Chaque chose en son temps

This is not so much a movie as a filmed play. The acting is paramount in The Family Way, and I personally have never seen a more moving performance than the one John Mills gives here as Ezra Fitton, father of Arthur Fitton, Hywel Bennett's character who is newly wed to Jenny Piper, played by Hayley Mills. Marjorie Rhodes gives a superb performance as Arthur's mother. The emotion comes from the interplay of the characters, particularly the relationship between the two parents and between the father and his son.

The plot involves the travails of the young couple trying to get to know each other while still being forced, through economic necessity, to live with the parents. Arthur is a hyper-sensitive lad, out of place in the solidly working-class Fitton household. The father plainly doesn't know what to make of him and the two of them are verbally sparring throughout much of the picture.

Against this backdrop, the main storyline concerns the failure of the new marriage to "gel" in the words of Jenny's father as he tries unsuccessfully to explain the problem to Ezra. There is much social comedy along the way, but finally, the underlying story that explains the whole situation comes into focus, and the relationship between the father and son is suddenly illuminated.

The moment is incredibly moving and unforgettable and captures the essence of the father/son relationship in a way that I have never seen more eloquently expressed.

I saw this film last Friday night at an American Cinematheque screening in Los Angeles. It was my first time to see it, although I'd long been curious about it since McCartney provided the musical score.

The film was the second half of a double feature, paired with How I Won the War, and it was worth staying to see. McCartney's score is top notch, and it's a shame it's not available on CD. The film is based on a play, and it has the feel of watching a filmed stage production. There aren't a lot of different locations used for filming, and most of the action takes place in a house. This may not sound so interesting but the story and characters are worth following. Hayley Mills is wonderful and her father, John Mills, turns in a stellar performance as her husband's overbearing father. They don't make films like this anymore, which is too bad.

Note: The film has garnered a slight notoriety for a "nude" scene involving Hayley Mills. What this amounts to is a very brief shot of her holding a towel around herself and baring part of her backside. The shot is so brief that you will scratch your head wondering how this ever became even worthy of comment. I'd guess that this film would be rated "G" or at worst "PG" by American standards today, as it has no foul language, very little violence, and no on screen sex or nudity.

I first saw 'The Family Way" when it was first released. I enjoyed it then. I found it funny and sad at the same time. My date thought it was rather boring.

Thirty years later I saw it again on Cable-TV and I've even recorded it so I can share it with my wife (not the woman I dated way back when). I've read many of the comments made by previous posters and I agree with

most of them.

It is a very funny and very moving story. The young couple have problems from the very start: the "prank" on their wedding night and the disappointment the day after. Having to live with his parents because they can't get a "flat" or anything else would tend to put a crimp in anyone's love life.

The final confrontation and resolution between husband and wife is simply great. The addition of Beethoven at the end of that scene underscores the sense of victory over all the adversity. Benny Hill couldn't have done it any better and I think he did try...

John Mills clearly steals any scene he's in, even from the newly weds. The final scene in the movie isn't to be missed. It's what he doesn't know that makes it soo good.

At one time I had the novel based on the film, but it's long lost.

The sound track, written by Paul McCarthy, is great. If only he'd written more like that...

A late entry to the British kitchen sink cycle, which suggests that if there was one thing that the upstanding, chapel going, gossipping classes disapproved of more than sex before marriage, then it was failing to fulfill one's conjugal duties afterwards. Which is unfortunate for a willing, but unable, Hywell Bennett and his virginal bride, portrayed by a divine Hayley Mills. Bennett is good, and Mills is suitably wide eyed and adorable, which in fairness is all the script really asks of her, but the film belongs to the senior cast members. John Mills, ironically portraying his real life daughter's father-in-law, succeeds in being comical and pathetic yet immensely noble, and Marjorie Rhodes is equally compelling as his wife, who loves, yet at times, quietly loathes him. The Family Way is a touching and amusing look at the social mores of Northern England circa the mid-sixties, and a chance to see Hayley Mills' bare bottom!

The big day has arrived and you're to wed, a union with young Jenny, conjugal bed, a honeymoon in Majorca (cancelled at the last minute), she really is a corker, but there's things spinning around inside your head. You're father doesn't help as he's a boor, while living in his house is such a chore, no escape on the horizon, and you're struggling to enliven, perform the ritual of love, ardour, l'amour. And now the world has been informed of your shortcoming, about the problem you've been having with your plumbing, you feel belittled and enraged, life was much easier when engaged, it's so unsavoury, unpleasant and unbecoming.

The trials and tribulations of a newly married couple and their irritating and interfering parents.