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      The L-Shaped Room

      Released May 27, 1963 2h 5m Drama List
      67% 9 Reviews Tomatometer 83% 250+ Ratings Audience Score Jane (Leslie Caron) is young, French, pregnant and unmarried. Bucking convention, she is uninterested in settling with her baby's father or getting an abortion. After renting a room in a dingy London boarding house, Jane befriends the odd group of inhabitants and starts an affair with one boarder, Toby (Tom Bell). As Jane's pregnancy threatens her new relationship, and the reality of single motherhood approaches, she is forced to decide what to do about both her baby and her budding romance. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (9) Critics Reviews
      Francis Wyndham Sight & Sound In its dogged attempts to combine the old theatrical conventions with the new social subtlety is the commercial British cinema having its cake and eating it, or merely falling between two stools? Mar 6, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The similar Love with the Proper Stranger was a Hollywood picture, meaning it was required to ultimately pull its punches in time for an unconvincing denouement. Since it came from across the pond, that wasn't the case with The L-Shaped Room. Rated: 3/4 Sep 18, 2021 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending Everyone in the is doing superb work, but it's Caron's show. Rated: 4/5 Apr 29, 2020 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine This is an old-fashioned tearjerker tarted up with those social-realistic touches that now seem to be obligatory for every British film. Aug 12, 2019 Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin Leslie Caron has never been more appealing. Jan 8, 2018 Full Review J.R. Southall Starburst It's a fascinating depiction of London at the turn of the 1960s, just before The Beatles arrived to turn the country on its head, and well worth a revisit in this glorious 4k restoration. Rated: 9/10 Nov 28, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (15) audience reviews
      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 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 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 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 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 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 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The L-Shaped Room

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Jane (Leslie Caron) is young, French, pregnant and unmarried. Bucking convention, she is uninterested in settling with her baby's father or getting an abortion. After renting a room in a dingy London boarding house, Jane befriends the odd group of inhabitants and starts an affair with one boarder, Toby (Tom Bell). As Jane's pregnancy threatens her new relationship, and the reality of single motherhood approaches, she is forced to decide what to do about both her baby and her budding romance.
      Director
      Bryan Forbes
      Distributor
      Columbia Pictures
      Production Co
      British Lion Film Corporation, Romulus Films Ltd.
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      May 27, 1963, Original
      Runtime
      2h 5m