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Rating: 5 out of 5
What comes to mind when you think of the title, Room at the Top? For me, it is the thought of having someone stand side by side with you at the top of any mountain you’ve climbed. People say that it’s lonely at the top, and it is. There is no room at the top of something. No one knows the sacrifice one goes through to truly get what they want. Sometimes the ambition one has leaves pain and sorrow for everyone around them. What if you have your eye on a beautiful woman and start a love affair with another? Would your simple-mindedness blind you from something that would make you happy? Well, do I have an OUTSTANDING movie for you. One filled with ambition, love, and that save your drama for your mama action.
Room at the Top is directed by Jack Clayton and based on the 1957 novel of the same name by John Braine. In 1947, in West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Twenty-five-year-old Joe Lampton (Harvey) moved from his hometown, the bleak, boring, and no advancement factory town of Dufdon, to a somewhat larger town of Warnley. Joe has arrived as he has secured a low-paying job at the Treasury Department. Joe is ambitious to change his life and fortunes around. Viewing his hometown as a badge of disgrace, Joe sets out to make a name for himself. Even with this goal, he has a distaste for the rich, who know nothing of the pain of the poor. Joe meets and becomes friends with Charles Soames (Houston) and states that he evaluates girls first by their accessories, the more expensive, the better, and second by their looks. That is pretty shallow right there. During a community event, Joe spots the beautiful Susan Brown (Sears), the daughter of arguably the wealthiest and most powerful man in town. Joe sets his sights on Susan even against the warning of Charles. Joe has a mighty mountain to climb as Susan’s parents don’t see Joe as nothing more than a commoner. On his quest, Joe meets and befriends Alice Aisgill (Signoret), a slightly older Parisienne in an unhappy marriage. At the start of their friendship, Alice helps Joe in his quest for Susan, but soon they end up having an affair as they fall in love. Now Joe is in a situation between Alice and Susan. Which one will he choose? Will he choose with his head and heart or the little head in his pants?
I wasn’t expecting the drama in this film and the love affair followed by everything going to shit. I think that is why I was intrigued and invested in this film. The story seemed to speak to anyone who wants to better themselves in life. I believe that Joe went about it wrong and showed in the end. It is okay and perfectly reasonable to hate rich people or, as he said, people with silver spoons in their mouths, BUT he was a shallow prick who wanted to be part of a society he hated. To see himself weasel in Susan’s life like a snake is one thing. Susan becomes an obsession for him. When he finally obtained it, he seemed uninterested in the end. My thing is, if you didn’t really love the girl, why go for her.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!! We also have this dynamic between Joe and Alice. Alice starts off as an advisor on Joe’s quest, and then the pair start sleeping with each other. I have to admit that at first, I thought Alice was blah. It wasn’t her looks because she was BEAUTIFUL; it was her attitude on life. Since she was in a loveless marriage and thought she was too old, she had little thought about her self-worth. Gurlllllll, you are way too fine and sexy to believe that. You could see that throughout the film, she cared for Joe, and Joe really cared for her, but she knew she would always play second fiddle.
I will say that the climax of the film was brilliant. When Joe finally has what he wants, the unthinkable happens as he leaves someone heartbroken. He becomes depressed and wanders the street before his wedding. He tries to stop a woman from being harassed and gets his ass whipped by several people. Yet, he gets married and obtains everything he wants. After his wedding, he sits in his car and cries because it’s not really what he wants. Sometimes what you really want isn’t what you think of.
One of the themes presented in this film is the social class idea. Joe comes from a hard-working class town where the factory was life. He goes to Warnley to work a low-paying job, and when he spots Susan, an elite, her parents were like, aww hell naw. You see that they look down upon him and see him as trash. I think everyone is fit for someone, no matter how rich or poor they might be. The film also makes you think, “is being rich worth it?”
The cast did their part in driving this film in a thrilling, drama-filled way. First, Laurence Harvey as Joe Lampton was the right choice. He played Joe as a man who was shallow but ambitious. He seemed to know what he wanted but doesn’t know shit. You can’t say that you hate the rich and want to be one of them. That makes you hypocritical. He didn’t know he had a great thing until he lost it.
Simone Signoret was AMAZING as Alice Aisgill. I give it to Signoret; she was everything you want in this role. She was hard and down on herself, yet she displayed confidence and sex appeal in public. She wanted to be loved as her marriage was nonexistent. Signoret had a way on screen that made you sympathize with her because she was the girl that Joe should’ve wanted rather than making her second fiddle. That punk as bitch.
Room at the Top is a fantastic film filled with drama, love, and a pursuit to get to the top of your world. Sometimes love comes in many different forms and where you least expect it. Joe wants one person, but another person cares for him. He must choose. Also, the film explores social class and shows that wealth and status are important over everything else. Watch this classic film and enjoy.
