but ultimately dead-end job. As it soon turns out, Joe will stop at nothing to climb the social ladder and improve his career prospects.

Sometimes one wonders what happened to all of those 'angry young men' from the 1950’s – well, this seminal film provides an answer of sorts and is proof that class-ridden Great Britain has not really changed. Director Jack Clayton's close-up look of working class protagonist Joseph ‘Joe’ Lampton (Laurence Harvey giving us a northern accent - a nice change from his usual prissy posh one) is the case in point. Sitting in a train carriage, the camera zooms in on Joe’s darned sock before he puts on his spanking new brogues and it is a gesture which already gives us a fair insight into the character's psyche. Joe is on his way to the fictitious northern town of Warnley (Halifax in reality) coming from another little northern town called Dufton (so small, there would be no chance of getting to 'the top'). Sporting a somewhat severe haircut suggesting he's just come 'out of nick' (he has not) he is about to take on a dull accountancy job at the local Treasurer’s Department - but this young man has high expectations. He knows what he wants and he wants it quickly! There is, of course, the ever so slight problem of his rank working class background impeding his rapid progress.

Joe's boss, Mr. Hoylake (Raymond Huntley) lays down the law about how it will or should be - but it isn't Hoylake's job Joe is looking at; his sights are considerably higher. For one, he immediately sets his eyes on Susan Brown (Heather Sears), the daughter of super wealthy industrial magnate Mr. Brown (Donald Wolfit). He is soon befriended by another clerk, Charley Soames (Donald Houston), with whom he moves in (not having a place of his own). Within no time, Joe joins the local Amateur Dramatic Society (although he can’t act to save his life) and it would appear that he is indeed a very attractive young man - as was witnessed when he first arrived at the Treasurer’s Department: just about every young typist was unable to take her eyes off this young Adonis! It is at the Amateur Dramatic Society that the dichotomy for young Joe begins when he takes a shine to yet another female. This time it is the group's leading lady Alice Aisgill (top billed Simone Signoret) and wastes little time in wooing the older woman, who is ten years his senior. Of course, he’s also still taken with young Susan Brown (Heather Sears) and given her social status, wastes no time in getting to know her better too, after all, which woman doesn't like to be told how beautiful she is.

Initially, difficulties arise when it emerges that both women already have partners: earth mother Alice is trapped in a loveless marriage with arrogant George Aisgill (Alan Cuthbertson - the screen's greatest pompous snide) and Susan has a lanky, ultra posh boyfriend in Jack Wales (John Westbrook) who never misses an opportunity when it comes to belittling Joe - even referring to him as ‘Sergeant’ (Jack, of course, was an Officer). These, however, are minor obstacles for the overly ambitious Joe. Sadly, and knowing full well what kind of world this is, Joe, by now genuinely in love with the married Alice, comes to realise that the somewhat naïve and sheltered Susan is his ticket to a ‘room at the top’. Torn between his feelings and his ambition, Joe’s ultimate decision comes at a terrible price…

The film is based on John Braine's best selling novel from 1957. Braine, as you may have guessed, was himself an 'angry young man' from a working class Yorkshire background and we can see all too clearly his total understanding of the machinations of his creation Joe Lampton – the name sounds even better when pronounced with a Northern 'no nonsense' accent. Producers the Woolf Brothers quickly acquired the rights and James Woolf - a great friend of Laurence Harvey's - cast him in the lead role although originally he had Stewart Granger in mind (who would have been too old at 45 anyway). Nepotism aside, this is arguably the best part Laurence Harvey ever played; quite simply, Harvey IS Joe Lampton! Ably supported by a stellar cast, the film furthermore has a never-ending string of uncredited cameos including the likes of Wilfred Lawson as Joe's dad. The great Shakespearian tragedian Donald Wolfit lends his considerable weight as the powerful Mr. Brown (himself a working class lad made good who sees some identification with Joe). Signoret (although not the first choice) is truly memorable as the doomed Alice. A film not easily forgotten and as significant today as it was then. It was the debut feature film for the ever-dependable Jack Clayton and wonderfully photographed by Freddie Francis (later to become a top horror film director). The film deservedly garnered no end of awards and there just had to be a sequel what with a lad like Joe, namely the 1965 Life At The Top, once again starring L. Harvey as the male lead.

ROOM AT THE TOP is available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Extras include:
Delena Kidd on Room at the Top / Extract from BEHP audio interview with Sir John Wolf / Audio commentaries / Behind the Scenes stills gallery / Trailer