The Man Upstairs (1958) User Reviews

Taut and impressive

[Marco_Trevisiol · 7/10 · 9 March 2015]

This tense drama - about a disturbed man locked in his apartment room wanted by the police and seemingly in an untenable situation - is quite unusual in its structure.

Apart from the studio and title of the film, there are no opening credits. There is no background music and the film takes place in 'real time'. These are challenging restrictions for a film but director Don Chaffey does a largely splendid job.

The secret to the film's success is that it doesn't excessively focus on the central character (played by Richard Attenborough in his typically intense, brooding style) but places him in the context of the law, support organisations and ordinary citizens (represented by other tenants of the building).

The film deftly creates a range of characterisations who either want to help or apprehend 'the man upstairs' or just have him out of their way for their own personal reasons. It highlights how a character in the plight that Attenborough's is in is reliant on sensible, selfless and practical measures by those around him to not potentially ruin his life.

While not a classic, 'The Man Upstairs' is a fine film, worth seeking out.

Words or Actions!

[spookyrat1 · 6/10 · 14 December 2018]

Interesting "siege" film from the 50's where director Don Chaffey has clearly set out to stamp his own credentials on the production, even though he was obviously working to a limited budget.

Similar to most contemporary films, there are few opening credits, with just about every thing left to the end. The story runs in "real time" and crucially the choice has been made to dispense with any musical soundtrack. The use of everyday sounds and noises becomes an important feature in the narrative and certainly ramps up the suspense. The other interesting aspect of the siege is that there are no hostages taken. Rather it's all about getting the protagonist to peaceably leave his room in a block of units and go quietly with authorities.

Wilson's/Watson's motivations behind his actions are effectively and some what mysteriously drip-fed to the audience, though I feel it was a little unrealistic having his fiancée Helen Grey, "negotiate" with the police in giving them his true name. It's not like he's a career criminal and the whole exercise seemed quite pointless.

The movie also deals in an even-handed fashion, as to the best means of dealing with a domestic siege; a facet of police work still of great relevance 60 years later. Some characters argue giving reasons for a negotiated outcome, whilst we and others are given explicit onscreen evidence that it may be better to finalise the situation in a less restrained manner.

In a relatively short film it is inescapable that the story is weakened by being padded out, with us being continually shown the ongoing inter-relationships between the block's other residents. Though well-acted by the supporting cast, they don't have a huge bearing on the main narrative, until arguably near the end where another resident becomes instrumental in drawing the siege to its conclusion.

Potential viewers looking to watch something different in the way. of British "B" films, could do a lot worse than giving The Man Upstairs a friendly neighbourly glance.

Overstayed its welcome

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 22 February 2016]

This a production from ACT the film technicians union who made 23 films between 1951 and 1962.The aim being to give employment to their members.It has to be said that most of the films were unmentionable and modestly budgeted.Given that this is not one of the best remembered of Richard Attenboroughs films,the film is mainly confined to the house and there is no music it could be said that the film conforms to type.At 84 minutes it rather lustrous it's welcome and it could be said that this would probably worked better as a TV play.British Lion often had a struggle to get its films booked on the major circuits so I think that any success for this film would have been limited.

A sort of "deja vu"...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 11 November 2011]

Once again,I won't tell the topic of this solid UK drama, Long Horn has done it very well on the summary line. I will just point out that Richard Attenborough gives here a powerful, outstanding performance as a lost soul, not a lunatic, but a character for whom the audience can't not feel some empathy...

But no user seem have noticed that picture is very similar to Marcel Carne's LE JOUR SE LEVE, starring Jean Gabin as the lead. And it is absolutely obvious; a blind man, only by hearing the dialogues, could tell the same thing.

That's all, folks. I have nothing to add.

Oh, yes, I think Don Chaffey's films are hard to purchase, but when you can make it, it's worth. I know this guy directed some AVENGERS TV series episodes.

A British remake of 12 Angry Men

[MikeBrough · 7/10 · 30 May 2019]

I don't think its any coincidence that this film came out the year after 12 Angry Men.

Dicky Attenborough is the accused and the 12-man jury is made up of his fellow tenants.

Good film but would have made a better TV episode - tighter and more focused.

Restrained character piece

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 12 October 2019]

THE MAN UPSTAIRS is a low-key proto-siege film, very British in feel with some of the angry young man/kitchen sink look and atmosphere to it. With little in the way of scenery and incident, it's very much an actor's showcase, the success or failure resting on the skills of the ensemble cast. Thankfully, they're up to the job, with the likes of Bernard Lee, Donald Houston and Kenneth Griffiths excelling in the various roles they inhabit. The real stand-out is, of course, Richard Attenborough, delivering another internal and sensitive performance as a man driven to the edge by the whims of modern society. In that respect this reminded me a little of the Joel Schumacher film FALLING DOWN, albeit with a much more restrained and old-fashioned approach.

