The L-Shaped Room (1962)

A single, pregnant woman moves into a London boarding house where she meets a group of fellow misfits.

Director:

Bryan Forbes

Writers:

Lynne Reid Banks (based on an original novel by), Bryan Forbes (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Leslie Caron, Anthony Booth, Avis Bunnage

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Caron	...	Jane
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

Storyline

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. She considers getting an abortion, but is unhappy with this solution. She falls into a relationship with Toby, a struggling young writer who lives on the first floor. Eventually she comes to like her odd room, and makes friends with all the strange people in the house. But she still faces two problems: what to do with her baby, and what to do with Toby.

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Plot Keywords:

unplanned pregnancy | gay black man | homosexual subtext | west indian | trumpet | 

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Taglines:

"Sex is not a forbidden word!"

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

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".

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Goofs

Toby and Jane wait to cross a road as marchers go by. Toby is smoking a fresh cigarette. When they cross, his cigarette is gone and his hand is in his pocket.

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Quotes

Jane Fosset: You can't afford it.
Toby: I *know* I can't afford it. I can't afford *any* of the bloody decencies of life. I can't afford to take you out, I can't afford to buy you a proper Christmas present, I can't afford even to be able to tell you not to worry.
Toby: Look, I'm 28 years old, and I'm still living hand to mouth like a bloody tramp. I've been writing for ten years, I've written five stinking novels that nobody wants to wipe their behinds upon, and now you tell me I can't even afford a bottle of ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Pawnbroker (1964)

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Soundtracks

Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty
(uncredited)
Written by A.J. Mills, Fred Godfrey and Bennett Scott
Sung by Cicely Courtneidge

User Reviews

Forgotten, but marvelous

It's a shame this film has been all but forgotten. It's an excellent drama and character study, and features a career best performance from Leslie Caron, as an unwed pregnant French woman at a London boarding house. Though they all want her to get an abortion for various reasons, she refuses, and this forces them all to emerge from their shells and become a framework of friendship and love. The ending is sad, and just about perfect. The fact that time has neglected it is a true shame.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1962 (UK)

Also Known As:

The L-Shaped Room

Filming Locations:

4 St Luke's Road, Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Davis-Royal, Romulus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1