The Family Way
1966 Directed by Roy Boulting
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1966 working class comedy drama set in Bolton, Lancashire, directed by Roy Boulting and written by Bill Naughton, best known for Alfie 1966/2004 and Spring and Port Wine.
John and Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett head a marvellous cast and are brilliantly supported by Wilfred Pickles, Barry Foster, Liz Fraser and Diana Coupland amongst others.
The story centres around a young married couple, Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett, who are experiencing one or two issues consumating the relationship.
The plot may sound a little corny or like something contrived for a 'Carry On' but the comedy and the feel of the film is more in the tradition of Billy Liar.
There's a character in the film called Billy, who we never…
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The Family Way is like Sons and Lovers re-imagined as a breezy sex comedy, as arty Hywel Bennett – living in the shadow of his gruff father (Johnny Mills) – somehow fails to consummate his marriage with the 20-year-old Hayley Mills. This being the north in the 1960s, soon housewives in headscarves start gossiping, which doesn’t help Bennett’s mood – or his mojo. Hayley is lovely in her first adult role, while her pops is simply exceptional as a boozy, sad blowhard who understands nothing, not even the disappearance of his best friend some 30 years ago. His rapport with screen wife Marjorie Rhodes strikes just the right balance of tough and tender. The film has a stagy three-act structure, but it’s opened up nicely with some shots of the principals wandering around Bolton, there are a few big laughs and the whole thing builds to a particularly satisfying, erm, climax.
Recent reviews
More-
1966 working class comedy drama set in Bolton, Lancashire, directed by Roy Boulting and written by Bill Naughton, best known for Alfie 1966/2004 and Spring and Port Wine.
John and Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett head a marvellous cast and are brilliantly supported by Wilfred Pickles, Barry Foster, Liz Fraser and Diana Coupland amongst others.
The story centres around a young married couple, Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett, who are experiencing one or two issues consumating the relationship.
The plot may sound a little corny or like something contrived for a 'Carry On' but the comedy and the feel of the film is more in the tradition of Billy Liar.
There's a character in the film called Billy, who we never…
-
The Family Way is like Sons and Lovers re-imagined as a breezy sex comedy, as arty Hywel Bennett – living in the shadow of his gruff father (Johnny Mills) – somehow fails to consummate his marriage with the 20-year-old Hayley Mills. This being the north in the 1960s, soon housewives in headscarves start gossiping, which doesn’t help Bennett’s mood – or his mojo. Hayley is lovely in her first adult role, while her pops is simply exceptional as a boozy, sad blowhard who understands nothing, not even the disappearance of his best friend some 30 years ago. His rapport with screen wife Marjorie Rhodes strikes just the right balance of tough and tender. The film has a stagy three-act structure, but it’s opened up nicely with some shots of the principals wandering around Bolton, there are a few big laughs and the whole thing builds to a particularly satisfying, erm, climax.