The L-Shaped Room

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Audience Member The L-Shaped Room has an interesting premise but it it is seriously brought down by a boring script. The film follows a French woman who has emigrated to England and is struggling with being a foreigner in a new country and also her pregnancy. There some scenes where the film does shine, such as the conversations Caron's character has with the other tenants in the building. However, the conversations between Caron and Bell really drag on and become very dull. The cinematography does not help to put any life into these scenes either. There are instances when characters lash out for no distinguishable reason only to apologise immediately after. Another kitchen sink drama, Alfie, showed the struggles of poverty and the societal of stigma of out-of-wedlock pregnancy in a much better scripted film. The characters in Alfie were much more intriguing and relatable due to a compelling and well-paced script. Caron and Bell's characters are a total bore in comparison. Caron was nominated for Best Actress for her part but lost to Patricia Neal for Hud. I didn't think Caron's performance was worthy of an Oscar nomination but maybe that was a weak year cause I haven't seen the other nominees. Overall, The L-Shaped Room had an interesting premise with one or two captivating scenes, but other than that a really boring film due to its dull characters and tiresome script. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review steve d Important for its time, and it's performances still pack a punch. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Touching, intelligent performance from Leslie Caron and striking direction from Bryan Forbes. It does have a bit of the " kitchen sink" feel about it, but if you like human drama around real situations, this movie will truly affect you. And Leslie Caron, who is never off the screen, is just charming to watch. I loved all the characters in the boarding house - they give the writer the opportunity to look at sex/love in many different guises. Even though society is now more open and accepting, people can still find themselves in similar situations to the characters in the movie, particularly in conservative countries. Anyhow, it is intriguing to see how the people have ended up where they are, to learn their back-stories. This must be one of the earliest movies to show a gay man as a sympathetic character. At the time it was made homosexuality was still a criminal offence in England. Titbit: Writer/director Forbes' wife Nanette Newman appears in a small role as a tenant of the boarding house. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Here we have what we can call "the performance of a lifetime" for Leslie Caron. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Britain in the 'sixties had the knack of making great movies and this is no exception. An atomospheric London-set drama, vividly acted. Caron acquits herself well in an untypical role, while the late Tom Bell was a vastly under-rated actor. While the book (by Lynne Reid Banks) is fine, the film improves upon it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Masterpiece of British kitchen sink dramas with Tom Bell and Leslie Caron at their acting peaks and and a superb supporting cast of Limey character actors. The Smiths sampled "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty" (The Queen Is Dead) from this classic. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The L-Shaped Room

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