Wow, this really blew me away.

Room at the Top really strikes on a number of levels. Partly it pores over class descrepancies in post WWII britain, and the question of morals and money during that time. It's a beautiful romantic tragedy, one where the two leads' chemistry absolutely burns off the screen and then some. It's a film where the protaganist's arc is almost groundbreaking in how unexpected his actions are, because of so many films and cliche resolutions to their plots, to see Lampton make the decisions in this film that he does is truly shocking. There's 3 or 4 moments in the film where we're sure we're going down one path, and then are blown away when Clayton takes us down a completley different one.

Lampton as a character is really interesting, just because of how much he walks the line of likeable or unlikeable. He's charming, bound to be succesful, and you believe he cares for his love. But he's attached to money, he uses women, he forces himself on one when he really shouldn't. And yet, you still root for him, and by the end you still see his ultimate regret and sorrow. There is nothing close to black or white with him, he's all grey, and is probably one of the most fleshed out and real characters out there.

Speaking of the sorrow, without spoiling anything, it's refreshing to see a character having real pain and heartwrench in a film. Not just "my girlfriend dumped me" blues, but the real stuff, a character having his soul ripped apart and losing himself. Lampton by the end of the film is one of the more totally broken characters I've seen in cinema. Harvey's performance, not just there but throughout the film is very very good, he carries the movie.

Simone Signoret is stunning here. Totally stunning. It's one of the few cases where I totally believe a relationship in old movies, you actually believe these people have grown to love each other, it's not just staged dialogue saying that. Signoret is a perfect figure of aging beauty, loneliness, and fear. There's a scene at the end where she just looks into a mirror, and despite no words being spoken, you know everything she feels. With this she became the first foreign actress to win the Oscar, and deservingly so. The supporting cast in this film by the way is also very very good, it's a sign of a competant filmmaker to have everyone so on their game.

The screenplay is incredibly snappy and polished, there isn't a scene that misses a beat here, in fact the dialogue is so fast that I think I missed some of the quips. Once again though, nothing feels staged, everything feels real. Feels like real people talking. I'd go as far to say it's one of the top 10 screenplays I've ever came across.

The ending also stands as one of the finer ones I've seen, just pitch perfect. The look in his eyes, wow.

Room at the Top probably stands as one of the best movies I've seen in recent memory. It's eerie how similar my reaction was to both this and All About Eve, between the era, and strenghts in the powerhouse female lead and the script. If I didn't love it as much as that, it certainly comes close.

Incredible movie. Just incredible.

A+