Review of The Family Way

Originated as an ITV Armchair Theatre presentation in 1961, subsequently extended into a stage play and then extended and opened up for this 1966 film. All good and it is well worth a watch if only for the splendid performance from the very pretty Hayley Mills and the solid performance by her dad as her father in law. Trouble is a lot happened culteurally in those five years and this is not really dealt with properly in the film. It would have been much better to keep this in a 50s milieu instead of strapping on a couple of swinging sixties elements and making do. The original TV presentation is included on the StudioCanal disc and this works fine but opening this up with 60s elements makes for some awkward moments and poor Hywell Bennett as the young newly wed who can't perform begins to look decidedly creepy. The McCartney score, I found extremely underwhelming and even annoying but Hayley carries the day with much of the original Bill Naughton dialogue still shining through.