# Climbing High > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Climbing_High > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Climbing_High.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_High > Source revision: 1339447970 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1938 British film by Carol Reed Climbing High Dvd cover Directed by Carol Reed Written by Lesser Samuels Based on an original story by Lesser Samuels Marion Dix Produced by Michael Balcon Starring Jessie Matthews Michael Redgrave Noel Madison Margaret Vyner Alastair Sim Cinematography Mutz Greenbaum Edited by Al Barnes Michael Gordon Music by Louis Levy Production company Gaumont British Picture Corporation Distributed by MGM (UK) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (US) Release date November 1938 (1938-11) (UK) Running time 78 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English Budget £94,018[1] ***Climbing High*** is a 1938 British [comedy film](/source/Comedy_film) directed by [Carol Reed](/source/Carol_Reed) and produced by [Michael Balcon](/source/Michael_Balcon) with a screenplay by [Sonnie Hale](/source/Sonnie_Hale), Marion Dix and [Lesser Samuels](/source/Lesser_Samuels). It stars [Jessie Matthews](/source/Jessie_Matthews), [Michael Redgrave](/source/Michael_Redgrave), [Noel Madison](/source/Noel_Madison), [Margaret Vyner](/source/Margaret_Vyner) and [Alistair Sim](/source/Alistair_Sim), and was first released in the U.K. in November 1938.[2] ## Plot 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. ## Cast - [Jessie Matthews](/source/Jessie_Matthews) as Diana Castles - [Michael Redgrave](/source/Michael_Redgrave) as Nicky Brooke - [Noel Madison](/source/Noel_Madison) as Gibson - [Alastair Sim](/source/Alastair_Sim) as Max - [Margaret Vyner](/source/Margaret_Vyner) as Lady Constance Westaker - [Mary Clare](/source/Mary_Clare) as Lady Emily Westaker - [Francis L. Sullivan](/source/Francis_L._Sullivan) as Madman - [Enid Stamp-Taylor](/source/Enid_Stamp-Taylor) as Winnie - [Torin Thatcher](/source/Torin_Thatcher) as Jim Castle - [Tucker McGuire](/source/Tucker_McGuire) as Patsey - [Basil Radford](/source/Basil_Radford) as Reggie Baird - [Athole Stewart](/source/Athole_Stewart) as Uncle - [Kathleen Byron](/source/Kathleen_Byron) as model - [Terry-Thomas](/source/Terry-Thomas) as voice of cow - [Leslie Phillips](/source/Leslie_Phillips) as a child actor.[3][4] ## Production *Climbing High* was filmed at [Pinewood Studios](/source/Pinewood_Studios), [Iver Heath](/source/Iver), [Buckinghamshire](/source/Buckinghamshire) by [Gaumont British Picture Corporation](/source/Gaumont_British).[5][6] ## Reception Writing for [Allmovie](/source/Allmovie), Bruce Eder considered *Climbing High* to be one of [Jessie Matthews](/source/Jessie_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 that *Climbing High* was "one of the most entertaining British comedies of the period with some piercing [topical humour](/source/Topical_humour) (especially about the advertising business and political activism) that still holds today."[7] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". *Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10*. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. p. 470-494 at 481. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Climbing High (1938) – Carol Reed – Cast and Crew – AllMovie"](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/climbing-high-v87433/cast-crew). *AllMovie*. Retrieved 19 July 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Climbing High"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031161/). IMDb. 1 December 1938. Retrieved 19 July 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Climbing High (1939) | BFI"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071129201546/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/29608). Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from [the original](http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/29608) on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Reed, Carol (1 December 1938), [*Climbing High*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031161/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6), retrieved 19 July 2016 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Halliwell, Leslie (1987). *Halliwell's Film Guide* (6th ed.). U.K.: Grafton Books. p. 200. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-246-13207-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-246-13207-8). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Climbing High (1938) – Carol Reed | Review | AllMovie"](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/climbing-high-v87433/review). *AllMovie*. Retrieved 19 July 2016. ## External links - [*Climbing High*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031161/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e Films directed by Carol Reed Midshipman Easy (1935) Laburnum Grove (1936) Talk of the Devil (1936) Who's Your Lady Friend? (1937) Bank Holiday (1938) Penny Paradise (1938) Climbing High (1938) A Girl Must Live (1939) The Stars Look Down (1940) The Girl in the News (1940) Night Train to Munich (1940) Kipps (1941) A Letter from Home (1941) The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) The New Lot (1943) The Way Ahead (1944) The True Glory (1945) Odd Man Out (1947) The Fallen Idol (1948) The Third Man (1949) Outcast of the Islands (1951) The Man Between (1953) A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) Trapeze (1956) The Key (1958) Our Man in Havana (1959) The Running Man (1963) The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) Oliver! (1968) Flap (1970) Follow Me! (1972) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Climbing High](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_High) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_High?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.