--- title: "Room at the Top: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/room-at-the-top/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/room-at-the-top" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Room at the Top (1958): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are warm towards Room at the Top, and the praise gathers in two places: Jack Clayton’s direction and Simone Signoret’s performance. The earliest reviews call it an adult, literate piece of work with an authentic small-town atmosphere, and later writers agree, treating it as a landmark of British social realism for its frankness about sex, class and ambition. Signoret is singled out repeatedly, for the knowing, loving way she watches Laurence Harvey and for a passion the critics find sophisticated rather than lurid. Freddie Francis’s photography draws its own notice. The reservations are about age. Several critics say what once caused a scandal now seems tame, and Time Out finds the melodramatic plot does not quite hold up, though it enjoys the film as a 1950s Brief Encounter. Empire notes Harvey’s limitations, and The Guardian treats it as a pungent time capsule rather than a great film. The spread is narrow: nobody dislikes it, and Time Out is the only mixed voice. ## The New York Times — A. H. Weiler Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 1959. The British import sharply focuses the cynical, disenchanted postwar 'angry young men' of England through genuine drama, passion, and truth amid corruption. Jack Clayton's vigorous direction and the superb performances, especially by Simone Signoret and Laurence Harvey, make it a mature, adult, and moving work. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/31/archives/screen-room-at-top.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1958. The film is an adult, human picture with a literate screenplay enhanced by subtle direction from first-time director Jack Clayton and strong performances across the board. It maintains an authentic small-town atmosphere while delivering fine scenes of romance, power dynamics, and emotional conflict. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/room-at-the-top-1200419335/) ## Film Comment — Dan Callahan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2016. The critic praises Jack Clayton's direction for drawing revelatory performances from actresses like Simone Signoret and for his expressionist visual style that exposes characters' inner agony without defenses. Signoret's knowing yet loving gaze at Laurence Harvey is highlighted as a key example of the film's emotional depth. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/tcm-diary-hands-jack-clayton/) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2021. The critic highlights the film's groundbreaking frankness on sex, class and ambition as a 1959 re-release, noting its X certificate scandal and influence despite seeming tame today. Signoret's Oscar-winning performance and the censorship battle are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/culture/room-at-the-top-x-rated-b1977263.html) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review positions the film as a landmark in British social realism for its caustic take on ambition and adult themes, crediting Signoret's sophisticated passion while noting Harvey's limitations. It remains engaging and insightful despite dated elements. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/room-top-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2024. The critic views the 1958 film as a pungent time capsule of postwar British class conflict and male ambition, noting its grim tone compared to lighter contemporaries. He singles out Freddie Francis’s cinematography for particular praise while observing that it is not a masterpiece but still packs a punch. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/06/room-at-the-top-review-jack-claytons-1950s-take-on-toxic-masculinity) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 1959. The film offers a blunt, brutal view of postwar British society with solid dramatic impact and human characters that evoke sympathy. It provides pertinent social commentary on bourgeois mores and the moral climate, highlighted by Simone Signoret's remarkable performance and Jack Clayton's direction. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1959/04/11/straight-stuff) ## Time Out — PH Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2011. The critic notes the film's pioneering frank treatment of sex as enjoyable and its realistic depiction of northern England. In retrospect the melodramatic plot may not hold up, but it remains intriguing as a 1950s-style Brief Encounter. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/room-at-the-top) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/room-at-the-top.md