Jack Clayton is a director deserving of more admiration than he typically receives. Now that his first film, Room at the Top, has been restored and re-released, there's a chance that the director of The Innocents and of Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Great Gatsby will be met with more love.

That love will be well deserved, too. Room at the Top is a very good film, even with its flaws. Clayton tells the story of Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) as he attempts to climb the social ladder. His approach is a troublesome one: he intends to marry into money. Insecure about being working class in an upper class environment, the former soldier and prisoner-of-war aims to ensure that he makes his way into high society no matter what. He sets his sights on Susan Brown (Heather Sears). But things become more complicated when Alice Aisgill (Simone Signoret) enters the picture and Joe finds himself attracted to her regardless of her background. More problems arise within the love triangle, as Joe finds himself torn between social climbing and a more genuine love.

The script, written by Neil Paterson and Mordecai Richler, is excellent. It serves primarily as a character study, and takes considerable risk with its representation of Joe. He's a complex character, one who is sympathetic but often terrible, with misogyny, rage and jealousy consistently causing him problems. But he also has a certain rakish charm that makes him compelling. Laurence Harvey's performance is terrific, one that humanises a character who otherwise could easily feel stereotypical.

The film's insistence that Joe's working class background is a key part of the negativity within his personality is wrong, however. Room at the Top never delves far into Joe's time as a prisoner of war and the impact that that had on him, and instead assimilates his working class childhood with jealousy and anger. Turning the working class character into the villain in a film about middle and upper class characters is clearly wrong. The film only does this at certain points, however, and at other points frames Joe with more sympathy, even regarding him a tragic character. Its tentative class representation aside, though, Joe is a fascinating lead.

When Harvey's work as Joe is placed alongside other great performances, the film really works. Scenes shared with Signoret are excellent thanks to the chemistry between the two and their difficult relationship. In fact, those scenes are strong to the point that Signoret won an Oscar for Best Leading Actress. Donald Wolfit, in a small role as Susan's rich father, is also intimidating and quietly brilliant.

Formally, the film is accomplished and suave. Freddie Francis' cinematography is especially impressive, capturing the dim prospects of post-war Britain as it becomes more industrial. The mise-en-scene is strong, too, identifying Clayton's confidence and skill as a director.

Room at the Top is a strong film because of its surprising bleakness. Its focus on class allows it to serve as a character study that further serves as a comment on class struggle in late 1950s Britain. Joe Lampton is a fantastic lead character because the audience is able to feel for him at the same time as fear his actions and know their negative impacts. The film juggles its tragedy well with its character work and social commentary, culminating in a memorable film.