Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 23, 2020

Jack Clayton's "Room at the Top" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A provincial town somewhere in England. Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) has landed a small accounting job that will help him change his life. He knows it will because he is determined to work hard and take advantage of every single opportunity he gets to become a winner. Plus, he has the look that women cannot resist, so he will be making progress even in his free time. The job is just the first of many that will get him to the top, where he belongs.

Shortly after being introduced to his coworkers, Joe joins a theatrical group where he meets Susan Brown (Heather Sears), whose father is one of the area’s wealthiest industrialists, and Alice Aisgill (Simone Signoret), who is married to a well-known local aristocrat. After learning that Susan is single, Joe immediately introduces himself and then makes her realize that he will work hard to earn her love. His direct approach has the desired effect and soon after the two go out on their first date. Around the same time, however, Joe also takes Alice for a drink, and even though she is much older than him the two connect and then begin seeing each other.

When word eventually reaches the Brown family that Joe is involved with two women at the same time, Mr. Brown (Donald Wolfit) offers a solution to the problem that could work for everyone. But while the right plans are being made Joe begins to doubt his instincts and what it means to be a winner in the game of life.

Directed by Jack Clayton, Room at the Top is typically placed amongst the big British ‘kitchen sink’ dramas that mimicked the rebellious spirit of the French Nouvelle Vague films. However, while it certainly shares the social conscience that defined the ‘kitchen sink’ dramas it actually has a lot more in common with the old-fashioned romantic melodramas that emerged before them.

At the center of the film is Joe’s struggle to remain an honest party in two mutually exclusive romantic relationships that interfere with his plan to become a winner for completely different reasons. These reasons are entirely cultural, meaning that they are reflective of the social status quo that defines what is and isn’t acceptable in the small town, so in order to remain successful Joe actually has to accept a compromise that is incompatible with his winning principles. Instead of examining these reasons, however, the film acknowledges their right to exist and then simply proceeds to document the young man’s unavoidable misery. (A classic ‘kitchen sink’ drama would have transformed Joe into a rebel and then used the same reasons to put the entire town on trial).

Predictably, the entire film takes its energy from Harvey’s performance, which unfortunately is quite inconstant. For example, there are areas of the film where the playfulness on display routinely makes his character appear like a streetwise seducer that is simply looking for a good time rather than a smart pragmatist playing the long game, so his emotional collapse later becomes quite suspicious. Also, there is quite a bit of material where the intensity of his performance isn’t right for the situation his character is placed in.

Signoret’s character is the most authentic one, but it is difficult to understand precisely why she finds the newcomer attractive. His age? It does not appear so because even though her marriage has started falling apart, she isn’t desperate to bed a younger man to make a statement. There isn’t a meaningful intellectual connection between them either.

Sears’ naïve virgin rushes in a romantic relationship that progresses in a very familiar fashion, so her initial attachment to the newcomer does make sense. However, in the final third of the film the solid logic of her arguments quickly begins to hurt her image as well.

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Room at the Top arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K restoration. I like it quite a lot and have only one minor criticism. The entire restoration is graded a tad more aggressively and as a result in darker areas some native details are lost. Some similar also occurred on the BFI's release of Journey to Italy, but thankfully here there are still plenty of healthy nuances also ensure proper depth. You can see examples in screencaptures #13, 14, and 22. The rest looks lovely. Density in particular is very strong, so on a larger screen the visuals have a seriously impressive organic appearance. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very clean, clear, and easy to follow. Balance is excellent as well. There is a good range of dynamic nuances, but obviously the film's original sound design has some native limitations. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Room at the Top. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger.

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Room at the Top should have been a little more cynical and a little less melodramatic. Laurence Harvey's performance in particular often oozes energy that isn't right and hurts the integrity of his character, so when eventually he is forced to undergo a sizeable transformation it is very difficult to see it as authentic. Fans of Jack Clayton's work should not miss the film, especially now that it has been fully restored, but I cannot agree with the popular opinion that it is one of his best. RECOMMENDED to the fans.