wsutton_49 Review of The Mating Game

The Mating Game (1959)

Based on British Novel "The Darling Buds of May"

[6/10 · 23 August 2015]

If you watch this movie and then watch the first episode of the much later, and very beloved, British TV series "The Darling Buds of May" starring David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and which made her a star in the UK, you will be struck with a feeling of having seen this before. That wonderful series is about the Larkin family, as is this movie, taken from stories by British author H.E. Bates. I knew it as soon as I heard the name 'Larkin'. For those whose reviews center on the IRS and whether or not the movie is realistic versus American tax law, be aware it was originally written in relation to British law and may just suffer from poor translation. The author's works were also used for movies such as David Lean's "Summertime", 1955, with Katherine Hepburn; and "The Purple Plain", 1954, with Gregory Peck. At any rate this is still an enjoyable movie, and as it turns out, was Douglas' last movie.