The long night.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 9/10 · 23 January 2022]

Talking to my dad this weekend about Le Jour Se Leve and The Long Night, (1939 and 1947-both also reviewed) he mentioned about recently finding on DVD a Film Noir with a similar style set-up, leading to me meeting the man upstairs.

View on the film:

Moving towards the boarding house as the opening credits unroll and bellowing score notes fade into the distance, co-writer (with Alun Falconer and Robert Dunbar) / director Don Chaffey & X: The Unknown (1956-also reviewed) cinematographer Gerald Gibbs cut into a brittle, minimalist Film Noir atmosphere which captures the rising heat the man feels as he gets pushed further into the darkest corner of his flat.

Not featuring a single note of a score after the opening credits, and avoiding any use of fades or dissolves, Chaffey brilliantly tightens the screws in real-time on the viewer with jagged tracking shots across the creaking floorboards of the boarding house, towards bruising close-ups behind shattered glass, and ultra-stylized crane shots exploring the crowd gathering outside.

Surrounded by the black canvas of his flat, Richard Attenborough gives a blistering performance as (the as listed in the credits) The Man Upstairs, whose Noir loner psychological torment Attenborough expresses with agony across his face, as Donald Houston gives a pitch-perfect calming performance as Dr. Sanderson, who has to balance trying to talk The Man out of his flat, whilst attempting to convince the police to stand back.

Taking a rather hazy approach to making clear the name of the man, the writers bring from out of the Film Noir shadows an excellent character study, which refreshingly stays away from making him a simple lunatic, to instead take a empathetic position that explores the psychological problems he is suffering, (for which, no easy answer is given) and the compassion Dr. Sanderson has, to help the man upstairs.

Not that bad

[lucy-19 · 5/10 · 21 August 2004]

I remember liking this film. It takes place in a boarding house of the kind that no longer exist, where disparate characters were thrown together--making for a good story. But in this house everyone keeps themselves to themselves until the man upstairs precipitates a crisis. What will he do? Why has he locked himself in? Is he going to blow himself up? There are good cameos from characters like the landlady whose idea of a wash and brush up when woken in the night is to apply an even thicker coat of lipstick.

The tenants are helped to pull together by a feisty young woman (is she Australian?), but in the end Authority, in the person of a bossy army type, steps blunderingly in. Hmmmm - some kind of moral indicated.

***

This film is now available on VHS with The Angry Silence. Remarkably, it has no background music, and the action is in real time. When authority arrives in relays (social worker, police, more police, fire brigade, army) you expect one heroic figure to step forth and take over, but no - all they do is bicker among themselves, mainly about who should be giving orders. The social worker is sympathetic, but he wants to solve the situation on his own and resents being bossed by the police. Bernard Lee as the policeman is concerned for his injured sergeant and thinks this gives him the right to bluster and talk over everybody else.

The roomers, collected in the flat of the feisty young woman (Mrs Barnes), aren't much better. They all talk at once and at cross purposes, but eventually Mrs Barnes suggests that they should all go up in a body and stop the police using force. Mrs Barnes talks the Man into coming out and giving up his gun.

Yes, of course there's a moral and the collection of blundering authority figures is clearly meant to be farcical. The army type is ineffective rather than bossy, explaining in a public- school voice that what they really need is a riot tear-gas gun, but they're only for use abroad.

Headline

[dcarroll74 · 10/10 · 18 February 2021]

I didn't know of this movie until I saw it availvable on download. What a gem. Tense drama, taut acting by big names of the time, and irnoically enough, despite being made in 1958, resonant of the 21st Century.

Accusations made before proof? Paparazzi? Sounds like Social Media to me. Nuff Said. The Nuff is deliberate, I hate misspelling of words. Imagine my hireing someone to work for me, and the contract says 1000 per hour. Then the mistake is seen, and should read 10.00 per hour??????????

Nuff said.

Stagey, with clichéd stereotypes

[duncanjbrooks · 4/10 · 22 April 2021]

Attenborough is pretty good, but he can't save this as a film. Some of the other acting is ok - but some is dreadful, especially Donald Houston (does he ever do anything except overact? I never understood why he was in so many films) - and several of the characters are pure clichéd stereotypes. The script is wooden and stilted, presumably because of its stage-play origins, and the action is a sequence of simply implausible events, largely engineered to get all the main characters together in one room and sounding off at each other. Corny, with little credibility.

The 35 Year Old Richard Attenborough

[Single-Black-Male · 18 November 2003]

Although Dickie Attenborough was appearing in some bold projects like this one, I didn't find any substance to it. I was disappointed with this film. It just dragged on wasting 90 minutes of my life. He needed to make his own films by this stage.

Nope.

[bombersflyup · 2/10 · 28 September 2021]

The Man Upstairs is too limited and dull, with class actor Attenborough reduced to playing a 6 year old having a tantrum.

Granted it's more about the other residents choosing to weigh in and not just be bystanders. The problem is the majority of the residents are bad characters as well, Mrs Barnes the antithesis.

Edward Evans

[mikeos3 · 20 October 2020]

I used to play Edward Evans (Fire Brigade Officer) at table tennis.