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!
Review of The Family Way
