Room at the Top

Jack Clayton's 1959 feature length debut Room at the Top paved the way for the British New Wave. It is considered one of the first Kitchen Sink Dramas. Starring Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret, Room at the Top was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two: Best Actress (Signoret) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Paterson). In post-war industrial Yorkshire, Joe Lampton (Lawrence Harvey) aims to seduce the boss's daughter as he attempts to climb the ladder at work. But when his background holds him back, Joe seeks comfort with the unhappily married Alice (Simone Signoret) beginning an affair that will have unspeakable consequences.