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The Family Way (1966) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   409 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Roy Boulting
Writers:
Bill Naughton (play)
Bill Naughton (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Family Way on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 February 1968 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night. more
Plot:
Compassionate look at the troubles of two young newlyweds, who's marriage has yet to be consummated. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
5 wins more
NewsDesk:
Famed British Filmmaker Roy Boulting Dies At 87
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 7 November 2001)
User Comments:
Awesome performances by John and Haley Mills more (21 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Hayley Mills ... Jenny Fitton
Hywel Bennett ... Arthur Fitton

John Mills ... Ezra Fitton
Marjorie Rhodes ... Lucy Fitton
Avril Angers ... Liz Piper
John Comer ... Leslie Piper
Barry Foster ... Joe Thompson
Wilfred Pickles ... Uncle Fred
Liz Fraser ... Molly Thompson
Andy Bradford ... Eddie (as Andrew Bradford)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hazel Bainbridge ... Mrs. Bell
Helen Booth ... Mrs. Lee
Fanny Carby ... Mrs. Stone
Diana Coupland ... Mrs. Rose
Lesley Daine ... Dora
Colin Gordon ... Mr. Hutton
Ruth Gower ... Mrs. Pike
Murray Head ... Geoffrey Fitton
Margaret Lacey ... Mrs. Harris
Harry Locke ... Mr. Stubbs
Maureen O'Reilly ... Miss Hunt
Robin Parkinson ... Mr. Phillips
Ruth Trouncer ... Marriage Counsellor
Thorley Walters ... The Vicar
more
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)
Filming Locations:
Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK more
Company:
Jambox more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film won every Award it was nominated for. more
Quotes:
Ezra Fitton: All this reading books he does, it's not natural.
Lucy Fitton: You wouldn't know what natural is.
Ezra Fitton: My father always used to say if it were natural you'd see animals doing it. I never saw a horse reading.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
20 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Awesome performances by John and Haley Mills, 9 December 2000
10/10
Author: (bobjm@fast.net) from Macungie, PA

A wonderful story of the human condition in working class 1960's England. The screenwriter has an almost Shakespearean feel for his characters - an understanding of these people, their way of living, and what matters to them. We can see ourselves in these people, hence we care about them deeply.

The quality of the acting is superb. John Mills, one of the best English screen actors ever, is incredible as the father of the Groom. His character is rough and boorish and totally thoughtless when his newly-wed son and bride are forced to share his family's poor flat. Dad is more concerned with memories of his long lost buddy "Billy" than he is with the lives of his own wife and family. Yet somehow Mills lets us feel a sensitivity behind this character that wrenches the viewers heart at the end of the movie.

The plot here is straight forward and simple, a vehicle for us to get to know these characters. Mills' son and the son's bride are forced to live with Mom, Dad, and family in a thin walled flat. Among other problems, the proximity of family leads the groom to a bout of impotence. The thin walls soon have the whole family, and soon the entire neighborhood aware of our hero's problem. Females tend to be sympathetic to our guy, guys tend to tease him or offer advice (pre-viagra days). One particularly sleazy character promises to get the job done for him. And the bride seems somewhat taken by this creep. Problems naturally ensue.

Mills' daughter Haley is cast in her first roll as an adult, playing her real-life father's daughter-in-law. She pulls off the change from child to adult actor flawlessly, she's a delight. The rest of the cast is strong and oh so believable. The Mom in this story has the heart and courage of an Edith Bunker with none of the ditziness.

This film probably made no top 100 lists because it is so topical and set so much in its own time and place. Try watching it as you would a Shakespeare play, put the surroundings away and enjoy the study of the human condition.

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