In post was Britain, a man (Laurence Harvey) gets a job in a northern town. He is desperate to rise up the social standings and romances the daughter (Heather Sears) of the local mill owner as a way of getting money and prestige, but also falls in love with an unhappily married older French woman (Simone Signoret). This is an examination of the social, sexual and class standards in 1950's Britain. Laurence Harvey plays the man who is only interested in getting wealth and status.
Simone Signoret manages to mix sexuality, strength, vulnerability and being worldly wise, in a performance that rightly won her an Oscar. Heather Sears gives a good supporting performance as the innocent rich girl caught between Harvey's social ambitions and the class and social standards of her parents. Hermione Baddeley only has a comparatively small role, but was the one that got her the only Oscar nomination of her career. This is one of the important British New Wave films that builds on the kitchen sink drama's. The film is based on the novel by John Braine.
4/5 
Simone Signoret
Laurence Harvey
Heather Sears
Donald Houston
Hermione Baddeley
Allan Cuthbertson
Raymond Huntley
Ian Hendry
