Les chemins de la puissance

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.

I enjoyed this more than Room at the Top, there was more of a storyline and Laurence Harvey wasn't quite so wooden. Jean Simmonds was far stronger as Joes wife, Susan, than Heather Sears in the first film, and this gave a lot more bite to the relationship. A lot was made of the canal-side development, but this never reached a conclusion. It was just left hanging as the film concluded the other storylines.

The first film was set in 1947 and this was 10 years on, so Harry's 10th birthday would have been early 1958, but there were at least two references to be set in the 1960s. The first, in the background is the soundtrack album for Never on a Sunday, which was released in 1960. Also, Joe telling his father-in-law about his halitosis refers to a Christmas Party in '61 and by inference this was at least a couple of years previously.

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 !!