In an opening internal monologue, performed direct to camera and set against a striking, deep blue twilight, protagonist Jimmy Brewster (Alan Bates) announces: ‘let's face it, it's a filthy, stinking world. But there are some smashing things in it – and I want them.’ The title sequence that follows features a series of opulent images from champagne glasses to fancy sports cars; all bleached in vibrant tones. The ‘smashing things’ Brewster refers to are not merely the most expensive or glamourous but also, crucially, the most colourful.

The film in which this scenes features, Nothing but the Best (1964), was released at the moment when colour was beginning to enliven the British cultural scene during the early 1960s and would go on to eventually dominate in cinema by the end of the decade. In this prologue, the pursuit of wealth and status is seen as desirable, presenting the prospect of a more exciting and colourful existence. Moreover, in an era characterised by increased social mobility, British cinema of the 1960s showcased a succession of films featuring male protagonists determined to succeed in the world of big business and entrepreneurialism. This chapter focuses on the figure of the aspirational climber, tracking his progression and development in films throughout this period. It explores how the aesthetic features of such films engaged with the masculine narratives they played out on screen. Specifically, it considers how the full-scale conversion to colour during this time impacted on the corporate fantasises presented in such films, focusing on two movies that epitomised these tropes and trends. Nothing but the Best, written by Frederic Raphael and directed by Clive Donner, provides an early sixties example of a young man on the make, determined to succeed at any cost, and is presented in the mode of black comedy. It will be compared with The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970), directed by Basil Dearden and written by Dearden and Michael Relph (with uncredited help from Bryan Forbes); a film that includes similar themes of corporate ascendency but with much darker overtones of self-destruction.

This shift highlights changes in the filmic identity of the aspirational climber throughout the decade, as each film portrays the differing psychological effects on its male protagonists.