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IMDb > The L-Shaped Room (1962)

The L-Shaped Room (1962) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   482 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Lynne Reid Banks (novel)
Bryan Forbes (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The L-Shaped Room on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 November 1962 (UK) more
Genre:
Tagline:
"Sex is not a forbidden word!"
Plot:
Jane, a young French woman, pregnant and unmarried, takes a room in a seedy London boarding house, which is inhabited by an assortment of misfits... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Actor Brock Peters Dies at 78
 (From WENN. 23 August 2005)

User Reviews:
Bittersweet story of hellos and goodbyes... more (21 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Leslie Caron ... Jane Fosset
Anthony Booth ... Youth in Street
Avis Bunnage ... Doris
Patricia Phoenix ... Sonia
Verity Edmett ... Jane II
Tom Bell ... Toby
Cicely Courtneidge ... Mavis
Harry Locke ... Newsagent
Ellen Dryden ... Girl in Newsagent's
Emlyn Williams ... Dr. Weaver
Jennifer White ... Monica

Brock Peters ... Johnny
Gerry Duggan ... Bert
Joan Ingram ... Woman in Park
Mark Eden ... Terry
Stanley Morgan ... Waiter in Club
Gerald Sim ... Doctor in Hospital
Pamela Sholto ... Nurse
Ruth Burns ... Nurse
Diane Clare ... Nurse
Arthur White ... Milkman
Bernard Lee ... Charlie
Nanette Newman ... Girl at End
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kay Walsh ... Prostitute (uncredited)
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Directed by
Bryan Forbes 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Lynne Reid Banks  novel
Bryan Forbes  screenplay

Produced by
Richard Attenborough .... producer
Jack Rix .... associate producer
James Woolf .... producer
John Woolf .... producer (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe 
 
Film Editing by
Anthony Harvey 
 
Casting by
Jenia Reissar 
 
Art Direction by
Ray Simm 
 
Set Decoration by
Peter James 
 
Costume Design by
Beatrice Dawson 
 
Makeup Department
Harry Frampton .... makeup artist
Barbara Ritchie .... makeup artist
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gerry O'Hara .... assistant director (as Gerald O'Hara)
John Quested .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Martin Atkinson .... assistant art director
Ted Ambrose .... draughtsman (uncredited)
Percy Godbold .... property buyer (uncredited)
Basil Mannin .... scenic artist (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Red Law .... sound recordist
Terry Rawlings .... dubbing editor
George Stephenson .... sound recordist
Jack Davies .... boom operator (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Ray Mercer .... special effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Chic Waterson .... camera operator
Ray Jones .... grip (uncredited)
Laurie Ridley .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Eunice Mountjoy .... second assistant editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
John Barry .... composer: jazz sequences
Muir Mathieson .... conductor
Muir Mathieson .... music arranger: Brahms
Sidney Margo .... music contractor (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Penny Daniels .... continuity
Ann Skinner .... production secretary
Arthur Cleaver .... production accountant (uncredited)
Mike Hyatt .... film restoration (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Runtime:
126 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Smiths open their album The Queen Is Dead with the scene of the character Mavis leading a chorus of "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty." more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Concerto No. 1 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra more

FAQ

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful.
Bittersweet story of hellos and goodbyes..., 8 June 2008
7/10
Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

Forlorn Frenchie Leslie Caron--a pregnant twenty-seven year old, unwed and alone--takes a room in a British boarding house bustling with funny, mercurial people. Next-door to her is a black jazz musician, downstairs is a handsome writer (who hasn't sold anything in months); down from him is a lesbian shut-in, the man-hungry landlady, and two prostitutes. Bryan Forbes directed and adapted Lynne Reid Banks' book, taking careful steps to let this humanistic tale unfold as naturally as possible (when Caron upsets the horn-player, she talks so sensibly to him at his door that his initial anger suddenly seems unfounded and embarrassing). Certainly the dramatic and romantic predicaments which transpire are familiar, and Caron's insistence on keeping her condition a secret is a little bit nutty no matter how afraid she is. However, the dignified film has a bittersweet tinge to it that draws one in, and the cast is uniformly strong (especially Caron, doing Oscar-nominated work). A few of the arguments become repetitive, though Forbes handles the characters very sensitively. It's a happy/sad, lovely piece which says that people come and go, people change, and the rooms they occupy and leave change with and without them. *** from ****

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