Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Room at the Top Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 30, 2020

Jack Clayton's "Room at the Top" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include audio commentaries by Dr. Josephine Botting and Neil Sinyard; short films from the BFI National Archive; galleries of stills; and more. Also included with the release is a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and its cast as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "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 the British Film Institute.

This was the first release to introduce the 2K restoration of the film on Blu-ray in English-speaking territories. I wanted to take another look at it because when I reviewed the U.S. release from Kino Lorber I liked absolutely everything but the grading job. I thought that it was a bit more aggressive than it should have been.

On my system the darker and indoor areas looked identical, which means that some subtle nuances are still lost. (Just so that it is perfectly clear what the issue is, I would like to mention the following: adjusting the brightness levels on your TV or projector isn't something that will improve the visibility of the nuances. The restored master was simply graded in particular way). The outdoor footage and areas with plenty of natural light, however, usually look wonderful (see screencapture #3). On this release I did spot some compression artifacts, which are not present on the U.S. release, so if you have a large TV you should probably consider the U.S. release. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 LPCM 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).

• The Visit (1959) - a short film about a young woman who slowly begins to realize that she is wasting the best years of her life. Directed by Jack Gold. Remastered. (35 min).

• The West Riding in Archive Film - much of the exterior photography for Room at the Top was undertaken in an around Bradford and Halifax, both key centers of industry in Yorkshire. The historic grit and glory of this renowned region of Britain is reflected in this selection of films from the vaults of the BFI National Archive:
  
  1. Bradford Town Hall Square (2 min).
  2. Bailey's Royal Buxton Punch and Judy Show (3 min).
  3. Tram Ride into Halifax (4 min).
  4. Halifax Day by Day (3 min).
  5. We of the West Riding (23 min).
  6. This Town (9 min).

• Galleries -
  
  1. Room at the Top
  2. Jack Clayton Scrapbook
  3. Audience Response Cards

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by Dr. Josephine Botting, film curator at the BFI, in 2019.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Neil Sinyard for the 2009 Network DVD release of Room at the Top.

• Booklet - a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and its cast as well as technical credits.

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. For the best technical presentation of the film consider the U.S. release from Kino Lorber. You should consider this release for the special features. RECOMMENDED to the fans.