| Climbing High | |
|---|---|
 Dvd cover | |
| Directed by | Carol Reed |
| Written by | Lesser Samuels |
| Based on | an original story byLesser Samuels Marion Dix |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
| Edited by | Al Barnes Michael Gordon |
| Music by | Louis Levy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 78 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £94,018[1] |
Climbing High is a 1938 Britishcomedy film directed byCarol Reed and produced byMichael Balcon with a screenplay bySonnie Hale, Marion Dix andLesser Samuels. It starsJessie Matthews,Michael Redgrave,Noel Madison,Margaret Vyner andAlistair Sim, and was first released in the U.K. in November 1938.[2]
Nicky Brooke is a wealthy young man who despite his engagement to the aristocratic (and broke) Lady Constance Westaker falls for hard-up model Diana Castles after nearly running her over with his car. In an effort to distance himself from 'tabloid' created tales of his playboy lifestyle, he changes his name and attempts to woo Diana by pretending to be poor.
Climbing High was filmed atPinewood Studios,Iver Heath,Buckinghamshire byGaumont British Picture Corporation.[5][6]
Writing forAllmovie, Bruce Eder consideredClimbing High to be one ofJessie Matthews' best vehicles which he noted was "a surprising result considering it is devoid of the musical numbers that one would have expected from one of England's top dancing and singing talents of the period. What it has is a brilliantly piercing witty script ... superbly engaging acting performances by all concerned and superb pacing." Eder further noted that "Carol Reed was only 3 years into his career ... and was already one of the top comedy directors in England." He concluded thatClimbing High was "one of the most entertaining British comedies of the period with some piercingtopical humour (especially about the advertising business and political activism) that still holds today."[7]