I caught this film just now in the middle of the night (I get my best cinematic education from TCM and IMDb) and I missed part of the beginning, but you'd only need a snippet to see that Hayley's performance is stellar, unlike any movie I've ever seen her in. She's not a Disney darling here, that's for sure! Her own father directed her in this film and her mother wrote the screenplay! I can't imagine what it must have been like behind the scenes but her dad must've known her well because he brought out the best in her here! She truly looks like a different person, like she's delved into the essence of what it takes to be an actress, instead of just what it takes to sell movie tickets (sorry Disney!) While I love all of those old Hayley Mills classics this is the first time I could ever see her as more than just a label to churn out numbers at the cinema and it's no wonder it's not nearly as well known. For that reason alone it should be on every true movie buffs DVD shelf, if it ever finally comes out that is.

The necessary summary is a girl had a bad childhood experience and goes instead with gypsy Ian McShane. The film is a lot better than otherwise when it's just Mills and McShane but the trouble is every other adult character is awful. This is a good example of how British film can be so bad. Many of the countries are country bumpkin 'types' without any sign of subtlety. The dialog is pretty risible. The 1960's was a bad decade for British film anyway and here's an example of that. The '60's with its farce and a mugging Julie Christie plus the preoccupation with kitchen sink realism up north. The 50's was weaker than the decade before it, the film industry starting to fall apart in the UK, then horrible films like this coming along instead. Just squeezing into the 60's was 'Peeping Tom', by Michael Powell. One great film before the critics shut down his career for offending them. Forget the 60's, the 40's is where it's at: Powell and Pressburger films released between 1943 and '49, a truly brilliant film every single of those years. Much of Sky West and Crooked would seem at first in comparison to have been made by one of those uselessly written bumpkins it portrays.

Enjoyable movie, with a happy ending. Just shows how sometimes society can mean well but can be so wrong at the same time. Obviously when her mother dies Bridie is much better off on the road with robin & the traveling life, than to be sent to an asylum or hospital supposedly for her own good, as the doctor would have it. The vicar realizes this and is happy that she is free & happy in the end. Amazingly this film was in 1966 and today in 2007 the attitude of society has not changed regarding its discriminatory attitude towards traveling people. Have to say i thought that actor playing playing Robin was Oliver Reed, he is the image of him.

This is a wonderful little movie. While it centers on the character played by Hayley Mills and her storyline, to me, its more about all the people in this British countryside community. Each one unique, down to earth, in close quarters interacting with each other. It fits all of them in a nice "tight" package. I'm very glad I just happened to see it.