Luna de miel en familia

I saw this movie as a young college student not long after it first came out. Hayley Mills was one of my favorite actresses at the time. Pretty well all girls of my era idolized, envied, and wanted to be just like her. She's a lovely lady still, beautiful accented voice, and wonderful actress. It was a thrill of a lifetime when I saw her on the London stage in 1975 in A Touch of Spring; she's even lovelier in person than on screen. Hayley's perfect here, sort of bubbly, sweet, wide eyed, and eager in the role of the young bride, Jenny. By the way, just as a point of interest for those who might not know, she married (though later divorced) this film's much older director, Ray Boulting, who was 33 years her senior.

This movie tells the story of the marital difficulties of two young newlyweds, Arthur and his virginal bride Jenny, who live with Arthur's working class parents (presumably having no choice for financial reasons). The flat's thin walls prove a problem; Arthur becomes impotent and the couple is unable to consummate the marriage. Their affairs, or lack thereof, become the topic of conversation among interfering family members and the gossip of the neighborhood which, as you might predict, does not prove an asset to Arthur's situation. This unusual (for that era) and touching theme is sensitively portrayed. Times may have changed but believe it or not, I think it's a subject that's still relevant even in the modern Viagra era. Lots of sexual dysfunction issues of one sort or another for modern couples today.

Apparently there were other significant family relationship stories in this picture, especially mother / father / son interactions, but frankly, after all these years, I don't recall any of the details. I would love to watch this film again now, especially as some reviewers seem to indicate that the movie actually revolves more around these issues than the question of Arthur's performance. One commented that the impotency was merely a sub-plot. Naturally the main focus in a movie is invariably the juicy sexual aspect, and I confess that's what I focused on myself when I saw it years ago.

Hayley's real life father, John Mills, plays her father-in-law (Arthur's dad) so it was interesting seeing father and daughter on screen together. They also star together in the much earlier 1959 film Tiger Bay. He's brilliant of course in all his roles, especially the village idiot in Ryan's Daughter.

The film generated a great fuss about it being Hayley's first grown up part, accustomed as we all were to her starring childhood roles in Pollyanna, The Parent Trap etc. Too much has been made of the infamous bathtub scene and the revealing glimpse (actually brief, tastefully done, and not terribly risqué) of Hayley's derriere.

This is a marvelous, highly under rated, currently virtually unknown film of British working class family life...a kitchen sink movie, they seem to be calling it. Even after thirty years, it has left a good impression on me and I recommend it.

There is a gem of a scene in this movie when the parents of the newly married couple meet to discuss the newlywed's problem in "getting their marriage started". Somehow the subject gets around to Billy, a fellow who is talked about but does not appear in this film. Although the two fathers are too dense to know it, the audience figures out something important which happened concerning Billy.

The closing scene is also great when Ezra Fitton makes two observations which are both sad and funny.

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!

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.