L-Shaped Room, The (1963)

reviewed by
Brian Koller


The L-Shaped Room (1963)
Grade: 54

Leslie Caron may be best known for playing the love interest in "An American in Paris", "Father Goose", and "Gigi", but those weren't the films that earned her two Best Actress Academy Award nominations. They came ten years apart, in the 1953 children's film "Lili", and in the 1963 character study "The L-Shaped Room".

In the latter film, a British production directed by Bryan Forbes, Caron plays a pregnant woman who is unsure of her future. Jane is from a well-to-do French family, but emigrates to England to find her own way seperate from her lover and family. She soon discovers poverty, but also makes friends in the low-rent apartment building where she stays.

First among these is Toby (Tom Bell), an attentive, impassioned but failed writer, and helpful, gentle Johnny (Brock Peters, fresh from playing the defendant in "To Kill a Mockingbird"). There's also a middle-aged lesbian (Cicely Courtneidge).

Then as now, there is little glory in unwed pregnancy. Everyone assumes that Jane is looking for a then-illegal abortion. Toby is the last character to be aware of her predicament, which Jane keeps secret from him out of fear of losing his romantic interest. Jane herself is uncertain of what to do about her pregnancy and her life, but she knows one thing. She won't do anything just because somebody wants her to do it, and her refusal to commit to anyone or anything leads to much suffering. The major characters are all sympathetic to Jane, but are frustrated by her indecisions.

Considered almost shocking at the time of release, "The L-Shaped Room" actually is much more conservative than the black comedies of the era (e.g. "Dr. Strangelove", "Manchurian Candidate", "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane").

The film itself is sometimes slow, and the dialogue, especially from Courtneidge, can be difficult to follow for these Yankee ears. The sets are drab, which is realistic but not lending itself to pleasing cinematography. Caron is a fine actress, but her character's restless nature doesn't give her enough to work with. In the end, "The L-Shaped Room" is well-intentioned but fails to execute.

kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html


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