A tale handled with much sensitivity and sympathy though it raises (perhaps unintentionally) a few issues it doesn't really go into.
Hayley Mills "broke away" from her squeaky clean image, apparently - well not really, it's more an evolution because she still basically plays a pretty girl next door, albeit one who has sex and shows off her backside.
Both are crucial to the plot. She marries Hywel Bennett and they both seem to dig each other but she teases him on their wedding night and he can't get it up. And he continues to not get it up over the next few weeks and everyone gets involved.
And because he's a little arty - he's a projectionist, and likes books and things - people wonder if she's not manly, but Bennett's possible homosexuality isn't really tackled head on. She lives with his family and his young brother Murray Head stumbles on Mills having a bath (hence the rear end) and they are attracted towards each other.
But it's okay, don't worry, because Mills has a go at him at Bennett and he throws her down at the bed and seems to get turned on. I has vague spousal rape overtones though he does pull back and is sensitive. But it made me wonder.
Also John Mills and Marjorie Rhodes - who play his parents - have this long scene where they talk about how Mills' childhood friend Billy went on a honeymoon with them, which is damn weird. It's hinted that Billy may be Bennett's father - but also that Mills loved Billy. Of course there are a variety of nunances in relationships - bromances don't necessarily involve a sexual component, people can have trouble with potency that don't have anything to do with being gay.
So I found this film expectedly complex- I mean it ends with John Mills having a quiet bawl at the end. (My take: he was in love with Billy, who slept with his wife resulting in Bennett... and Bennett just has a super low sex drive which is going to break up his marriage down the track. But I could be wrong). Also am I mistaken or does it hint that Hayley Mills' father has incestuous designs on his daughter?
It's very well handled and acted. Roy Boulting couldn't do suspense that well as we'd soon find out with Twister Nerve but comedy drama.. no worries. Hayley Mills is very winning as is Bennett, Rhodes and so on.
Paul McCartney did the music score.
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