The Family Way

"A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night."

1966 1h 55m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 33

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

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Young newlyweds Arthur and Jenny Fitton want nothing more than to get their marriage started on the right foot. But before they can depart for their honeymoon in Spain, they have to spend their first night together at the home of Arthur's parents. The couple are prevented from having any intimacy, but it only gets worse. They find out that their trip to Spain is canceled, which sets the tone for a rocky few weeks.

“A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Hayley Mills
Jenny Piper
Hywel Bennett
Arthur Fitton
John Mills
Ezra Fitton
Marjorie Rhodes
Lucy Fitton
Avril Angers
Liz Piper
John Comer
Leslie Piper
Wilfred Pickles
Uncle Fred
Murray Head
Geoffrey Fitton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roy Boulting
Writers: Bill Naughton
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roy Boulting, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul McCartney. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ernest Hosler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett and John Mills carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0060395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 33 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roy Boulting directs. Harry Waxman behind the camera. Paul McCartney scores. Ernest Hosler cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Roy Boulting, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Paul McCartney. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Ernest Hosler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett and John Mills carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A girl, a boy, a tender, funny, terrible wedding night.".
7IMDB entry: tt0060395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 33 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Waxman
Original score: Paul McCartney
Editing: Ernest Hosler
Makeup / hair: Trevor Crole-Rees
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Family Way (1966)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Roy Boulting

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2021-08-02
★ 8/10
The Family Way seems to have had a splashy release for a couple of reasons. It involved a topic rarely dealt with: an unconsummated new marriage, and the debut of Harley Mills in an adult role. I know when I was in the throes of puberty I would have been gobsmacked if I had been allowed to see the naked back of Hayley Mills, whom I had boyishly fancied in her Disney movies. It is a pretty good movie in its own right, not rude or crude in its depiction of what would be treated as a sex comedy nowadays but which received a half-serious treatment back then. It takes its time to develop the characters and the main plot. I read a couple of reviews that suggested that John Mills stole every scene he was in, but I didn’t see it that way. He was good, but I thought Hayley owned nearly every scene she was in. She may have been seen as playing herself or the same type as in her older films, but she was serious when she needed to be, and her character’s innocence and sweetness felt real to me and was the secret ingredient to make you care about their problem. The only negatives for me involved the brothers. The temporarily impotent young husband had a breakthrough of sorts due to violent feelings that had built up in him. Back then that was no doubt acceptable, but to modern sensibilities having that violence “solve” his problem felt a little worrisome. I also thought the groom’s brother was granted a few too many liberties as he flirted and more or less dated the bride while new hubby was working, but I suppose in a movie without a real villain, tension needs to be built up in other ways. But I found the movie well worth watching all the way through because of Hayley Mills’ sunny but also layered performance, as well as for the sensitive way it handled its rare subject matter of a virginal wife and what it can do to young love if it is not resolved in time.
CinemaSerf2022-11-10
★ 7/10
There is quite a fun dynamic on display here from Hayley Mills ("Jenny") and her new husband "Arthur" (Hywel Bennett) as they have to make their way in a new married world fraught with difficulties. They have little money, so live with his well meaning but slightly domineering parents "Ezra" (John Mills) and "Lucy" (Marjorie Rhodes) and an accident with their bed puts paid to any hanky-panky! Their honeymoon is aborted after it transpires the travel agent has absconded with their money and gradually they discover that their lives are the subject of the wagging tongues all around town. The comedy is gently effective here. This could be a depiction of many new marriages where even the most loving of couples are having to get used to the stresses and strains of a new way of living. Mills is on great form; Avril Angers and John Comer support well as her parents "Liz" and "Leslie" and this adaptation leaves much of the original humour from Bill Naughton's play intact for us to enjoy. What makes this enduring is that it is quite touching. A score from Paul McCartney is also notable though maybe more because he wrote it (not because it's especially memorable). You can share in the laughs, but you also sympathise with this couple as they try sort themselves out and stay sane! Those of us of a certain age might well find this resonates a bit, and still relate to it too - even if, on occasion, it makes you cringe a bit!