Life at the Top

As a sequel to "Room at the Top" by the same author John Braine, it is less passionate but more intricate and psychological, as Laurence Harvey finds himself in the difficult position of being married to Jean Simmons, the daughter of a prominent businessman (Donald Wolfit) who gives him everything as his son-in-law except integrity and self-respect. He finds himself at a loss missing this most important thing in life as his wife deceives him with his best friend, and he tries in desperation to find an alternative, which he believes himself to find in Honor Blackman, a successful political TV journalist. The experiment is not very successful though, and he still considers himself stuck in the net of his father-in-law, while Jean Simmons is very different from her father. It's a complicated case which poses many problems and questions, but ultimately there seems to be some solution in the form of some compromise. The cast is excellent, every actor here is super and just right, even Robert Morley as a competitor of Donald Wolfit adds to the party, and above all this is a humanly interesting film, posing questions and problems of marriage, position, career, integríty and loyalty/disloyalty - an extra touch of excellence to the film is Richard Addinsell's music, which is needed indeed in the bleak environment of industrial Yorkshire. Jean Simmons as always lifts the film to a very interesting level, Laurence Harvey is an excellent match for her in acting, while all the others merely add details to the predicament of these two. If you have seen "Room at the Top", this will not be a disappointment to you.

Not bad, sequel wise. If it's a long way from "Godfather, Part Two" it is an even farther distance from "Godfather, Part Three". The first half is definitely the lesser part. Canadian director Ted Kotcheff and scenarist, Mordechai Richler (the "Duddy Kravitz" team) examine British snobbery, adultery, and Tory politics amusingly and with a lively pace but do not really give us anything that the 1958 film did not present in much more dramatic fashion. And while the entire cast gives solid performances, as expected from Brit actors, there is no character in the sequel as compelling as Simone Signoret was in the original playing a literal and figurative outsider who must be sacrificed on the altar of Joe Lampton's desire for wealth and status.

However, in the second half a most interesting change occurs. Joe decides to leave his wife and cushy, if humiliating, job in the provinces and journey to London to be with a woman he's convinced will rejuvenate him. The opposite happens as she rises in her profession while he is stuck in occupational limbo and suddenly Joe is faced, as are most of us sometime in our existences, with the question, How will I live my life? I, for one, found that Kotcheff and Richler posed this question interestingly and answered it most intelligently (if heavy handedly, at times, as in the ending where Joe is literally "locked in" to his job). And since interest and intelligence are in short supply in the cinema I'm glad I didn't pull the plug on this movie halfway through. Give it a B.

PS...Is it just me or did Jean Simmons get hotter with age?

The Kitchen Sink was beginning to get a bit clogged up by the time "Life at the Top" appeared. This was the sequel to Jack Clayton's "Room at the Top" and the critical reception was a good deal cooler than it was back in 1959 which was a pity as this is a pretty good film. Joe, (Laurence Harvey, obviously, and very good indeed), hasn't really changed his ways. He's still married to the boss' daughter, (now played by a superb Jean Simmons), but he embarks on an affair with TV anchor woman Honor Blackman while wife Susan plays around with Harvey's friend Michael Craig.

There isn't a great deal that is new in Mordecai Richler's script which basically rehashes the first picture, (and Blackman is certainly no match for Signoret), but director Ted Kotcheff keeps it ticking along very nicely and Oswald Morris' cinematography is definitely a bonus. In the end it boils down to the chemistry between Harvey and Simmons and they certainly rise to the occasion. No classic then but no turkey either.

As sequels go, this isn't half bad. Aspirational, working-class lad "Joe" (Laurence Harvey) has managed to marry the boss's daughter "Susan" (Jean Simmons), has the semi detached trappings of middle class luxury but his life consists little of substance. His career is going nowhere fast and he is soon being tempted by the visiting television star "Norah" (Honor Blackman) as his wife embarks on an affair de coeur of her own with the rather unfortunately wooden Michael Craig ("Mark"). Has he the fortitude to go it alone; does he even really want to? The story isn't as potent as "Room at the Top" (1959) but both Harvey and Simmons as well as a strong series of cameos from the likes of Sir Donald Wolfit and Robert Morley still work well to convey many of the frustrations of a young man trying to escape the bonds of a class system and of a woman who has never had to want for anything, efficiently. It looks good. The photography is intense, almost intrusive at times, and the score from the accomplished Richard Addinsell adds much to the story and in many ways substitutes for a rather wordy and descriptive narrative. It's a good film, not a great one, and it is good to see Simmons remind us just how adaptable an actress she was.

Still valid and with a great cast and storyline. Harvey shows a greater range of acting ability in this role and Simmons is excellent, as is Honor Blackman.

Edward Fox makes his first appearance in film - for about 20 seconds !!