From glitzy American musicals to new wave kitchen sink dramas, French actress Leslie Caron has been a part of film and TV globally, with a special connection to British productions, since her 1951 debut in “An American in Paris” with Gene Kelly.

After Hollywood musicals including “Lili”, “The Glass Slipper”, and “Gigi”, Leslie appeared in international films such as “The Story of Three Loves” with Moira Shearer; “The Doctor’s Dilemma” with Dirk Bogarde & Alastair Sim; “Austerlitz” with Orson Welles; “Promise Her Anything” with Margaret Nolan; and “Damage” with Ian Bannen.

Part of the British new wave, “The L-Shaped Room” is a kitchen sink drama with Tom Bell, Brock Peters, & Emlyn Williams. The second film by director Bryan Forbes (his first was “Whistle Down the Wind” with Alan Bates), Leslie Caron’s performance in “The L-Shaped Room” won the Best Actress awards at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, as well being nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

Based on the book by Lynne Reid Banks, with a screenplay by Bryan Forbes, “The L-Shaped Room” premiered at the Columbia Cinema in London on the 15th of November 1962.

The film was co-produced by Richard Attenborough with a soundtrack by Bond composer John Barry. The cinematographer was the legendary Douglas Slocombe, who was also the cinematographer on classic Ealing comedies (“Hue & Cry“, “Kind Hearts & Coronets“, “A Run for your Money“, “The Man in the White Suit“, “The Lavender Hill Mob“, and “The Titfield Thunderbolt“) as well many other classic films such as “The Man in the Sky” (with Jack Hawkins & Elizabeth Sellars), “Circus of Horrors” with Kenneth Griffith, “The Young Ones“, “The Servant” with Dirk Bogarde, “The Italian Job“, “Travels with My Aunt” with Maggie Smith, “Rollerball” with Maud Adams & Pamela Hensley, and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.